How Real-Time DTP Data Are Rewriting Pharma's Commercial Playbook

Direct-to-patient (DTP) programs give manufacturers a direct line to real-time, patient-level data: diagnosis, prescribing, fulfillment, and refill behavior, captured as they happen rather than reconstructed months later from claims. Analysts count that shift toward real-time insight and personalized, frictionless patient support among the industry's top priorities in 2026, as omnichannel engagement models increasingly hinge on data pulled directly from the patient journey rather than static reporting.¹

Whether manufacturers can actually act on those DTP-generated data are a separate question. A November 2024 survey of 100 U.S. biopharma commercial leaders found that just 30% feel their commercial organization is well prepared to respond to market trends, and that 76% are still hindered by siloed, outdated data infrastructure, a version of the same communication gap that already trips up manufacturers elsewhere in their commercial operations.²

The payoff for closing that gap is real, particularly as DTP volume grows. A September 2025 survey of pharma leaders conducted by ixlayer and the Digital Health Coalition found that 73% were already running a DTP program or planned to launch one within the year, a figure that climbs to 94% once leaders exploring the option are included, and that half expect DTP to become standard practice across most brands within five years.³

In the first installment of her interview with Pharmaceutical Commerce, Deanna Horner, executive vice president of Enterprise DIRECT Strategy at EVERSANA, explained why commercial pull and patient services are driving manufacturers deeper into DTP models. In this second installment, she focuses on what those models generate once they are running: real-time, patient-level data that can compliment the retrospective, aggregated view most manufacturers have relied on for years.

According to Horner, real-time, patient-level data replace an aggregate, population-based view with a patient-by-patient one, through predictive models that flag who is likely undiagnosed and needs to enter the health care system, who is likely to face access barriers once they start therapy, and who is at risk of abandoning treatment over time as circumstances change, for instance when a patient loses employer-based insurance and needs new options at the right moment. That shift also changes how manufacturers allocate resources and enter the market itself. Rather than launching every product the same way, Horner says companies can now use dynamic resource allocation, precision targeting, and refined access strategies tailored to a specific product or portfolio. The same logic extends to a product's full lifecycle, she adds. As therapies move toward loss of exclusivity and utilization shifts, data can help manufacturers plan for that change rather than react to it. That kind of lifecycle planning looks different for every manufacturer, Horner says, but many are only now starting to work through what it means for their own portfolios.

Watch the first installment of Horner’s interview with PC:

1. What's Really Driving the Direct-to-Patient Boom?

References

1. ZS. "Pharma Industry Outlook 2026: Trends, Priorities and the Future." Jan. 27, 2026. https://www.zs.com/insights/pharma-industry-outlook-2026.
2. Fox, Jonathan, Natasha Elsner, and Dimple Jobanputra. "Navigating the Future of Commercial in Biopharma." Deloitte Insights, June 3, 2025. https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/health-care/future-of-commercial-in-pharma.html.
3. ixlayer. "New ixlayer Survey Finds 73% of Pharma Leaders Are Running or Planning to Launch a DTP Program in the Next Year, and Half Say DTP Will Be Standard Practice Within Five Years." PR Newswire, Sept. 25, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-ixlayer-survey-finds-73-of-pharma-leaders-are-running-or-planning-to-launch-a-dtp-program-in-the-next-year-and-half-say-dtp-will-be-standard-practice-within-five-years-302567022.html.