Marcus Insights
EU Pharmaceutical Market Access: Strategies for Heterogeneous Healthcare Systems


Ask Marcus a Question

Need help finding what you need? Say hello to Marcus.

Based on our proprietary MARC [?] technology, Marcus will search our vast database of management topics and best practice documents to identify the most relevant to your specific, unique business situation. This tool is still in beta. If you have any suggestions or questions, please let us know at support@flevy.com.


Role: Head of Market Access
Industry: Pharmaceuticals in the European Union


Situation:

My role encompasses the strategic planning and execution of market access initiatives for new pharmaceuticals across the EU. The region presents a challenging landscape with its diverse health technology assessment (HTA) bodies, varying pricing regulations, and complex reimbursement systems. While our company has a robust portfolio of innovative drugs and a strong network within key HTA organizations, we must navigate these complexities to ensure timely and profitable market entry. We're also focusing on real-world evidence collection to support our value propositions. The primary challenge remains in aligning our market access strategies with the varying national healthcare policies, ensuring our innovative treatments reach patients efficiently and sustainably.


Question to Marcus:


How can we optimize our market access strategy to address the heterogeneity of healthcare systems and reimbursement pathways in the European Union?


Based on your specific organizational details captured above, Marcus recommends the following areas for evaluation (in roughly decreasing priority). If you need any further clarification or details on the specific frameworks and concepts described below, please contact us: support@flevy.com.

Market Access Example

In the context of the EU's diverse Healthcare landscape, developing a comprehensive market access strategy is paramount. Focus on creating adaptable yet robust access plans by incorporating insights from real-world evidence.

Engage with local HTA bodies early and often to understand specific country requirements, emphasizing the Value Proposition of your pharmaceuticals tailored to each market's healthcare framework. Implementing a modular approach to health economic modeling can help adapt to each country's data requirements, potentially expediting the market access process.

Recommended Best Practices:

Learn more about Value Proposition Healthcare Market Entry

Health Technology Assessment (HTA)

As HTAs are critical gatekeepers in the EU, forge strong relationships with these entities. By closely monitoring and participating in HTA processes, you can tailor your submissions to meet specific criteria, emphasizing cost-effectiveness and patient outcomes.

Prioritize the collection and inclusion of real-world evidence that illustrates the impact of your drugs beyond clinical trials, catering to the increasingly evidence-informed judgments of HTAs.

Recommended Best Practices:

Learn more about Healthcare

Are you familiar with Flevy? We are you shortcut to immediate value.
Flevy provides business best practices—the same as those produced by top-tier consulting firms and used by Fortune 100 companies. Our best practice business frameworks, financial models, and templates are of the same caliber as those produced by top-tier management consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, and Accenture. Most were developed by seasoned executives and consultants with 20+ years of experience.

Trusted by over 10,000+ Client Organizations
Since 2012, we have provided best practices to over 10,000 businesses and organizations of all sizes, from startups and small businesses to the Fortune 100, in over 130 countries.
AT&T GE Cisco Intel IBM Coke Dell Toyota HP Nike Samsung Microsoft Astrazeneca JP Morgan KPMG Walgreens Walmart 3M Kaiser Oracle SAP Google E&Y Volvo Bosch Merck Fedex Shell Amgen Eli Lilly Roche AIG Abbott Amazon PwC T-Mobile Broadcom Bayer Pearson Titleist ConEd Pfizer NTT Data Schwab

Pricing Strategy

With each EU member state having its own pricing mechanism, a flexible Pricing Strategy is essential. Consider external reference pricing and international price Benchmarking, but also explore innovative pricing models like value-based pricing or outcomes-based contracts.

Negotiating managed entry agreements where pricing is linked to real-world outcomes can be particularly effective in markets that are increasingly demanding proof of long-term value.

Recommended Best Practices:

Learn more about Pricing Strategy Benchmarking

Stakeholder Management

Mapping and engaging key stakeholders in each EU country is crucial. Identify and understand the preferences and influence of payers, prescribers, patient groups, and policymakers.

Develop a targeted communication strategy that conveys the value of your pharmaceuticals in terms that resonate with each stakeholder group, ultimately aligning your access goals with their healthcare priorities.

Recommended Best Practices:

Learn more about Stakeholder Management

Value Proposition

Your value proposition should be the cornerstone of market access endeavors. It must go beyond clinical benefit, encompassing economic value, patient experience, and alignment with national health priorities.

Customize this proposition for each country's healthcare system, ensuring it addresses specific unmet needs, budget impact, and is substantiated by strong evidence, including real-world data.

Recommended Best Practices:

Learn more about Value Proposition

Real-world Evidence (RWE)

Investing in robust RWE collection is now a necessity, not a luxury. RWE can significantly strengthen your market access strategy by providing concrete data on the effectiveness, safety, and cost-efficiency of drugs in a real-life setting.

Use RWE to support negotiations with payers, to refine your value proposition, and to demonstrate the long-term benefits of your drugs in terms of patient outcomes and healthcare system savings.

Regulatory Strategy

Understand the regulatory environment in each EU country and harmonize your approach to meet EMA guidelines while also considering the national variations. Ensure that your regulatory strategy is well-integrated with your market access plans to facilitate a smoother transition from approval to reimbursement and adoption..

Recommended Best Practices:

Learn more about Product Strategy

Healthcare Policy

Understanding and adapting to each country's healthcare policy is crucial for strategic alignment. Policies can offer opportunities or obstacles in drug pricing, reimbursement, and patient access.

Stay informed of policy changes and contribute to policy discussions, Positioning your company as a partner in healthcare improvement. Engage in dialogue with policymakers, offering solutions that align your company's goals with public health objectives.

Recommended Best Practices:

Learn more about Positioning Healthcare

Business Strategy Example

Your overall business strategy in the EU should aim to achieve a balance between commercial success and patient access. This means being proactive in assessing market conditions and Competitive Landscapes, adapting strategies for drug development and positioning, and seeking collaborations that can enhance market penetration.

Your strategy should also prioritize organizational agility to respond to the fast-changing regulatory and reimbursement environments in the EU.

Recommended Best Practices:

Learn more about Competitive Landscape Business Strategy Example

Digital Transformation

Embrace Digital Transformation to improve Analytics target=_blank>Data Analytics for market insights, enhance stakeholder engagement through digital platforms, and support the generation and dissemination of RWE. Digital tools can also aid in streamlining internal processes, forecasting market trends, and creating more personalized and impactful health economic outcomes research (HEOR) materials for different markets..

Recommended Best Practices:

Learn more about Digital Transformation Data Analytics Analytics



Flevy is the world's largest knowledge base of best practices.


Leverage the Experience of Experts.

Find documents of the same caliber as those used by top-tier consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, Accenture.

Download Immediately and Use.

Our PowerPoint presentations, Excel workbooks, and Word documents are completely customizable, including rebrandable.

Save Time, Effort, and Money.

Save yourself and your employees countless hours. Use that time to work on more value-added and fulfilling activities.




Read Customer Testimonials






Additional Marcus Insights