The Art of Access, Connection

This past year has certainly demonstrated how interconnected the world we live in truly is. And this month, that theme shines throughout the pages of Pharmaceutical Executive. From issues of global market access to collaboration, boarders are being blurred for the benefit of society.

Our cover story on Ester Banque, BMS’s senior vice president and head of Intercontinental, takes a global view of the pharma industry and the worldwide access challenges that exist. She talks about her approach to address these issues, which includes an open, authentic leadership style that values inclusion. Market access is also discussed in our main feature as it is directly linked to value pull-through and payer negotiation strategy.

When it comes to getting patients the drugs they need, our article on the state of primary care physicians points out the effects the pandemic has had on a practice area already threatened by specialty medicine, reimbursement issues, and consolidation, and what these added pressures might mean for the future of PCP practices. Data from a recent physician study conducted by MJH Life Sciences’ Medical Economics indicates some of the barriers to reaching PCPs in today’s environment and sheds light on how to make those connections.

The article also touches on burnout among physicians, a topic that is echoed in our leadership column about how to address burnout in the pharma industry before it’s too late.

Finally, as we emerge from one of the busiest years in pharma, our executive roundtable recounts how the industry came together to help end the pandemic. We look at the many faces collaboration took on in order to accomplish this, and the lessons we might learn from the COVID era as we move forward.

Mike Hennessy Sr., Chairman and Founder of MJH Life Sciences