Demonstrating product values

As a result of health reforms in different markets across Europe, biopharma must demonstrate the value of its drugs to a wider range of stakeholders in order to get a product to market effectively. While pharmaceutical companies are knowledgeable and experienced in what is required to gain regulatory approval for a new drug in different geographies, addressing the priorities of patients, providers and payers is less clear, but increasingly necessary.

A robust market access strategy and seamless delivery of it will help to:

• Satisfy payers' requirements for evidence of efficacy and comparative effectiveness

• Create the right links with providers to allow implementation of well-defined, pre-launch strategies to achieve long-term brand adoption

• Provide insight on patients' priorities in their care and drive adherence and compliance.

Data demands
Implementing the market access strategy through a broad range of channels with the underlying purpose of collecting and communicating outcomes will help to demonstrate value.

Payers have increasing demands for data that proves the quality of life and economic impact of a drug. The requirement for this kind of evidence is important as payers try to balance their limited budgets while still investing in new medical developments and managing ever-increasing demands on healthcare.

To achieve access and competitive advantage for a drug, biopharma must adopt a commercial mindset at an early stage during clinical development. Navigating this process in each market can be achieved through:

• Quality of life or comparative effectiveness studies

• Health outcomes/epidemiological studies

• Population level feedback of real world outcomes data.

Providers have a different set of priorities and biopharma must employ a deep understanding of national healthcare systems and local variations in determining how to demonstrate the value of a drug to them. When planning the market access strategy considerations should include:

• Local service structure mapping

• Allocation of local budgets

• Local formulary acceptance

• Deployment of informed and flexible local sales teams in line with access environment

• Facilitating access for patients through local guidance and service enhancements.

Multichannel communication
Publication planning and key opinion leader development programmes are established tools. However, there is an increasing focus on multichannel communication strategies to reach both, providers and patients. With the increasing availability of reliable health information, patients are taking a more active role in decision-making about their own care. Mass uptake of online networking indicates that they are also becoming more engaged with their condition and treatment. This provides opportunity for biopharma to engage directly with them in two ways:

• To gather intelligence, which helps to understand patient pathways while informing segmentation and potential product positioning and to assess message resonance

• Through patient-centric services to improve compliance and adherence, including patient websites, registry management, homecare direct and medical science liaison or nurse teams.

This unique combination ensures long-term brand adoption through evidenced-based gap analysis, creation and deployment of programmes focused on stakeholder access, engagement and negotiation. This is supplemented by the collection and sharing of mutually beneficial outcome data that will achieve a sustainable, financial revenue stream for a product.

The Author
Chris Pepler is head of commercial solutions EMEA at Quintiles
Email him at:
chris.pepler@quintiles.com