How the introduction of new one-off Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products affects the reimbursement systems of medical care and its potential solutions

Abstract

The research question that this paper focuses on is “How the introduction of new one-off Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products affects the reimbursement systems of medical care and its potential solutions”. The goal of this paper is to analyse the current situation of the medical care reimbursement systems and how it is being affected by the replacement of chronically administered treatments by potentially curative products. The investigation focuses on the benefits of the new one-off therapies and the welfares they bring to society, concentrating on their cost-effectiveness compared to current therapies. The challenges that these therapies pose to the current reimbursement systems will also be analysed. This will lead to the exploration of the current reimbursement systems and the barriers of entry that these Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products face. After this, there is a deep analysis of the potential solutions and changes that could take place in the reimbursement systems so as to ease the implementation of these therapies. The paper mainly relies on information provided by organizations such as ‘the Alliance of Regenerative Medicines’ and ‘Catapult’, as well as different reports on Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products and the medical care reimbursement systems. Moreover, several interviews were carried out with Chief Executive Officers and Chief Financial Officers of current biotech companies. Overall, the paper does not serve to point out which reimbursement system should be established. The research paper helps to understand how these new therapies will benefit society and how the advantages they offer will outweigh the current chronically administered treatments. Finally, the research will give insight on potential changes or adaptations that could take place so as to facilitate the future investigation and development of new life-saving therapies.