TECH OUTLOOK 8OCTOBER 2023IN MY OPINIONBy Dana Edwards, Vice President, Patient Access and Strategic Engagement, UBCComplexities in the oncology therapeutic area range from new products and therapies; to modern technologies and new diagnostic tools; and an ever-evolving reimbursement and access landscape. Innovations and disrupters in these areas drive change for oncology practices, while these same practices are also faced with the continued variability in stability of healthcare staff. These trends come together to create opportunity for biopharmaceutical manufacturers to support their stakeholders and ensure patients gain access to therapies.The number of patients with new cancer diagnoses continues to grow each year as does the number of specialty drugs available as treatment options. The future of oncology continues to be shaped by advances in medicine and better technology. As therapies become more complex and involve more stakeholders from diagnostics prior to starting therapy to traditional and now cell therapy, product manufacturing and product logistics, biopharmaceutical manufacturers are expected to orchestrate and guide stakeholders, to connect the dots between the patient and product journey. This has driven a transformation in the space of patient services to move beyond traditional access and affordability services to encompass a much wider array of business functions and disparate systems. The goal is to align all stakeholders and guide them through an intuitive user experience, while adopting new measures to treat each stakeholder as a consumer.Supporting patients with financial hardship continues to be the primary service that oncology offices depend on biopharmaceutical manufacturers to provide, for both uninsured and underinsured patients. Program design for manufacturer-sponsored patient services in the oncology space should include a combination of patient assistance programs (PAP) and copay assistance to cover both patient sub-sets. The recent emergence of alternate funding plans (AFPs) or Specialty Pharmacy Carve Out Plans is a trend biopharmaceutical manufactures should be aware of and continue to look out for. These Dana EdwardsTHE NEXT CHALLENGE OF ONCOLOGY INNOVATION: MEETING THE NEEDS OF PROVIDERSDana Edwards serves as the Vice President, Patient Access & Strategic Engagement at UBC. She brings to this role more than 20 years of experience in executing patient service and market access strategies. Ms. Edwards is a strategic advisor to pharmaceutical and biotech leaders on the design and implementation of best-in-class, competitive, and adaptable access solutions to help patients begin therapy quickly, remain on therapy as appropriate, and ultimately deliver optimal care for patients.
< Page 7 | Page 9 >