Exploring the feasibility of monitoring access to novel medicines

Abstract

Ensuring affordable access to novel medicines has been identified as a policy priority among OECD and EU countries, yet systematic monitoring of the various dimensions of access is lacking. Previous efforts to measure access have focused primarily on one or at most two of these dimensions, such as availability and affordability, but a more holistic picture is needed. The OECD undertook a pilot study in EU Member States that aimed to determine the utility and feasibility of routine, cross-national monitoring of access to medicines across multiple dimensions. The work included a desk review to define the dimensions of access and associated indicators, followed by an OECD survey to explore the feasibility of collecting and analysing the relevant data for a convenience sample of 15 recently authorised product/indication pairs. This working paper presents key learnings from the desk review and country survey to which 21 EU Member States responded, with a focus on exploring the utility and feasibility of the processes of monitoring and measurement.