Market access is one of those phrases that looks perfect on a slide deck. It sounds strategic, sophisticated, and forward-thinking. Yet, when you look closely at underperforming launches, one pattern keeps repeating: access planning started too late.
Everyone agrees that early access planning matters. Everyone nods when the words “payer engagement” or “health economics” are mentioned in a strategy meeting. But too often, those nods never translate into early action. By the time access teams are properly involved, the opportunity to shape the data, the endpoints, and the story has already passed.
The real reason access planning fails isn’t lack of talent or effort. It’s timing. In most organisations, the scientists shape the early narrative, the marketers build the commercial story, and only once pivotal trials are complete does someone finally ask, “What will payers think?” At that point, it’s too late to change course.
The consequences are predictable. Companies spend hundreds of millions proving efficacy, only to find that the endpoints don’t answer the questions payers actually ask. Or that the comparator drug is irrelevant to local reimbursement agencies. Or that the evidence, while statistically solid, is clinically meaningless. These aren’t small details. They’re structural flaws that no amount of clever communication can fix.
Access planning shouldn’t be an add-on. It should quietly guide development from the beginning. That means bringing payer, health economics, and policy input into protocol design from day one. It means testing assumptions early and mapping out adoption hurdles long before the first patient is enrolled. It’s not bureaucracy; it’s strategy.
When done properly, this approach doesn’t slow development down. It prevents far slower detours caused by rejection, resubmission, or delayed reimbursement. It’s like checking the weather before leaving the house. Carrying an umbrella at the start is far better than getting drenched halfway through the walk.
This is not about perfection. It’s about foresight. The companies that integrate access thinking early make smarter design choices, produce more relevant evidence, and communicate more convincingly. They move faster because they move with fewer surprises.
Access isn’t a department. It’s a way of thinking. And the earlier it shapes your decisions, the stronger your launch will be.
Key Takeaways
- Bring access thinking into the room at the start of development, not the end.
- Involve payers and health economists in protocol design to avoid costly blind spots.
- Focus on evidence that answers payer questions, not just scientific ones.
- Remember that the biggest delays happen after launch when access planning is late.
- Treat access as a strategic mindset that connects science to real-world impact.
