Why pharma needs a new path to market

The pharmaceutical market is changing. Employers are demanding greater transparency, policymakers are increasing scrutiny around affordability, and high-demand therapies like GLP-1s are exposing the limitations of traditional market access models.

In a new OpEd published by Pharmaceutical Commerce, Prescryptive Senior Vice President of Pharma Solutions Bret Parker examines why these converging forces are creating an opportunity for pharmaceutical manufacturers to rethink how they bring therapies to market.

Rather than relying exclusively on legacy rebate-driven distribution models, Parker argues that manufacturers should begin building direct access channels that allow them to compete on what matters most: clinical outcomes, affordability, patient experience, and product value.

The article also explores how a direct access marketplace could create greater transparency for employers, provide manufacturers with meaningful real-world utilization data, and give plan sponsors a clearer way to evaluate therapies based on total cost of care instead of opaque contracting arrangements.

As the industry evolves, manufacturers have an opportunity to complement existing access models with new approaches that better align the interests of employers, patients, pharmacies, and manufacturers.

“The industry is already moving toward greater transparency, clearer pricing and more direct access. Employers are asking for it, patients increasingly expect it and high-demand therapeutic categories are forcing it.”

Read Bret Parker’s full article in Pharmaceutical Commerce.