Background on Christoph Glaetzer and His Relevance
Christoph Glaetzer, an expert in access and the Global Value & Access Officer for Johnson & Johnson’s Innovative Medicines, emphasizes the need for increased collaboration among governments, pharmaceutical companies, and society to establish sustainable financing systems for innovative therapies. His insights were shared during the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) 2025 Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Key Challenges in Accessing Innovative Therapies
Access to cutting-edge therapies faces significant barriers, particularly in Latin America. Glaetzer argues that these challenges should be viewed as investments rather than expenses, with a particular focus on strengthening collaboration between governments, the pharmaceutical industry, and society.
Strengthening Collaboration for Sustainable Financing
A crucial step towards improving access to innovative therapies in Latin America is enhancing collaboration between governments, the pharmaceutical industry, and society to design sustainable financing systems. In Mexico, where many families rely on out-of-pocket expenses to cover healthcare needs, Glaetzer stresses that authorities must lead the restructuring of funding, while the industry supports by generating clinical and social value evidence beyond pricing.
Shifting Paradigms in Health Technology Assessment (HTA)
Glaetzer proposes a paradigm shift in HTA, aligning it with scientific advancements and focusing on the clinical, social, and economic impact of innovations. This approach necessitates an inclusive dialogue involving governments, industry, healthcare providers, and patients to define true health value.
Mexico’s Financing System Challenges
In Mexico, the disorganized healthcare financing system poses a critical obstacle. Many families bear direct costs due to insufficient public funds (public health spending accounts for only 3% of the GDP), limiting access to advanced therapies. Glaetzer emphasizes that while the industry cannot replace government budget allocation, it can collaborate by providing data demonstrating treatment benefits.
Importance of Capacity Building for Decision-Makers
Glaetzer highlights the significance of training decision-makers. In Mexico, lack of training can lead to prioritizing cost over long-term impact. “It’s crucial to have the right people at the table: health experts, patients, industry representatives, and authorities who understand the system,” he explains. These parties should evaluate treatment value, considering benefits like caregiver burden reduction, delayed disease progression, and maintaining a healthy workforce, which generates savings for the system.
Johnson & Johnson’s Innovative Medicine Focus
Glaetzer, representing Johnson & Johnson’s Innovative Medicine, discusses innovations in areas such as castration-resistant prostate cancer, multiple myeloma, lung cancer, and bladder cancer, aiming for global availability. Each Latin American country presents unique regulatory, reimbursement, and therapy incorporation time differences. Despite Mexico’s universal coverage, its access to innovation is slower compared to other countries. However, Glaetzer remains optimistic about regional progress over the past two decades and advocates for long-term commitment to improve access.
The Role of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) in Innovation
During the Buenos Aires event, participants discussed HTA’s role in healthcare innovation. The sector faces growing demand for timely, relevant, and high-quality evidence that transcends conventional sources. From extensive health transaction data to wearable medical devices and environmental trends, these demands offer opportunities for HTA innovation and collaboration, positioning it at the forefront of addressing technological and non-technological changes in healthcare.
Expanding HTA’s Scope
HTA’s reach can encompass broader aspects of technology impact, including innovative trial designs, non-traditional data sources, equity considerations, environmental factors, advanced AI tools, and adaptive HTA methods.
Key Questions and Answers
- What are the main barriers to accessing innovative therapies? Significant challenges include insufficient public health funding, lack of collaboration between governments and the pharmaceutical industry, and prioritizing cost over long-term impact.
- How can collaboration improve access to innovative therapies? Strengthening partnerships among governments, the pharmaceutical industry, and society can lead to sustainable financing systems and inclusive dialogues defining true health value.
- What role does Health Technology Assessment (HTA) play in healthcare innovation? HTA provides timely, relevant, and high-quality evidence transcending conventional sources, addressing technological and non-technological changes in healthcare.
- Why is capacity building for decision-makers crucial? Trained decision-makers can prioritize long-term impact, consider various benefits of treatments, and make informed decisions that improve healthcare outcomes.
