An analysis of 140,000+ patient conversations reveal the forces driving drop-off and how pharma can address them.
NEW YORK, Nov. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Pleio, the peer-to-patient platform powering a human-first approach to medication adherence, released The Hidden Enemies of Adherence: Mapping the Underminers Behind Every Missed Dose, a report that identifies barriers preventing patients from staying on therapy. Analyzing more than 140,000 patient conversations through its AI-powered platform, OLLIE™, Pleio reveals the unaddressed barriers impacting treatment behavior.
AI That Illuminates the Human Experience
OLLIE analyzes peer-to-patient conversations using multiple behavioral models, including Pleio’s Barrier Blueprint™ model. Rather than ranking problems in isolation, the Blueprint maps how seven overlapping dimensions of attitudes, emotion, financial, knowledge, logistics, skills, and support interact across 37 drivers and 85 barriers. The result: a multidimensional view of adherence.
Across the conversations analyzed, knowledge and skills outpaced financial concerns, revealing that many patients struggle not only with access, but also with understanding, instruction, and confidence in their treatment.
The Multilayered Challenges Behind Adherence
Across all disease states, one pattern was consistent: barriers rarely occur in isolation. Emotional friction, knowledge gaps, and real-world constraints interact, creating moments of hesitation that can derail treatment before it begins.
“What we see so clearly in the data is how deeply patients need to feel supported,” said Michael Oleksiw, CEO of Pleio. “Fear, hesitation, and doubt often overshadow financial barriers entirely. And without a human voice offering clarity and calm, even the medication already in a patient’s hand may not lead to that first, meaningful dose.”
Introducing The Underminers: The Human Forces Behind Every Barrier
The analysis pointed to a deeper insight: Beneath practical challenges are human states that influence how patients process information, respond to obstacles, and make decisions. Drawing on these patterns, Pleio created The Underminers, human states like misunderstanding, fear, mistrust, worry, and depression that quietly “undermine” treatment decisions.
OLLIE detects these human states, uncovers why barriers take hold, and then guides teams on how to communicate with patients. This gives pharma a clearer, evidence-backed path to designing support that aligns with patient needs. The result is support that feels more personal, more empathetic, and more effective for the patients who rely on it.
About Pleio
Pleio (PLAY-OH) is a patient support company that delivers warm, real human outreach to help people feel confident starting and staying on therapy. Through GoodStart™ and DayOne™, and with OLLIE™, Pleio’s conversational AI that defines program essence through the Barrier Blueprint™, Pleio addresses the emotional and practical challenges patients face. Support spans retail, specialty, and specialty-lite therapies, enhanced by e-prescribing and pharmacy partners. Pleio is fully compliant with HIPAA, TCPA, and SOC 2.
Learn more at pleio.com and on LinkedIn.
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SOURCE Pleio, Inc.
