Improving Patient Outcomes: Overcoming Barriers to Serve Small Patient Populations with Specialised Pharmaceutical Products
Gillian Molloy
VP, Market Access, AscellaHealth
Recent advances in the development of biopharmaceutical drugs have revolutionized medicine by offering potential cures for previously untreatable conditions. For patients with complex, chronic and rare diseases, access to these treatments can be life changing.
However, serving small patient populations who require these specialized medicines presents a distinct set of challenges.
Access to treatment is often limited by complex and costly manufacturing processes, special handling requirements, as well as lack of essential infrastructure within healthcare settings. Addressing these issues for all stakeholders is critical to ensuring patients receive the therapies they need while improving treatment outcomes.
Understanding the challenges
One of the key obstacles the industry faces is supply chain optimization. The manufacturing process can be cumbersome, and since many of these medicines are developed for smaller patient populations, manufacturers struggle to efficiently deploy the robust, scalable and economically viable processes required to meet demand effectively. These products also require complex handling and, often, ultracold chain storage and delivery.
Another challenge is the regulatory pathway, especially the requirement for intensive follow-up related to efficacy, adverse events and traceability, and the need for real-world data generation. These challenges can create bottlenecks within the system and make it more difficult to get the product to the patient.
Given these limitations, stakeholders are not only being tasked with seeking out tailored solutions to help manage supply chain optimization but also accommodating the intricacies of patient care and treatment administration. This need for a more comprehensive, personalized care approach is critical to overcoming access barriers and ensuring a successful patient journey.
How AscellaHealth helps bridge the gaps
AscellaHealth is a global partner that delivers proven end-to-end solutions to both life sciences and healthcare companies to enhance quality of life for patients with complex, chronic conditions.
Our approach is designed to streamline the process from drug development through regulatory approval and ultimately to patient access, ensuring that the right patient receives the right treatment at the right time. We offer a wide range of solutions, including clinical trial support, early access programs, wholesale and distribution services, as well as direct-to-patient supply through our bespoke specialty pharmacy services and real-world evidence generation.
At AscellaHealth, we are proud of our commitment to helping manufacturers address the challenges of the complex, chronic and rare disease patient populations, ensuring that innovative therapies are accessible and affordable and patient outcomes are optimized. If you would like to explore collaborative opportunities with AscellaHealth, please visit AscellaHealth.com or contact us at businessdevelopment@ascellahealth.com
