Adam Fein of Drug Channels has slapped a whopping $153 billion label on the gross-to-net bubble problem—this was how much biopharmaceutical companies were losing in 2017 alone due rebates and other reductions. When biopharmaceutical companies are unable to make the case to differentiate their products, they end up having to provide massive rebates to payers (40%, 50%, 60%, and sometimes even more) in order to secure a favorable formulary placement.
Effective market access teams can justify the uniqueness of their products despite other players in the same therapeutic area. From my experience, there is a hook for EVERY product IF the right questions are asked. For example, “patients with which comorbidities can benefit most from my product,” or “which drug-drug-interactions does my product avoid, in contrast to the competitors,” or “patients with which genetic profile can benefit from my product?”
Market access may be complicated, but it’s possible as it is noble. Patients are looking to this team to ensure that they can gain access to the treatment they need. Furthermore, it’s the market access team that’s charged with helping to solve the $153 billion problem.
It’s time to make big strides and turn heads. Ready. Set. Access.
