Oncology Market Access - Channel Dynamics ... - Kantar Health

Reactions Roundtable
Specialty pharmacy
services play an
important role in
acceptance of oral
oncology drugs
Payers have also identified SPs as an important
part of caring for their patients; the vast majority
have a closed SP network and a single preferred
SP. Payers use SPs to help control specialty
spend. Improved patient care not only ensures
that patients are being taken care of but also
reduces unnecessary spend on incorrect dosing
and biomarker eligibility, incorrect administration
of patient self-administered medications, and
additional and sometimes emergency care visits
to resolve drug-drug interactions or difficult-totolerate
side effects.
SPs evolved to meet the unique needs
associated with specialty pharmaceuticals. In
fact, SP clinical expertise ultimately defines the
niche that SPs will fill. When a manufacturer is
seeking SP services, it is wise to consider the
SPs that have the most relevant clinical expertise
and experience. For example, an SP with indepth
knowledge of hepatitis or HIV may not be
as well equipped to manage an oncology drug.
Question 3: What are the factors a
manufacturer must consider when
developing a channel strategy for an
oncology drug?
preferred relationships that may result in more
favorable contract terms or better placement in
the SD’s portfolio of drugs, but the burden for
obtaining the drug will be higher than if you have
an open network.
For oral drugs, SPs improve patient compliance
and persistence with their therapy. When
determining an SP network, there are multiple
factors to consider. For example, very small
patient populations can warrant a very limited
SP distribution strategy, while a limited strategy
for large patient populations could result in a
bottleneck for obtaining the drug and cause
issues with higher patient cost-sharing due to
distribution through non-payer-preferred SP.
The nature of the product is also important, as
drugs with few safety risks and uncomplicated
administration could potentially go through the
retail pharmacy segment as well, though prior
authorizations and high cost sharing will likely
remain an access challenge. Access to market
data is also important as SPs do not regularly
report this information to data aggregators.
Establishing data submission as part of the SP
contract or working with hub services is important
in order to know how your product is being used
and to identify issues and opportunities.
Manufacturers should incorporate a channel
strategy into their commercialization plans
beginning at least 18 months before launch. It is
necessary to understand the opportunities and
risks of strategic options with both SDs and SPs.
For physician-administered products, the primary
channel will be SDs. As discussed, SDs offer
many services to a number of stakeholders in
the oncology marketplace. This central position
provides a platform to impact prescribing, so
understanding what services can threaten or
improve market access is vital. Beyond the
services provided by SDs, it is important to
think about the size of your distribution network.
Contracting with a few SDs can allow for
For more information,
please email us at:
info@kantarhealth.com
www.kantarhealth.com
Source: Kantar Health, Oncology Market Access US, Channel Dynamics module. Available at
www.oncologymarketaccess.com.