New study: one in ten new prescription or rare disease drugs has a manufacturer-sponsored patient support program
AI-translated from the Chinese original · editorially reviewed
A new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) analyzed manufacturer-provided patient support programs (PSPs) in Canada and found that PSPs are steadily increasing. These programs are designed to help patients cope with expensive out-of-pocket drugs, and are most common for biologics and rare disease treatments. The study found that about 10% of prescription drugs on the Canadian market offer PSPs, mainly for high-cost drugs retailing at CAD 10 to 100 per unit (NT$220–2,200). PSPs are most often attached to expensive drugs — high-cost drugs are about eight times more likely to offer PSP services than cheaper ones.
To understand the market landscape of PSPs for prescription drugs, Dr. Quinn Grundy of the University of Toronto and co-authors conducted a statistical analysis of drugs on the market as of August 2022. Of 2,556 prescription drugs on the Canadian market, market information identified 256 drugs with PSPs (10%). Nearly two-thirds of drug companies (55 companies, 62%) offer PSPs, and more than half of biologic drugs come with PSP services.
The researchers note that because their analysis relied on publicly available information, it may underestimate the actual number of PSPs, as they may have missed some highly specialized programs for rare drugs.
PSPs offer more than financial assistance: 90% of PSP services include diverse forms of care such as financial navigation and clinical case management, to improve treatment adherence and the patient experience. The study also stresses, however, that these programs need legally grounded, drug-safety-based governance, with greater transparency and independent evaluation. While PSPs are intended to support patients, many researchers remain concerned that PSPs may influence prescribing practices and overall healthcare and drug costs.
Although financial support, care management, and counseling are all valuable to patients, the researchers found duplicated services among companies selling drugs with the same ingredient, and some programs lack transparency, making their impact hard to assess. In the US, PSP drug services are far more widespread among high-priced and biologic drugs; in Europe, pharmaceutical companies have engaged more actively in patient support programs in recent years, with a focus on improving treatment accessibility and affordability, under stronger transparency and regulation than in North America; in Australia, patient support programs typically involve broader integration of medical and social services, especially in chronic disease management.
Dr. Grundy notes that much research is still under way on whether manufacturer-sponsored patient support programs are the best model for delivering specialty drug services — arguing in particular that PSP care models should be designed around patients' health needs rather than a specific product.
Patient support programs (PSPs) have developed more slowly in Taiwan, largely because payment and care for high-priced and rare disease drugs are mostly covered by the National Health Insurance. In addition, because Taiwan's policies on prescription drug management are very strict, PSP services remain a social-innovation market; without clear policy to follow, market innovation and investment are also constrained. PatientsForce patient benefit programs and care services is currently the management company in Taiwan focused on PSPs, already managing nearly 60 benefit programs for self-paid new drugs or rare disease medications — a sign that demand for PSPs in Taiwan is also growing rapidly.
Reference:https://www.cmaj.ca/content/195/46/E1565
Sean Chang, Group General Manager, PatientsForce, Media-WIND Health Group (MWHG)