The EU JCA process: Opportunities and challenges in bringing innovative medicines to patients in Europe

Given these access challenges, the goals of the JCA are to reduce patient inequality, eliminate redundancy and improve efficiency by centralizing the HTA process. A pilot phase was carried out on 11 pharmaceutical products and 24 other technology assessments, including medical devices. The results of this pilot phase highlighted that despite good intentions, there remains significant complexity to deliver on the expected outcomes. Presently, the EUNetHTA 21 consortium is developing a draft framework for the JCA process, which will be discussed and approved by the Member State Coordination Group on HTA with official implementation in January 2025 for oncology and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs).

During this panel discussion, health care system experts will explore the JCA process and efforts to ensure timely access to innovative health care products within this new framework.The discussion will consider the challenges and opportunities presented by the JCA and the potential next steps to best prepare Pharma & Biotech companies to manage the new process.

Key webinar learnings:

• The rationale behind the JCA and initial expectations of the framework
• Experience with products that have gone through the pilot phase, providing insight into the workings of the JCA process
• Potential impact anticipated for patient access to innovative health products
• The opportunities and challenges presented by the JCA

Moderator: Tommy Bramley, Ph.D., is Senior Vice President, Global Consulting at AmerisourceBergen, where he partners with biopharma clients   on market access, real-world evidence, health economics and outcomes research, scientific communications, and commercialization activities.  Previously, he was President of Lash Group, another AmerisourceBergen business unit, that provides comprehensive services focused on improving patient access, care coordination, and outcomes.

Speakers:

• Herbert Altmann, Ph.D., is Head Commercialization and Access Solutions Europe with PharmaLex, part of AmerisourceBergen. He leads the European Market Access department, working with pharmaceutical companies bringing innovative medicines to patients as fast as possible. Before joining PharmaLex, Herbert was Head Value & Access Region Europe Novartis Pharma, and was the NVS representative on the EFPIA HTA working group, participating in two Joint Action 3 pilot assessments.
• Casper Paardekooper is Partner at strategy consultancy Vintura, which focuses at transforming healthcare, making it more accessible and beneficial for all. He operates in the Life Sciences practice and is responsible for Vintura’s Value, Access & Policy Center of Excellence. In that capacity, he focuses on access policy, market access strategy, value demonstration and value-based healthcare. Vintura is part of AmerisourceBergen.
• Mihai Iulian Rotaru is Senior Manager Market Access at EFPIA, with responsibility for activities relating to access to medicines for patients, including Health Technology Assessment developments, EFPIA’s oncology platform, supply chain issues and loss of exclusivity with biologics.
• Jurgen Huismans is Global Director Access & HTA Strategy at MSD. He focuses on understanding HTA dynamics across the globe, monitoring legislative changes and assessing how HTA developments impact Patient Access. Previously, he was Head of the Value & Patient Access department at MSD The Netherlands and held different roles within Market Access, Policy, Outcomes Research and Medical Affairs.