High-level roundtable on how patient reach data can be leveraged for emerging market opportunities – Meeting Report

Held under the Chatham House Rule, the session took the form of a moderated roundtable discussion, bringing together 23 participants from pharmaceutical companies and institutional investment community. Participants discussed how companies report progress on patient reach, and how they can give investors the context needed to accurately assess the potential of their access-to-medicine activities.  

Five key learnings emerged from the discussion: 

• Patient reach should be distinguished from wider access activities: While activities like awareness raising and health system strengthening can support access, they do not equate patient reach. This is important context for investors in interpreting figures and understanding the outcomes of access efforts. 

• Defining the eligible population helps contextualise patient reach figures: On their own, patient reach figures don’t show the full picture – investors also need to understand which patients could be realistically diagnosed and treated, and how a range of factors shape these estimates. 

• Transparent methodologies are essential for meaningful comparisons: Investors need to understand how companies calculate patient reach – including the definitions, assumptions and timeframes underpinning their figures.  

• Small patient reach figures today may still support a credible long-term business case: Low market penetration in LMICs does not necessarily indicate a weak business case over the long term. Companies can help investors assess potential by explaining the barriers they face, their expectations for growth and their view of how activities will evolve over time. 

• Commercial sensitivity highlights the need for context and alternative approaches to disclosure: Industry-level reporting and data aggregation by trusted intermediaries can help improve transparency and provide investors with greater insight while protecting commercially sensitive information. 

You can read the full PDF of the meeting report for more details and key takeaways from the event.  

The Foundation's work on patient reach 

By fostering open dialogue, the roundtable surfaced actionable insights for improving the disclosure of progress, setting patient reach goals and strengthening alignment across the private sector. The Access to Medicine Foundation's work in facilitating this discussion sets a strong foundation for future progress, with the results of the upcoming Access to Medicine Index – launching 10 November 2026 – poised to further guide the industry towards transparent and impactful patient reach reporting and goal setting.