Chapper healthcare publishes white paper exploring challenges of access to speciality medicines

Specialist British pharmaceutical wholesaler, Chapper healthcare, has published a white paper exploring the global challenges of access to and delivery of speciality medicines.

The paper, which was published before the World Orphan Drug Congress USA, looks at the unique challenges and solutions for the industry in terms of demand, access and supply.

Over the course of the last 10 years, there has been a drive by pharma companies to more niche speciality medicines over the mass-market drugs of prior years. Although great news for those patients suffering from rare diseases, the downside, however, is the high development costs and lower patient numbers potentially leading to accessibility issues.

“The rise of specialty treatments for chronic, complex and rare conditions has seen many breakthrough treatments being brought to market and offering new hope to patients,” said Jonathan Chapper, CEO of Chapper healthcare. “However, while each of the last 10 years has seen greater spending growth for specialty medicines than their more traditional counterparts, market access has become more complex. Smaller sizes of potential patient populations can often lead to sky high price tags for many of the newer drugs, and this has prompted patients and carers to look for more immediate solutions to help them obtain vital treatments.”

The paper outlines the approach needed to distribute speciality medicines and the challenges of operating within Europe. Additionally, it highlights the benefits of Managed Access Programmes (MAPs) and how they could help get drugs to patients more rapidly by providing access to treatments in countries where commercialisation may not be viable or where formal licence has yet to be issued.

Furthermore, the paper examines how the industry has shifted from blockbuster to niche and how this has occurred in tandem with an increasingly empowered patient. Also, the rise of fund-raising patient advocates adding further complexities to the landscape is addressed.