Blue Matter Blog
February 27, 2024
During the first quarter of each year, we write a retrospective on the previous year’s oncology market, outlining the major events and developments, as well as describing why we think they’re important. Of course, looking back can be a helpful exercise, but looking forward is more fun. So, our other tradition is to gaze into …
February 14, 2024
While adopting the qualities of what we call a “Best Practice Organization”—high performance, effectiveness, and efficiency—can benefit all companies, there’s no question that doing so is especially important for biopharmaceutical firms. This is because the biopharma industry exists in an environment of rapid change, with stringent regulatory oversight and vigorous competition. Any biopharma company that …
February 13, 2024
CAR-T therapies, as well as up-and-coming T-cell engager (TCE) bispecifics, have been the buzz within hematologic circles for quite some time. TCEs and CAR-Ts are currently approved in both multiple myeloma (MM) and non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL). Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, with hematologists learning more each day about which approach is best, and …
February 5, 2024
Nobody ever said that developing and commercializing a new therapy is an easy task. We all know the failure statistics, challenges involved in development, and investment requirements. We’re also aware of myriad time-sensitive details that seem to multiply during the pre-launch and launch time frames…and we know how challenging it can be to successfully commercialize …
January 22, 2024
Introduction GLP-1 agonists have long been used in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and obesity, with decades of clinical data and real world experience demonstrating significant benefits, including reductions in HbA1c levels, body weight, and cardiovascular risk markers. So, why in 2023 were these products in such high demand that stock-outs occurred, and some pharmacies …
Another year has passed and a new one stretches before us. The oncology market continues to be a dynamic and interesting place, so 2024 should bring some interesting developments. However, before we peer ahead and make predictions for the coming year, we decided to look back at the predictions we made almost one year ago—for …
January 19, 2024
The CNS market is an incredibly broad and rapidly evolving space, covering a wide range of diseases, from the highly prevalent to the extremely rare. It spans all age ranges, from pediatric populations to the elderly. CNS diseases are treated by neurologists, psychiatrists, neuromuscular specialists, sleep specialists, primary care physicians (PCPs), and others. Given its …
January 16, 2024
There’s no doubt that some industries are more challenging than others. In some industries, the pace of change is somewhat leisurely, regulatory oversight is light, and the competition is limited. Even in an “easy” environment, though, a company should always seek ways to improve its performance, effectiveness, and efficiency. In short, it should try to …
December 19, 2023
Last week, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) hosted its annual meeting in San Diego, CA. Our team attended the meeting and had the opportunity to reconnect with colleagues while also seeing presentations and data regarding the latest innovations in hematology. ASH is a large meeting, and to help sort through all the data and …
November 27, 2023
Once an emerging biopharma company has committed to launching its first product and building the required commercial organization to support doing so, its leaders must begin to understand the magnitude of change associated with this decision. A biopharma company building its commercialization capabilities is quite different from a smaller R&D-focused organization, and adding new functions …
November 21, 2023
As we covered in the previous articles on this topic, Part 1 and Part 2, the line between medical devices and consumer wearables is increasingly blurring. Consumer wearables become more medicalized in their functionality, and medical devices become more appropriate for consumer applications. There are many underlying causes for this shift, including the cost reduction …
November 20, 2023
For any company, a new product launch is a big deal. For an emerging biopharma company, the decision to launch a first product is a really big deal that sets in motion organizational transformation and a wide range of launch readiness activities. A biopharma company launching its first product will have significant investments over the …
November 13, 2023
Targeted protein degradation (TPD) is an attractive concept that has been studied and refined over the past two decades. It leverages cells’ existing “infrastructure” to signal specifically targeted disease-causing proteins for degradation. This can be via: A “molecular glue” – directly engages the signalling moiety with the protein of interest (POI) A heterobifunctional molecule – …
November 6, 2023
Late last month, a couple of teams from Blue Matter attended the ESMO Congress in Madrid, both for project work and to stay abreast of the latest innovations in oncology. One of those teams prepared a summary of their key takeaways, which you can read here. However, ESMO is a large meeting, and it’s impossible …
November 2, 2023
The weather may have been rainy, but it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the more than 30,000 people who attended the 2023 ESMO Congress in Madrid, 20-24 October. Members of our team traveled to Madrid to see the latest innovations in oncology research and patient care. While there, we combed through the agenda to find—and …
October 17, 2023
Early-stage biopharma companies typically have a range of strategic options for realizing value from their assets. At the most basic, there are a few types of options that a company can consider: “Go alone” and build the necessary infrastructure to commercialize an asset without any partner Partner some or all commercialization responsibilities with one or …
September 25, 2023
A range of factors are boosting the complexity of biopharmaceutical supply chains and making it increasingly difficult for manufacturers to maintain a steady, reliable supply of therapies. Over the past couple of months, we’ve been publishing this series of articles to explore the situation and hopefully to provide some guidance that manufacturers can use to …
September 19, 2023
In part 1 of this series, we described the rapidly blurring line between medical devices and consumer wearables. Typically, medical devices are prescribed by physicians for purely medical purposes while consumer wearables are purchased by consumers for a variety of non-medical reasons, mostly related to general wellness. However, the two categories are beginning to overlap. …
September 15, 2023
Welcome to the second instalment of the Blue Matter monthly Health Technology Assessment (HTA) review, where we continue to monitor the European market access landscape and capture the pricing and reimbursement (P&R) outcomes in three top European markets: the UK, France, and Germany. HTA Decisions in August 2023 There continues to be high market access …
September 7, 2023
Historically, medical devices and consumer wearables could not be more different: one, a clunky beige piece of prescription equipment, probably provided by your physician, the other a sleek electronic that you purchased to monitor steps, sleep, and other aspects of your wellbeing. Increasingly, these two categories are starting to overlap. Functionality that has been developed …
September 5, 2023
Ensuring a safe and reliable supply of needed therapies is critically important, but the rising cost and complexity of managing supply chains in Europe has biopharma companies straining to handle the pressure. In part 1 of this 3-part series, we introduced the economic and regulatory factors that are driving the situation. The major economic factors …
August 28, 2023
If the leaders of an emerging biopharma company plan to commercialize their development-stage product(s), then they obviously must understand what capabilities, activities, and resources will be needed to commercialize successfully. But what about a company that has chosen a different strategic path? For example, does a company that plans to out-license a product to another …
August 15, 2023
Introduction The Market Access environment in Europe is continually evolving and remains a perpetual challenge for manufacturers as payers look to obtain the best value, especially when it comes to high cost and high impact technologies. To capture the latest HTA outcomes, policy changes, and interesting insights, the Blue Matter EU Access team will be …
August 14, 2023
In this series of articles, we’ve been diving into the exciting world of clinical-stage biotech companies as they begin the journey towards commercialization. At this critical point, an emerging biotech company must juggle multiple priorities, which may span advancing one or more assets through clinical development, laying the groundwork for future commercialization, and/or refining corporate …
July 20, 2023
Summary This summer, Blue Matter’s London team hosted the second meeting of the UK Biotech Club, inviting C-suite leaders and directors from 15 biotech companies in the Cambridge biotech sector. These companies are developing diagnostics, vaccines, discovery platforms, small molecule therapeutics and biologics, covering all lifecycle stages from discovery through to commercialization. Attendees discussed challenges, …
July 17, 2023
Artificial intelligence (AI) has recently sparked the public’s imagination and become a prominent topic of discussion, propelled by the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other widely available chatbots. For some, the impressive capabilities of AI represent a groundbreaking advancement with the potential to drive remarkable efficiency and productivity gains. Others express concerns about the potential …
July 7, 2023
Within the biopharmaceutical market, oncology is the largest therapeutic area. US revenues are expected to reach $100 billion in 2023 and rise to $175 billion by 2027, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 14%. Meanwhile, the oncology market continues to become increasingly complex, with rising levels of competition and an ever-expanding range of …
June 16, 2023
As everyone in oncology knows, the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is a pretty big deal. It’s a nexus for continuing education for oncologists, the sharing of new research data, networking and idea sharing, and more. This year, the meeting was held in Chicago from June 2-6, attracting approximately 45,000 …
May 22, 2023
When a patient receives a prescription from his or her doctor, the expectation is fairly straightforward: the pharmacy will have the medicine in stock and will be able to fulfill the prescription in short order. Of course, there are a host of “unseen” players operating behind the scenes that make all of that happen, including …
May 5, 2023
Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical companies typically juggle a wide range of activities—including but not limited to “getting the science right” as they advance new therapies through clinical development, planning the regulatory path to market, preparing to scale manufacturing and supply chain to meet future demand, beginning to plan for eventual commercialization, and/or developing a financing strategy to …
April 17, 2023
Nashville, TN (aka “Music City”) hosted the global annual meeting of the Medical Affairs Professional Society (MAPS) just a few weeks ago, March 26-29. MAPS’ mission is to “advance the Medical Affairs profession and increase its impact across the biopharmaceutical and device industry” The global annual meeting, the EMEA annual meeting (which runs May 14-16 …
April 10, 2023
Emerging, development-stage biopharmaceutical companies often face a combination of excitement and apprehension when they begin to think about the next step in their journey. The excitement comes from working with innovative therapies that could make a significant impact for patients and the company’s potential for growth and development. The apprehension is often due to the …
March 30, 2023
Over the course of this series, we’ve covered gene therapies in some detail. We have outlined how they differ from more “traditional” therapeutics and explored how those differences can affect many aspects of development, delivery, and commercialization. Interested readers can access the previous three installments via the links below: Part I provides an overview of …
March 22, 2023
Introduction Around this time last year, we published our first U.S prescription digital therapeutics (PDT) market landscape[1] to provide insight into the potential growth and future directions of this emerging market. We also offered a hypothesis that the path to success would be paved by several PDT developers simultaneously commercializing to collectively “build pressure” towards …
March 7, 2023
It’s that time again: the time when we look down the road and make a few predictions about what the rest of the year is likely to hold for the oncology market. It’s hard to believe that the first quarter of 2023 is nearly gone, so we’ve put “pen to paper” to document our thoughts …
March 6, 2023
Traditionally, the doctor-patient relationship was somewhat directive. Patients would more often assume a relatively passive role, relying on the doctor’s recommendations without contributing much to the decision-making process. Today, providers still drive decision-making in some disease areas, but overall, we are much more likely to see situations that are characterized by shared decision-making between patient …
March 2, 2023
Blue Matter is a very special place to work, grow, build a career, and forge life-long friendships with colleagues and clients. Over the years, we’ve written a lot about what makes Blue Matter so special, from our “People First” culture to our overall values. In this article, though, we want to focus on another aspect …
February 21, 2023
Introduction The U.S. is the largest healthcare market in the world, and it is an imperative for digital health companies within or outside the U.S. to develop a go-to-market plan to both (1) unlock the full commercial value of their products and (2) gain the confidence of early/mid-stage investors to fund business growth. As digital …
February 2, 2023
Cell therapies have come a long way and they continue to advance in the fight against many cancers. From their start in acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), they expanded into non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (LBCL, FL, and MCL), and moved up from a third-line treatment to second line. They’ve been approved in fifth-line + multiple myeloma (MM) and …
January 25, 2023
For an emerging, development-stage biopharmaceutical company, the possibilities for the company’s future seem endless – which can be both exciting and challenging. Companies at this stage are usually working hard to advance their lead asset(s) through the clinic while also trying to determine their long-term business strategies. In some ways, they are trying to answer …
January 24, 2023
It’s becoming a bit of a tradition around here. Each year, we make some predictions about what we think will happen in the oncology market. Then, after the year has passed, we look back and see whether our crystal ball was on target or if we need to take it back to the crystal ball …
January 9, 2023
The University of Oxford is regularly ranked as the best in the world. However, it is widely accepted that the associated biotech landscape is not as advanced as comparable locations in the US. For example, Boston is well-established as an innovation hub while Oxford remains nascent. Nothing is permanent, though, and in a dynamic space …
January 2, 2023
As we described in part I of this series, gene therapies are complex, as are the commercial planning processes associated with them. In part II, we narrowed our focus, diving into the myriad complexities surrounding gene therapy supply chains, including manufacturing, packaging, labeling, logistics, and so on. In this paper, we focus on another critically …
December 19, 2022
The European healthcare system is constantly adapting to address the increasing cost of innovation in health technology, the changing needs of its citizens, and healthcare budgetary constraints. In 2022, Europe’s market access and health technology assessment policies have significantly changed. Here are three trends we anticipate will continue to impact healthcare pricing and reimbursement policy …
November 18, 2022
In our previous blog posts (here and here), we explored some of the regulatory and commercial questions surrounding TILs, including “in-house” cell therapy treatments being developed by academic centers in parallel with development by biotechs targeting commercialization. These questions were seeded in part by publications at ESMO from the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) and Iovance …
October 31, 2022
As highlighted in our previous blog post, the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) demonstrated compelling efficacy data from the first randomized, controlled Phase 3 study comparing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) to a checkpoint immunotherapy (Yervoy®) in advanced melanoma. Earlier this year, Iovance Biotherapeutics announced positive clinical data for its TIL (lifileucel), also in advanced melanoma. TIL therapy …
October 17, 2022
In our previous installment, we explored the fact that therapy with a psychedelic substance typically goes far beyond the medicine itself. Most often, it’s integrated with preparatory counseling, therapist support during the drug treatment itself, and talk therapy after a drug treatment. This, of course, can have significant implications for the overall cost of therapy, …
October 7, 2022
In Part I of this series, we discussed the surging levels of interest and investment in psychedelic therapies. After decades of lying dormant, psychedelic medicines are back, and a lot of research dollars are being invested to bring them to market. However, there is more to psychedelic therapy than the drugs themselves. Many psychedelics being …
October 5, 2022
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) held its annual congress in Paris last month, September 9-13. The conference provided a venue for multiple presentations in the cell therapy space. These presentations showcased data on the efficacy of cell therapies—mostly in solid tumors—leveraging multiple innovations, including a variety of cell types such as tumor infiltrating …
October 4, 2022
Interest in psychedelic therapy has risen substantially in recent years, and it’s easy to see why. After decades of being ignored due to legislative action, psychedelic substances now represent an emerging class with the potential to be disease modifying across a range of mental and behavioral health issues. We’ve written about psychedelics before, and that …
September 30, 2022
One thing that makes Blue Matter such a great place to work is our tight, team-oriented culture. We really like working with each other! A key part of that culture are the summer meetings that our different offices organize. They give team members a great opportunity to “decompress” and bond with each other in a …
September 29, 2022
In this series of articles, we have discussed how the role of Medical Affairs has been changing in both scope and function in recent years. Driven by various trends, Medical Affairs’ strategic importance and scope of activities has expanded, transforming the department into a central hub for insights generation, evidence generation, and strategic planning. In …
September 7, 2022
In part I of this series, we provided a high-level introduction to gene therapies and described why commercial planning for them is so complex. While part I offered a broad look at these innovative therapies, part II focuses on one topic: the supply chain. When developing commercial strategy for any biopharma therapy, the supply chain …
August 8, 2022
Developing a commercial strategy for any biopharma therapy can be a complex, detail-oriented process. It requires the collection of relevant scientific and market data, analytical skill to make sense of that data and derive insights from it, and a sound decision-making framework upon which to build an effective commercial model and strategy. That complexity multiplies …
August 1, 2022
Different companies can have dramatically divergent journeys when they decide to enter European markets for the first time. They may be in various circumstances or stages of their corporate evolution when they decide to enter. Some companies think about Europe very early on while others prepare their strategies much closer to launch. Depending on each …
June 27, 2022
If you’ve been following along with this series of articles, you know that we’ve been sharing an ongoing story about change. While Medical Affairs’ core mission of improving patient outcomes by providing information and education to medical professionals remains constant, the function has been going through major—but positive—changes in recent years. In previous installments, we’ve …
May 13, 2022
At some point in its development, any growth-minded non-European biopharma company will look to Europe as a possible source of new opportunity. Europe is attractive for various reasons, including its large population, high per-capita spend on healthcare, and vast market potential. But successfully entering Europe is a complex undertaking, and biopharma companies need to know …
May 10, 2022
Throughout this series, we’ve been discussing how the roles and expectations for the Medical Affairs function are evolving. Various trends are driving this evolution, raising Medical Affairs’ profile within the biopharma enterprise. Medical Affairs is becoming a central hub for generating insights that can inform strategic planning. It’s also becoming a nexus for generating evidence …
April 12, 2022
At some point in its development, any growth-minded non-European biopharma company will look to Europe as a possible source of new opportunity. Europe is attractive for various reasons, including its large population, high per-capita spend on healthcare, and vast market potential. But successfully entering Europe is a complex undertaking, and biopharma companies need to know …
April 8, 2022
At some point in its development, any growth-minded non-European biopharma company will look to Europe as a possible source of new opportunity. Europe is attractive for various reasons, including its large population, high per-capita spend on healthcare, and vast market potential. But successfully entering Europe is a complex undertaking, and biopharma companies need to know …
April 7, 2022
When a biopharma company develops a new therapy, it’s not satisfied with simply getting market authorization in key geographies. Rather, a company wants to ensure broad, sustainable access and safe, confident use by healthcare providers (HCPs) that supports improved patient outcomes. To achieve these goals, it must consider the needs of a complex healthcare ecosystem …
April 5, 2022
There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic brought major disruption to people across the globe. Of course, it affected people’s health. But it also caused major shake-ups in people’s finances, as well as the ways in which they work, socialize, worship, and more – impacting all facets of personal and public life. Interestingly, it also …
March 28, 2022
At some point in its development, any growth-minded non-European biopharma company will look to Europe as a possible source of new opportunity. Europe is attractive for various reasons, including its large population, high per-capita spend on healthcare, and vast market potential. But successfully entering Europe is a complex undertaking, and biopharma companies need to know …
March 27, 2022
At some point in its development, any growth-minded non-European biopharma company will look to Europe as a possible source of new opportunity. Europe is attractive for various reasons, including its large population, high per-capita spend on healthcare, and vast market potential. But successfully entering Europe is a complex undertaking, and biopharma companies need to know …
February 27, 2022
Blue Matter is proud to once again be listed by Firsthand / Vault as a Top 50 Consulting Firm in North America and a Top 25 Consulting Firm in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa). The full profiles and reports can be found here: North America EMEA
February 25, 2022
At some point in its development, any growth-minded non-European biopharma company will look to Europe as a possible source of new opportunity. Europe is attractive for various reasons, including its large population, high per-capita spend on healthcare, and vast market potential. But successfully entering Europe is a complex undertaking, and biopharma companies need to know …
February 24, 2022
In part I of this series, we identified several trends that are driving big changes for the medical affairs function within biopharma companies. On the whole, those trends are making the function more strategically important while simultaneously making its job more complex. In this installment, we explore one of Medical Affairs’ most important responsibilities: insight …
At some point in its development, any growth-minded non-European biopharma company will look to Europe as a possible source of new opportunity. Europe is attractive for various reasons, including its large population, high per-capita spend on healthcare, and vast market potential. But successfully entering Europe is a complex undertaking, and biopharma companies need to know …
February 14, 2022
The Long Road of PDT Market Development With a very exciting 2021 and 2022 for prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs), a lot of people are asking: Are PDTs on the verge of achieving “critical mass,” the point at which they truly scale up and achieve a sustainable level of market penetration in an environment conducive to …
February 4, 2022
We recently shared a look back on key trends that we had identified in 2021. Based on January alone, 2022 appears to be heading towards being another very busy year for the oncology market, full of more innovation, competitive disruption, and regulatory intrigue! Our team has identified five key trends that we look forward to …
January 19, 2022
Early last year, our team produced a paper entitled Oncology Outlook 2021: Scientific breakthroughs and competitive breakouts. It was a fun paper to write because it gave us an opportunity to broadly review the market landscape, identify key trends, and make some predictions for 2021. Predictions are almost always fun, but they’re only valuable if …
January 7, 2022
It’s no secret that change is a constant companion for those who work in the biopharmaceutical industry. That’s to be expected in any industry that thrives on innovation in the products it develops and the techniques it uses to develop them. Over the past few years, one function has been transforming at a dramatically accelerated …
January 4, 2022
Just over a year ago, we wrote a two-part series on the “quiet revolution” that’s going on in CNS therapies (access part I here and part II here). The exciting developments in oncology may be grabbing the headlines, but very interesting things are happening in CNS and much of it has flown just under the …
November 30, 2021
In early November of 2021, COMPASS Pathways released phase IIb data on its psilocybin-based therapy for treatment-resistant depression. Varun Renjen, M.D., leader of our CNS team, talks about this data and its implications for COMPASS (and for psychedelics in CNS therapy overall).
Introduction Over the last decade, advances in cancer care have measurably improved overall survival, and specifically in disease areas with previously high unmet needs such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and melanoma1. Importantly, this increased survival is driven by a shift of more patients into two key categories of treatment outcomes: Cure: Defined here …
November 10, 2021
At some point, any growth-minded non-European biopharma company will look to Europe as a possible source of new opportunity. Europe is attractive and offers vast market potential. But successfully entering Europe is a complex undertaking. The stakes are high and there are many pitfalls to avoid. In this series of articles, we’re outlining the 12 …
November 4, 2021
At some point in its development, any growth-minded non-European biopharma company will look to Europe as a possible source of new opportunity. Europe is attractive for various reasons, including its large population, high per-capita spend on healthcare, and vast market potential. But successfully entering Europe is a complex undertaking, and biopharma companies need to know …
October 27, 2021
At some point, any growth-minded non-European biopharma company will look to Europe as a possible source of new opportunity. Europe is attractive and offers vast market potential. But successfully entering Europe is a complex undertaking. The stakes are high and there are many pitfalls to avoid. In this series of articles, we’re outlining the 12 …
October 20, 2021
At some point in its development, any growth-minded non-European biopharma company will look to Europe as a possible source of new opportunity. Europe is attractive for various reasons, including its large population, high per-capita spend on healthcare, and vast market potential. But successfully entering Europe is a complex undertaking, and biopharma companies need to know …
October 12, 2021
As we’ve written many times before, Europe offers significant business opportunities for biopharmaceutical companies seeking to expand. Collectively, European countries represent the world’s second largest market for branded pharmaceuticals, just behind the United States. With more than 500 million people and $140 billion in annual branded pharmaceutical sales, Europe can be highly attractive. It offers …
September 20, 2021
Introduction Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a devastating disease, but recent therapeutic advances are delivering major benefits for patients, as well as driving competition in a complex market landscape. In Part 1 of our series, we reviewed the disease biology and therapeutic approaches currently marketed to treat SMA. Here, we look to the future and …
September 16, 2021
On September 9, 2021 at the MedInvest Neurological Diseases & Mental Health Disorders Conference, our own Varun Renjen moderated a panel discussion entitled, The Renaissance of Psychedelics in CNS Medicine. This video includes the full panel discussion and the Q&A session following it. Thanks very much to all of our panelists for their expertise and …
August 23, 2021
In the 3rd video of our “My Blue Matter Experience” series, consultant Jose Quejada answers the following question: “What words of wisdom would you offer someone considering a career at Blue Matter?”
August 18, 2021
The Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) treatment landscape offers a compelling case study of how very different therapeutic approaches can be successful in alleviating a devastating rare disease, leading to a complex treatment landscape with continued opportunity for both improved patient outcomes and biopharma market success. Here in Part 1, we introduce the disease and its …
August 16, 2021
In this video, Jose Quejada describes what it’s like to work on Blue Matter consulting teams. Jose is based in our NYC office and became a team member just over a year ago. For him, three things stand out about the team dynamics at Blue Matter…
August 10, 2021
In this video, Jose Quejada describes the type of support and guidance he received when he first joined the Blue Matter team. Jose is based in our NYC office and became a team member just over a year ago. He sheds some light on what new team members can expect when they come on board.
July 22, 2021
The biotechnology industry is a booming sector with many new companies researching and developing innovative and specialized medicines. Typically, a startup biotech company will focus its limited resources on R&D and its market of origin (or some other region that’s strategically selected because of its large size and/or market potential). For a US-based company, that …
July 14, 2021
Varun Renjen, M.D. describes how the recent decision to restrict Aduhelm’s label to earlier-stage patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) could be a good thing for Biogen’s new Alzheimer’s therapy. He also outlines three lessons for other pharma companies entering the Alzheimer’s market. Link here
July 9, 2021
The Digital Therapeutics (DTx) space is new and rapidly growing within the healthcare landscape (for a DTx 101: Intro and Overview, see here). Biopharma companies should carefully consider their potential entry into this space, as their customers will be increasingly engaging with DTx products that have the potential to complement or even compete with biopharma …
June 28, 2021
Biogen’s Aduhelm® (aducanumab) is the fist potentially disease-modifying therapy approved for Alzheimer’s disease. However, it could face some significant challenges as it goes to market. Varun Renjen, M.D., describes the three main ones in this short video. Link here.
June 24, 2021
On June 7, 2021, the FDA approved Biogen’s Aduhelm® (aducanumab) for Alzheimer’s disease. As the first potentially disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer’s, it could have some significant impacts on the market for Alzheimer’s therapies. Varun Renjen, M.D., outlines those potential impacts in this short video. Link here
June 21, 2021
Don’t miss this informative webinar on Tuesday, July 20 at 11:00 am EDT. Register here. Psychedelics and other traditionally taboo substances are undergoing a bit of a “renaissance” in central nervous system (CNS) therapeutics. These types of substances have a long and storied history around the world. Now, research into their potential therapeutic benefits is …
June 8, 2021
There is no shortage of disabling and deadly diseases in the world. However, few match Alzheimer’s disease (AD) when it comes to sheer ability to cause fear and dread. It’s not a rare disease. In fact, it’s on the rise. There is no cure (nor effective treatment yet) and it’s ultimately fatal. And, most frightening, …
June 7, 2021
We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Alyssa Manz, Ph.D. and Quinn Civik for their work on the data analysis which supports this publication. Each rare disease (RD) only impacts a relatively small population, and given the clinical breadth of these conditions, new RD product development may feel like forging a completely new path towards a …
June 3, 2021
In our previous paper, we discussed several trends shaping the European market access landscape. Here, we explore recent cross border collaborations in more detail. While the recent COVID response highlighted many challenges, payers are making (slow) progress on a range of ongoing or planned initiatives: Small groups of countries conducting joint healthcare technology assessment (HTA) …
May 25, 2021
Introduction Members of Blue Matter’s CNS team attended the Psychedelic Therapeutics & Drug Development Conference, a virtual event that took place May 4-6, 2021. This event was particularly interesting to our team because we had just completed a white paper entitled “Taboo” Substances are Getting Another Look in CNS that explored the substances and companies …
May 24, 2021
Introduction Members of our CNS team attended the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) virtual annual meeting, which took place April 17-22. As expected, it was an interesting and useful event, full of industry therapeutics updates, clinical research data, scientific sessions, and educational courses presented in a series of virtual panels, posters, and fireside chats. It …
May 3, 2021
Some of our Rare Disease team spent a day last week listening to patient experts and industry specialists in a series of virtual panels and fireside chats organized by the World Orphan Drug Congress. Amongst a wealth of interesting topics and a consistent focus on accelerating the delivery of rare disease (RD) therapies, a few …
April 14, 2021
Generating Evidence to Support Market Access Great evidence planning is the foundation to successful market access. While good pricing and negotiation strategies at launch are essential, pharmaceutical companies can dramatically reduce the effort and risk required by having the “right” data that payers are seeking. In this case, “an ounce of prevention is really worth …
April 2, 2021
Every day, the sun rises and the sun sets. Here’s another thing that’s almost as dependable: national payers in Europe are facing increased pressures on their healthcare budgets. Payers want to provide access and fund innovative treatments to improve patient care, but they need to do so in the context of constrained budgets. However, the …