Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Public healthcare systems outside the US face increasing pressure to fund innovative therapies due to constrained budgets, growing patient demand, and restrictive reimbursement pathways. In parallel, digital healthcare platforms and patient consumerism are increasing the feasibility of alternative access models outside traditional reimbursement systems. Obesity represents an important case study due to high patient demand and feasible primary-care delivery pathways. Japan is of particular interest because constrained broad access to anti-obesity medicines under universal healthcare coverage is driving the emergence of hybrid access models. This research aims to assess how manufacturers are adapting access strategies for novel anti-obesity medicines in Japan.
METHODS: Targeted secondary research was undertaken to assess access strategies used by manufacturers of two novel anti-obesity medicines in Japan. Publicly available sources were reviewed, including reimbursement and policy publications, company and market reports, and materials from digital healthcare and private clinic platforms.
RESULTS: Manufacturers adopted four broad categories of strategies to enable access to anti-obesity medicines outside universal healthcare coverage in Japan: (1) alternative access channels, by supporting access through self-pay clinics and digital healthcare platforms; (2) responsible-use initiatives, including prescribing measures to promote appropriate use and continuity of care; (3) ecosystem development through partnership with government bodies, municipalities, and medical societies to strength care pathways and disease awareness; and (4) commercial optimization through domestic partnerships and dual branding approached for multi indication therapies. Together, these approaches complemented traditional reimbursement pathways and facilitated access outside universal healthcare coverage.
CONCLUSIONS: Alternative access models are becoming increasingly relevant where public reimbursement alone may not support broad access to high-demand therapies. Obesity may represent an early case study for wider adoption of these approaches. Future anti-obesity therapies and other comparable therapy areas may increasingly adopt similar access strategies alongside traditional reimbursement models.