Establishing equitable pricing strategies is solely one part of the product delivery equation. Such strategies need to be sustainable in the long term for both the pharmaceutical companies and the patients to ensure maximum patient reach across the income pyramid. Takeda demonstrates best practice in intra-country tiered pricing strategy, addressing accessibility and affordability on a patient-by-patient basis. 

Through a patient assistance programme (PAP) initiated in 2017, Takeda considers all population segments in upper-middle income countries (UMIC), low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) and low-income countries (LIC) to ensure broad affordability of its health products. The company first focused on brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris®), an oncology medicine for lymphoma, with Thailand offering an inclusive, comprehensive example of Takeda’s intra-country pricing approach. 

How the local PAP works

Via a collaborative, affordability-based model, Takeda and its partners align themselves on local needs in Thailand to enable eligible patients to benefit from their prescribed course of treatment. Together with the physician, patients complete, sign and submit a single application form to a third-party organisation, Axios. Once the application is submitted, patients participate in an independent and confidential, means-based assessment using a validated Patient Financial Eligibility Tool (PFET) designed and administered by Axios to determine the amount of support needed by patients to pay for their prescribed course of treatment.  

The PFET has been developed specifically for developing country settings. It assesses three factors, namely standard of living, income and assets to help ensure the results are accurate, particularly in countries where income cannot be solely relied on to determine affordability. Furthermore, the PFET is a versatile tool that can be adapted to each country's economic context to assess patient ability to contribute to their medication costs.  

Takeda’s PAPs also provide personalised patient support through the independent party Axios, including ongoing follow-up from programme staff to ensure patients adhere to their treatment plan and their physician’s recommendations, thus improving the quality of care and efficacy of the treatment. Takeda and Axios take various steps to maintain impartiality and avoid any conflicts of interest, including monthly evaluation and programme data reports, day-to-day management, product requirement forecasting and communication support for physicians and patients, alike. Takeda reports its intention to implement this sustainable equitable pricing approach in all countries where there are no developed healthcare systems and there is limited reimbursement for medical expenses.