Ph.D. Associate Professor/External Lecturer, Social and Clinical Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen
Market access for pharmaceutical products - trends and challenges

In the competitive world of the pharmaceutical sales, developing a market access strategy and communicating the value of the brands to the 'payers' is at the top of the agenda. In recent years, the field of pricing and reimbursement of pharmaceuticals has become more complex and challenging. The economic pressures and general demographic changes coupled with highly innovative and more expensive drugs has contributed to bigger hurdles in securing market access. Decisions are now increasingly made on cost-effectiveness and cost-containment rationales.
Although everyone seems to be talking about market access, very few are able to define it. Who are the key stakeholders, exactly? Is it no longer the prescribers that decide which drug a patient should use? Is market access only about containing costs for the public budgets or are there benefits for patients and society as well?
I really enjoyed the course. It touched every subject related to market acces
Course directors and lecturers - Market Access
Course information - Market Access
Key benefits - develop your own Market Access Strategy
After the course, you will have strengthened your capacity to understand and deal with crucial market access issues. You will have learned about key trends in market access how market access decisions are made, and how the decision frameworks affect requirements for evidence for new health care interventions.
You will have:
- Acquired a basic market access vocabulary.
- Gained insight into the toolbox of the market access methodologies.
- Gotten an overview of the key challenges of market access.
- Identified the key stakeholders and their influence on the drug reimbursement and prescription process of some of the most important markets (e.g. US, UK, Germany and Denmark)
- Gained an understanding of payers’ perspective of key markets and of new reimbursement models which are impacting market access.
- Developed skills that will allow you to generate, apply and present real world evidence to maximize market access strategy.
- Integrated competencies on how to demonstrate product value.
Course content - Trends and challenges in Market Access
This course will provide insight into the key principles and a practical understanding of Market Access as it relates to the pharmaceutical industry. The course starts with an overview of the key stakeholders and current trends in the global Market Access of pharmaceuticals followed by a review of hot topics, challenges and relevant issues through a combination of lectures, discussions, group work, and case studies.
The topics include:
- Introduction to Market Access – marketing trends, defining global market access for the 21st century, its importance for optimizing product launches and its implications for the entire organization.
- Patient centricity - the importance of understanding that the end-user must be the focal point of the entire process.
- Stakeholders - who they are, their perspectives, how and when to engage with 'payers'.
- Core concepts of Market Access – defining the concepts, theories and methods relevant for the pharmaceutical industry.
- Value generation – the role of clinical trials, real-world evidence, life-cycle management, and health economics.
- Health economic aspects of Market Access – economic and financial considerations, core concepts and vocabulary.
- Pricing and reimbursement – global vs. local optimization, reference-pricing systems in various markets.
- Trends in key markets
- Important decision-makers in selected countries.
Participant profile
The course is for professionals working in the field of pharmaceuticals. It is intended as continuing professional development for professionals in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in regulatory affairs, medical affairs, and sales and marketing, including decision-makers and administrators in the public and private sectors. The course offers an excellent introduction for those less familiar with Market Access and will provide a deeper understanding for those with experience of administration and marketing.
Please note, however, that the course is not an advanced course for Market Access specialists.
The course is preapproved as an elective in the Master of Industrial Drug Development (MIND) programme and the Master of Medicines Regulatory Affairs (MRA) programme.
Participants must:
- Hold a relevant bachelor degree or equivalent
- Have a minimum of 2 years of relevant job experience
- Be proficient in English
Dates and Examination
This is a 5-day course that runs in the period 21-25 August 2023 from approx. 09:00-16:30.
- An optional examination is available (3 ECTS credits at Master’s level) in the form of an essay (case story), based on an extended literature list.
- The course is preapproved as an elective in the MIND and MRA programmes at the University of Copenhagen.
- The exam is obligatory for Master’s students.
Dates for examination can be found in the exam schedule.
You may find relevant information about the exam in the course curriculum.
Location
University of Copenhagen
South Campus, Faculty of Law
Njalsgade 76
DK-2300 København S
Denmark
Contact
Copenhagen Summer University
csu@adm.ku.dk
+45 3533 3423
21-25 August 2023: 09:00-16:30
I have over the years participated in numerous courses at different universities and venues. The service, faculty, catering and facilities at “Copenhagen Summer University” stand out as the best of them all”
I think this course has been covering all the different perspectives of market Access