“Treatment is not enough, at BeiGene we work to reduce the access gap”

BeiGene, in Spain, seeks to bring these therapies to as many patients as possible and as soon as possible. Spain is one of the prioritized countries in BeiGene for the development of drugs in both hematology and oncology, and this translates into a growing number of clinical trials in both early and late phases. We spoke with Cristina García Medinilla, General Manager in Spain and Portugal.

What do we mean when we talk about accessible innovation?

We are referring to ensuring that all people, regardless of their socioeconomic or geographic origin, have the opportunity to receive the innovative, high-quality treatments they need. In many countries it is hampered by economic, geographic and availability barriers. Access to innovative therapies remains a key element for both the pharmaceutical industry and health authorities around the world. In recent years, global R&D has allowed the discovery of highly advanced oncological treatments aimed at tissues, cells and genes. These new treatments are beginning to make a difference, but only in those patients who can receive them.

Patient access to innovation in Europe (according to the EFPIA report) can vary from four months to two and a half years, depending on the country or region, after European approval, and there are even drugs that never arrive to launch in some markets. Patients from some countries must wait more than seven years compared to patients from other countries to have access to the same medicine.1

“Access to innovative therapies continues to be a key element for both the pharmaceutical industry and health authorities around the world”

What obstacles are found along the way?

The causes of this disparity are diverse and include economic reasons, such as the cost of treatments, to systemic causes in the health systems of different countries, such as complex, bureaucratic and slow regulatory or reimbursement processes, as well as duplication. in terms of evaluation by different regulatory bodies, which after approval, require additional evaluations in different countries and even after these, in different regions.

Dialogue and collaboration between institutions and with the companies themselves is necessary. Although it may be inevitable that access in different countries may be somewhat different in European countries, it does not seem reasonable that a patient, depending on where they live, would have to wait seven times longer than another in another part of Europe1. We need to work together to ensure that access to therapy is based on clinical need and not zip code.

Let’s go back to innovation, what model do you follow at BeiGene?

As we like to say at BeiGene, “cancer has no borders and neither do we.” For us this is a call to action, because what the cancer patient often does not have is time. Cancer is a global threat. We believe there is a better way to bring innovative therapies to patients around the world.

It is not enough that there is a treatment for your disease, at BeiGene we work to close the access gap. We are convinced that drugs can reach patients more quickly. Over the past 12 years, we have built a global organization across five continents to achieve that goal. Because BeiGene wants to lead a new model in the biotechnology industry.

In Spain, what projects are you carrying out?

We have a constantly expanding clinical development team, in accordance with our unique operating model, which reinforces BeiGene’s commitment to research in Spain and to Spanish patients.

In parallel, the company is building its medical and commercial structure to become the partner of choice in hemato-oncology for institutions, patients, medical societies and healthcare professionals, and focus on providing value to the patient and the healthcare system.

We believe there is a better way to bring innovative therapies to cancer patients around the world.

We also work on value-added projects with Spanish health institutions, with the aim of improving the different phases that the patient goes through from their diagnosis. We develop active listening, to capture needs not covered in the process and to be able to work on projects collaboratively with institutions.

We believe in innovation, not only in the medicines we develop and put on the market, but also in how we help improve the quality of patient care. For this reason, we have created a department called “Innovative Health Solutions” to respond to unmet needs through collaboration projects with hospitals, with the focus of the projects being the patient and their benefit.

Some examples of these projects are “CoLLabora”, where we collaborate with the hospital to include a case manager in the multidisciplinary team. This person will be the patient’s main contact from the hospital and is responsible for coordinating all services involved in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of the patient. Another example is the workshops for patients in order to explain and resolve doubts both about their illness and at a psychological, sexual, nutritional, training level… and so that patients can share and explain their experience throughout their illness.

1 EFPIA Patients WAIT Indicator 2021 Survey. Available at: https://www.efpia.eu/media/676539/efpia-patient-wait-indicator_update-july-2022_final.pdf.
Last access: March 2023.Carlota Fernández (general director), Isabel Acosta (care director) and Francesco Borlenghi (commercial director).