Collaboration can make commercialization processes efficient and effective.
What if payers, providers, patients, and sponsors could all be excited about a new therapy that’s about to be launched? It’s possible, but making it happen requires removing many barriers between the stakeholders so that they can all collaborate in commercializing the therapy. Collaboration makes commercialization processes efficient and effective, potentially boosting a treatment’s accessibility and adoption. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf1 would be pleased if stakeholders collaborated from the beginning to secure approval for a drug and commercialize it efficiently while ensuring it is widely accessible.
While possible, successful and exciting commercialization projects are outliers.
If everyone shares the goal of ensuring that life-changing (and in some cases, lifesaving) treatments are accessible to patients who need them, then it’s critical for the gatekeepers of access to have a seat at the table so they can collaborate with manufacturers and build bridges with patients.
Historically, payers (i.e., commercial insurance companies and government programs) have not had a seat for actively participating in drug development, but now is the time to get them involved earlier in the process. Since we are all striving to provide life-changing and life-saving medications to patients, why not welcome more stakeholders, particularly payers, to join the development process from the start?
What if, as Dr. Califf suggested during the 2023 AHIP conference, payers made more of an effort “to help people get studies done”? Their early and transparent involvement could improve access to commercial treatments. Payers’ involvement is crucial to creating an innovative blueprint for access. Leveraging their unique expertise and capabilities could support the efficient delivery of new therapies to market.
(A quick authors’ note: While we recognize the importance of involving many stakeholders early on, in this discussion, we only examine payers and the significant part they can play in optimizing commercialization.)
The linear, sequential process of drug development silos stakeholders. Approval is sought, efficacy proven, and evidence for patient and quality of life outcomes generated before payers get involved to negotiate reimbursement. This process has a prolonged timeline that often delays patients’ access to innovative treatments and leads to suboptimal outcomes. Payers traditionally become involved near the end of the process and even then have limited input.
Given payers’ significant role in paying for administered care and treatments, involving and engaging with them early in the clinical research process could help develop more effective drugs. Those drugs could in turn improve patients’ quality of life and health. They could also save patients from cycling through suboptimal treatments and help establish new standards of care tailored to patients’ needs.
Crucially, payers can forge a connective bridge with patients who are the farthest away, at the end of the journey. Understanding how they can contribute at each step toward proper care and medicine, starting with clinical research, would empower patients with a sense of control and opportunity to help future patients.
A shorter, more efficient development process benefits all stakeholders; it reduces costs, enhances treatments, and improves quality of life.
Doug Fulling is the president of Precision AQ. Andrew Cournoyer is senior vice president and director of the access experience team at Precision AQ.
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