New Challenges for Global Market Access Teams

The expanding definition of success in access: In recent years, rising budget pressures and near-constant product launches have led to a shift in expectations for global market access teams. These teams have long played a critical role in enabling national market access, but the definition of success is expanding. There is growing recognition that global strategies and materials must now also support the full patient access journey—from national reimbursement to real-world patient uptake and commercial impact.

While national reimbursement remains a critical milestone, it does not on its own guarantee patient access. The feasibility of adoption/uptake varies by market and can be impacted by complex and multidisciplinary care, specialist shortages, delayed diagnoses, and lengthy wait times. To successfully maximize patient access, it is critical to understand market-level nuances below the level of national reimbursement and to develop an access strategy that incorporates subnational “in-market” access considerations.

Bringing global strategy to life in local markets: With the expanding definition of success, global market access teams face the challenge of ensuring that global value communication materials are both strategically aligned and fit-for-purpose across diverse markets, including those that may not have historically been priority markets for commercialization. In the best-case scenario, global market access teams define the overarching strategy, with affiliates bringing this strategy to life by navigating local evidentiary requirements, stakeholder dynamics, and policy constraints.  In cases where this does not happen, materials are often developed without early affiliate input, limiting their relevance and impact in local markets.

This challenge is particularly relevant in the development of global value dossiers (GVDs). Traditionally intended as a central repository of evidence to support health technology assessment submissions, GVDs increasingly serve as a curated, insight-driven tool to support both national reimbursement and the nuanced stakeholder conversations that achieve meaningful access at launch.

Additionally, as a result of the new business imperative to efficiently generate a fast turnaround JCA dossier for EU markets and new- style EU national dossiers, as well as to serve existing non-EU market requirements, GVDs need to contain the elements required to support changing payer needs in EU markets as well as existing payer needs elsewhere.

Our Recommendations

Develop a healthcare ecosystem-wide value proposition: The challenges discussed above highlight the value of looking beyond messaging that focuses on how a product improves outcomes. There is a need for a healthcare ecosystem-wide value proposition demonstrate how a product enables efficiencies, supports health system goals, while also addressing patient-relevant outcomes that drive real-world adoption.

While clinical and economic value remain important, payer decisions are also influenced by a range of value components. It is increasingly important to consider:

• What is the strength of belief of clinical experts in the data and their commitment to treating the disease?
• What level of uncertainty does managing the disease bring to healthcare system budgets?
• What are the healthcare system value drivers?
• What are patient-oriented components of value?

Engage affiliates early to contextualize global strategy for local success: It is important for global teams to adopt a new approach to early affiliate engagement—not to redefine the global strategy, but to inform how it can be most effectively contextualized for local success. In order to support maximum access in minimum time, payer communications need to be grounded in a shared understanding of both the communicational goals and likely payer belief shifts that value messaging will need to deliver.

Successful in-market patient access strategies are cross-functional activities and shaped by a complex ecosystem of stakeholders that include regional payers, clinical influencers, and hospital decision-makers, among others. A unified, cross-functional approach is essential to align engagement that reflects national goals and local realities.

Next Steps

At Avalere Health, we know what it takes to optimize meaningful multi-stakeholder value messaging that galvanizes the internal cross-functional team around a shared goal. To learn more about how Avalere Health can support you in achieving successful in-market patient access, connect with us.