Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Market Access (MA) is a critical component of Pharma, ensuring patients have access to the appropriate medicines and other innovative products. Despite the strategic importance of MA in Pharma, the roles and responsibilities of MA professionals vary significantly across organisations and geographies, leading to unclear expectations, diverse career paths, and limited training opportunities. The current study aimed to develop a professional framework for the Pharma industry to standardise roles and facilitate patient access to pharmaceutical products
METHODS: A multi-methods approach was used, including a scoping review, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews. The scoping review explored how MA was conceptualised and its role defined within Pharma. A document analysis was used to investigate the role of MA professionals within Pharma through the compilation of UK MA job advertisements. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of the role of MA professionals in Pharma. Findings of the three studies were synthesised and triangulated, leading to the proposed professional framework
RESULTS: Collectively, these studies found MA roles were patient-centric, focusing on enhancing patient access and the uptake of pharmaceutical products. They focused on ensuring that the unmet needs of patients were identified and addressed in a timely and affordable manner. It was also found that MA was an emergent profession characterised by heterogeneous roles, titles, and entry pathways and requirements
CONCLUSIONS: This is the first professional framework tailored to MA professionals within the Pharma sector. The proposed framework provides opportunities for industry-wide competency development, standardised job taxonomies, and educational guidelines to inform MA training curricula. The study findings may help facilitate effective collaborations among relevant stakeholders for the development and implementation of MA strategies. Thereby, facilitating efficient healthcare resource allocation, optimising patient access to pharmaceutical products, and improving health outcomes.