• Value added medicines represent a major opportunity to improve healthcare system efficiency by addressing major priorities for patients such as patient adherence, quality of life and health outcomes.
  • The 2nd Value Added Medicines conference enabled a wide range of healthcare experts to debate the importance of continuous innovation in medicine, including gaps in patient access, and the opportunity that digital technologies can offer for  better health outcomes.
  • As patients, healthcare practitioners and payers grapple with the challenges of sustainable access to healthcare, value added medicines can meaningfully address core patient concerns and ensure better health returns at costs that society can afford.

The 2nd Value Added Medicines conference gathered a wide range of experts in the healthcare community to raise awareness, inform and debate with the mutual intention to present solutions for maximising the benefits of and encouraging the development of continuous innovation. Adjustments in the healthcare processes – eg. adjustments on purchasing/procurement processes, acceptance of adequate evidence and, where needed, adjustment of pricing and reimbursement barriers – , as well as seizing the benefits of digital technologies and increased stakeholder collaboration should be maximised to bring value added medicines to patients.

Marc-Alexander Mahl, Medicines for Europe President, highlighted that “Today’s event brought stakeholders who care about patient access to medicines together to reflect on the role of continuous innovation to deliver efficient and sustainable solutions to patient needs. Value added medicines deliver patient-centred gains from both the clinical and economic perspective. To capture this innovation, we have to integrate value added medicines in healthcare systems and seize opportunities in digital healthcare. Stakeholder collaboration will be key to fully ensure these benefits reach patients and the healthcare community and society”.

The Value Added Medicines Sector Group also awarded two prizes for outstanding programmes which improve patient quality of life and/or adherence and/or demonstrate relevant value added benefits on existing treatments. Congratulations to our winners 2018:

Category 1 –  ‘Be Educated and Empowered Patient (BEEP) Program’  – Education program for organ transplanted patients organised by The Hungarian Transplant Federation

Category 2 –  ‘Keramod® Gel’ – an innovative 5% Imiquimod film-forming formulation to enhance patient´s compliance by reducing side effects developed by Laboratorios Ojer Pharma

More information about the prize winners will be available in the coming weeks. Please visit https://www.medicinesforeurope.com/value-added-medicines/ for more information.