Bridging the gap between academic research and real-world solutions

The life science industry is navigating a period of rapid transformation, driven by innovation, AI, rising complexity, and the growing need to incorporate patient perspectives. These shifts, combined with downward pricing pressures, are reshaping how therapies are developed and delivered. In this environment, accelerating time to value—getting effective treatments to market quickly—has become essential not only for business success but for patient wellbeing. Each day a treatment is delayed, manufacturers risk losing up to $500,000 in revenue, and patients face prolonged suffering without access to potentially life-changing therapies.

Pharmaceutical companies must rethink traditional, linear development and commercialisation models, which often take over a decade and postpone value considerations until too late. This is particularly problematic for first-time launchers, who now represent around 40% of FDA approvals but have lower success rates than established players. These new entrants are frequently advancing therapies for rare diseases, including a significant share of cell and gene therapies, making delays especially impactful on vulnerable patient populations.

To accelerate time to value, companies need to embed pricing, reimbursement, and access strategies early in the development process. Waiting until late-stage development to address these areas often results in avoidable obstacles. Engaging market access teams from the outset enables better clinical trial design, early health economic modelling, and evidence generation that aligns with both regulatory and payer expectations—streamlining the path to reimbursement and access.

The strategic use of real-world data (RWD) and real-world evidence (RWE) is a key enabler in this transformation. Collaborations between pharma, healthcare systems, and academic institutions can use RWD to optimise clinical trials, understand unmet needs, and build value-based contracting models. When supported by expert data analytics partners, this can strengthen submissions and payer communications, while also reducing time to market.

Research shows that RWD-informed patient identification can cut trial enrolment times by up to 30%, and that external control arms powered by RWD can reduce trial costs by up to 40%—especially in rare disease trials. Agile research teams are better equipped to keep pace with evolving regulatory guidance, adapting trial design to remain compliant while maximising efficiency.

RWD also plays a vital role in value-based healthcare by helping manufacturers demonstrate real-world effectiveness and economic value. Integrating outcomes into health economic models strengthens payer arguments and shortens time to reimbursement, particularly when supported by partners with experience in HEOR, RWE, value communication, and market access.

For first-time launchers, partnering with agile, cross-functional research teams fills critical experience gaps and enables smooth transitions across complex development milestones. This flexibility allows scaling of resources, faster execution, and tailored solutions—optimising both costs and performance. Companies such as Genesis Research Group provide this kind of integrated expertise, helping clients navigate regulatory and market access challenges more efficiently.

Ultimately, reducing the time between drug discovery and patient access requires a new mindset. By combining RWE, early market access planning, and integrated development models, pharmaceutical firms can improve returns, deliver meaningful therapies faster, and contribute to a more sustainable, patient-focused healthcare system.