How Do We Turn Global Unmet Need into Sustainable Patient Access?

Are we building strategies for today's markets or tomorrow's patients?

Noncommunicable diseases are rising the fastest in emerging and middle-income countries, yet many organizations still design portfolios and service models primarily around high-income markets. When we look at where burden, demand, and purchasing power are growing, it becomes clear that our current approaches may be misaligned. Rethinking how products are developed, positioned, and supported across global regions can help align organizational priorities with patients and health systems.

What will it take to persuade organizations to invest in access?

Within companies, there is broad agreement that expanding access is the "right thing to do". But enthusiasm can dim when it requires trade-offs in budget, staffing, or leadership attention. The way evidence is framed, including data on disease burden, macroeconomic potential, and competitive risk, alongside the human impact of conditions like cancer and cardiovascular disease, can tip the balance from initiatives that remain aspirational to those that gain real traction.

Is expanding access the next big innovation challenge?

Building sustainable models of care for noncommunicable diseases in resource-constrained health systems is a moral imperative. But it is a complex intellectual challenge that calls for the same creativity celebrated in cutting-edge technology or product design. Framing access as an innovation frontier invites new thinking about value chains, partnerships, financing, and technology to create solutions tailored to the real world. Approaching underserved populations as a context for inventive problem-solving can impact market opportunities and improve patient outcomes.

Key question to take forward:

As you watch the video and consider your own setting, you might reflect on: 

How might re-examining who your work ultimately serves, and how you define "value" in health care, impact the choices you make in your role or organization?

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