Inclusion = WIN/WIN

Patient advocacy groups provide valuable insight and are necessary to help patients overcome barriers. The information they provide pharma focuses on the needs and rights of patients worldwide and this helps attain appropriate linguistic and cultural responses. Patient advocacy groups are not only knowledgeable about all facets of drug development including discovery, research, clinical studies and education, but they are dedicated experts on the standards of care, patient needs and the rights of all patients from every possible angle. Drug development impacts the global patient population and patient advocacy groups are mindful of cultural diversity and language as an effective means to educate. The desired result is to treat, cure or fight disease and help patients obtain quality of life instead of suffering or from dying prematurely.

All patient populations could benefit from the collaboration between patient advocacy groups and pharma. Increasingly, patient advocacy groups play a crucial role in educating the marketplace on new medicines and treatments and most purport that drugs should have universal access. Globally, millions of patients represent a myriad of countries with hundreds of languages and thousands of cultures. Such advocacy groups guide us in the fundamental need for addressing patients in their native language and indicate that culture does matter in order to have a positive affect on patient communication. The right kind of communication can only optimize the patient population as a whole.

Pharma has much to gain from the insightfulness of patient advocacy groups. The FDA promotes the value of patient advocates while some pharmaceutical manufacturers rely on their perspective. Pharma would be wise to delve into what these groups imply about inclusion of culturally diverse patient populations when it comes to drug development. Let us not lose sight of the critical role of patient advocacy groups. They offer unparalleled insight and true collaboration means that the pharma companies would act upon their message and implement what is right. This is a valuable partnership. More importantly, it is a huge benefit for the global patient. This is a win-win situation!

MUR