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Over the last decade many pharma companies have moved from mass-market drug development to investing in niche speciality medicines. This rise of speciality treatments for chronic, complex and rare conditions is good news and has led to any breakthrough treatments being brought to market offering new hope to people living with rare diseases.
Although the last ten years has seen greater spending growth for speciality medicines than their more traditional counterparts, market access has become more complex.
This month Jonathan Chapper, CEO of CHAPPER healthcare, speaks to Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Packing Sourcer (PMPS) about how high development costs and lower patient numbers has led to medicines becoming extremely expensive, making them inaccessible to the people who need them.
“Sky high price tags, especially for newer drugs, has prompted some patients and carers to look for more immediate solutions to help them obtain vital treatments,” says Jonathan.
“There are also a lot of rare diseases that don’t have a corresponding medicine. Only around 5% have an approved treatment and off-label use of products is often necessary. Time presents another factor that is very much of the essence. More than 50% of patients with a rare disease are children and some 35% will die in their first year of life.”
Jonathan explains that where access is not available, there is the pressing question of how to provide ethical access to much needed pharmaceutical innovation. Throughout the interview he also highlights the rise of Dr Google and how distributing speciality medicines requires a flexible, specialist approach, especially now during the once in a-generation change as the UK prepares to leave the European Union.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Packing Sourcer (PMPS) is a specialist journal designed to provide worldwide coverage of a range of topics relating to the pharmaceutical manufacturing and packaging sector.
Published quarterly, the journal functions as a platform of communication and information-sharing for executive and strategic decision makers within the industry, identifying new trends and marketing opportunities, as well as highlighting the latest innovations.
CHAPPER healthcare is a leading specialist wholesaler and distributor and supplies pharmaceuticals to over 60 countries world-wide.
Jonathan Chapper’s article has been published in PMPS February edition. To read the article in full click here.
