What Does a Sustainable Affordability Model Look Like in the Current Landscape?

In a conversation with Pharmaceutical Executive, Shivani Patel, Senior Director of Business Development at ConnectiveRx, discusses how manufacturers are rethinking patient assistance program architecture amid the economic pressures of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Patel explores how automation and AI are accelerating speed-to-therapy within hub services, the strategic implications of ConnectiveRx's expanded dispensing pharmacy capabilities, and the dominant themes shaping affordability strategy heading into 2026.

Pharmaceutical Executive: What does a sustainable affordability model look like in the current landscape?
Shivani Patel: The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has definitely shifted the conversation and how we're approaching supporting our clients and manufacturing partners. It's no longer just about access. It's also about gross-to-net protection.

And what does that mean? It means that there's no longer a set-it-and-forget-it mentality. You really need to be reevaluating your PAP programs, really all of your affordability programs, to make sure that you have the right design in place.

The way we do that with our clients is we will periodically look at program design make sure that the offer we have in place is the right one, that we have the caps that we need. This includes looking at everything from their channel distribution strategy to how much they're investing and the types of programs that they're pulling or standing up again.

You need to be willing to evolve with the landscape, because however it looks today, it’s going to be very different from six months from now, and that's going to be different from a year from now. So, we really try to embrace that mindset when we partner with our clients, so that we can stay ahead of the curve and make sure that their revenue is protected, just like their patient access is.