Michael Oleksiw: Loneliness and the Hidden Barriers to Adherence

In the first part of his two-part interview series with Pharmaceutical Commerce, Michael Oleksiw, CEO of Pleio Inc., explores how emotional and social factors are quietly undermining patient adherence—and how AI-powered insights are helping pharma companies respond more effectively. As oral GLP-1 therapies are rapidly expanding in the market, traditional patient support programs are struggling to keep pace with real-world patient behaviors, leaving manufacturers with both lost revenue and unmet patient needs.

Oleksiw leads Pleio in advancing personalized, frictionless solutions to support patients throughout their medication journeys. His team’s recent analysis of over 145,000 GLP-1 patient support calls revealed that emotional barriers, particularly loneliness, play a far larger role in therapy drop-off than conventional wisdom suggests. According to Pleio, nearly one in five patients follows a “one-and-done” pattern, never refilling their prescription, while only 32% remain on therapy at 12 months.

In this interview, Oleksiw shares what Pleio’s AI-driven platform, OLLIE, uncovers about the complex interplay of emotional, logistical, and financial barriers that patients face. He explains why addressing loneliness, personalizing communications, and understanding the “emotional cocktail” that accompanies each stage of therapy are essential for improving adherence. The conversation also examines how these insights are reshaping pharmaceutical companies’ approaches to patient engagement and guiding investment in next-generation patient support programs.