Helping Patients Save Money
How can pharma improve patient access to medications? Christine Marsh of Boehringer Ingelheim offers her view.
| Opinion
What we asked: “Looking ahead to the next 5–10 years, what will be the key disruptors and/or what can be improved upon in the pharma industry?”
Response from: Christine Marsh, Senior Vice President of Value and Access, Boehringer Ingelheim
“As we think about how to improve the industry, innovation is at the core of nearly everything we do. This starts with developing critical, life-enhancing treatments for patients, but we also must innovate when it comes to improving patient access. When patients walk up to a pharmacy counter or order a prescription online, they shouldn’t have to choose between their physical health and financial health. As an industry, we recognize how critical it is to lower financial hurdles and expand access to essential medicines.
“In my time at Boehringer Ingelheim, which has spanned more than two decades, I can say that we truly believe in ensuring access to medication through affordability. It shapes our decisions and is foundational to our mission to enhance patients' lives.
“It would be easy to simply say we need to do it, but words must be put into action. Our BI Cares Foundation, for example, invests resources to help people in need get medicines for free. In 2024, we partnered with GoodRx to provide a low-cost option for our biosimilar, making it the first biosimilar with a low cash price on the platform. This is available to any patient with a valid prescription – whether they are insured or not. We also launched a first-of-its-kind program that automatically reduces the costs of our COPD and asthma inhalers to $35 for the vast majority of eligible patients.
“It’s important to continue to look for innovative ways to help our patients save money because reducing the cost burden extends beyond someone's bank account – it’s also about restoring hope and improving lives.
“Driving down medication prices isn’t just about what one company can do – it requires dedication from the broader healthcare ecosystem. We need to foster competition and continue to collaborate. This is a collective effort, where we need each stakeholder’s full participation to create a world where access and affordability are the top priority. It not only benefits patients but also adds to a more sustainable healthcare system.”
Read over 100 other views on the future of the pharma industry on our special web page.
