Deep Dive: Access and Commercialisation

Access will always be one of the most pertinent issues in the pharma industry. After all, no one makes drugs just so they can sit in a warehouse.

It’s fair to say that market access policies around the world have not kept pace with new innovations in medicines, such as gene therapy or immuno-oncology drugs. Thankfully, it seems that many healthcare systems are aware of this, though whether their encouraging words will translate into meaningful actions remains to be seen.

In this issue of Deep Dive, experts from Research Partnership break down recent changes to market access systems in China, there’s analysis of NHS England’s new commercial strategies, and experts from ICON look at the future of US healthcare.

But, as Mike Rea and Alexander Gray explain in ‘The future of R&D Innovation’, the onus is often just as much on pharma companies to make sure, from the very beginning, that they are developing something that will actually be worth commercialising. In an exclusive interview, Kris Sterkens has similarly strong words for pharma, explaining why he thinks the industry’s business model is ‘outdated’.

We also look at pharma’s use of digital technology in this issue. Sandoz’s chief digital officer Andre Heeg tells us why he approaches big pharma with a start-up mindset, and we hear from Impetus Digital about how technology could change stakeholder engagement.

I hope you enjoy the issue.

Kind regards,
George

George Underwood – Editor, Deep Dive: Access and Commercialisation