What are the health needs and challenges?

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among females, and the fourth most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Asia-Pacific region. On the other hand, with the continued economic growth in Asia, many countries are making efforts to expand Universal Health Coverage (UHC), however due to financial challenges and operational issues, the coverage is limited with only essential medicines usually covered. Furthermore, economic growth leads to wider income disparity, forcing lower income patients who are not covered by insurance to pay out-of-pocket to access innovative medicines.

Partnership activities and how they address needs and challenges

Aiming to fulfil the gap between current reimbursement coverage and achievement of full UHC, Hope to Her was initiated in some Asian countries to ensure patients’ access to our innovative metastatic breast cancer treatment where it is not reimbursed by UHC.

Eisai developed intra-country pricing models with different tiers including price zero, by considering socio-economic factors, treatment cycle, patients and their families’ benefits and so on. Third-parties (financial assessment agency, public foundation, etc.) help to make independent assessments on patients’ financial status in order to determine which tier they should be allocated to, as well as guidance on drug compliance, tracking progression of health status and so on.