Create a value message. Gain market access. Capture value.

Escalating healthcare costs, slashed national healthcare budgets and increasing demand due to an ageing population - are all exerting pressure on drug pricing and increasing barriers to market access. These challenges, coupled with the rising cost of drug development, demand a closer understanding of the evolving payer landscape and their value drivers in order to optimise product uptake and maximise your return on investment.

In today's hypercompetitive business environment, pricing, reimbursement, and market access are the strongest determinants of profit. Finding the right price for a product is one of the most important steps within the development of a new molecule. Gaining unrestricted access to key markets quickly and at the optimal price is crucial to a successful launch. So it is imperative to have a pricing, reimbursement, market access and launch sequence strategy in place at an early phase of development which evolves throughout the product lifecycle.

Lifescience Dynamics is a strategic decision support company, helping our clients with market access, pricing, and reimbursement strategies via a combination of methodologies. We have developed a network of payers (at national, regional, and local levels), policy makers and advisers to the Ministry of Health both in mature markets such as the US, Canada, Japan and EU5 and the Asia Pacific region.

Primary data collected is analysed by a team of pricing strategy experts, health economists and country-specific experts, all focused on providing strategic guidance in market access and pricing and reimbursement to the pharmaceutical industry.

Qualitative panel:

To support our approach, we have cultivated a network of US, Canada and EU payers, giving us access to real-world insights and perspectives. This has been compiled since 2005 through the use of CRM principles to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of a network database.

Ultimately our network and services are designed to support the human aspect of primary research in pricing, reimbursement and market access.

Our panel consists of:

• Advisers to payers and Ministry of Health officials
• Budgetary advisers
• Contract managers and negotiators
• Formulary committee members
• Government body representatives
• Head pharmacists
• Insurance companies
• KOL advisers
• Purchasing managers
• Policy makers/think tank members

Apart from the mature western markets we have a network of payers, policy makers and influencers in Australia, Japan, China, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.

Services

Our team has developed and perfected an analytical framework and organisational approach, including:

Strategy for pricing, reimbursement and market access

• Early phase therapeutic landscape assessment
• Mid-phase payer landscape assessment
• Comparators for optimal pricing opportunities
• Price setting
• Data requirement from payers
• Target product profile optimisation to maximise MA and P&R opportunity
• Launch sequence modelling
• Value message, line extensions and post patent loss optimisation

Payer research

Telephone depth

Telephone interviews with payers are ideal as many payers are spread across the country; telephoning is the quickest and most efficient approach. Phone triads and dyads are also a beneficial way of gaining insight into certain formulary committee members’ thought processes.

Face to face

In-depth interviews are not normally recommended. However, as long as the client is happy to conduct research in the major cities, face-to-face payer interviews are possible. Please keep in mind that honoraria are higher for these respondents and this method requires a longer field time, and a day in a central location is needed.

Mock formulary committees: Focus groups

Lifescience Dynamics has flown respondents in from all over Europe and within the USA to participate in mock formulary committee focus groups. In a workshop-style day, the respondent spends time with peers from US/EU to discuss potential market access and other payer related topics.

Typical payer research projects

• Testing and optimisation of primary and secondary value messaging
• Competitive intelligence on contract structure and price discount
• Market access negotiation planning
• Advisory boards and panels (payer KOL development)
• Message testing, access simulations and refinement research

Quantitative price research

• Market segmentation and product positioning for patient populations
• Price point optimisation
• Target product profile optimisation