Today, Rapid Commercialization Partners (RCP) and Orphan Now announced their partnership, designed to help companies developing orphan drugs accelerate time to market and get treatments to patients around the world more efficiently. The new partnership will support companies that are creating treatments for the more than 300 million people[1] who are impacted by rare diseases, allowing companies to tackle commercialization at a global, rather than regional scale, from an earlier starting point.
“Commercializing orphan drugs requires a specific skill set and a hands-on methodology,” said Christina Ansted, CEO, RCP. “Our partnership with Orphan Now brings together a formidable team of leaders with deep expertise in the commercialization of therapies for orphan or rare diseases who understand both the U.S. and ex-U.S. markets. Having experts in both camps working as an integrated team can create natural efficiencies for strategy, manufacturing and distribution, while enabling innovative programs like paid early access that can create new commercial opportunities and diversify revenue streams.”
There are more than 7,000 unique rare diseases[2], but each affects fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S.[3] The small patient population for each rare disease creates challenges for companies aiming to bring orphan drugs to market, including patient identification and data limitations. Additionally, the amount of research and development necessary can result in a high cost for many orphan drugs, creating pricing and reimbursement challenges for the companies looking to commercialize transformational therapies.
“The most successful orphan drug launches are the result of global strategies and operational capabilities that take a patient-by-patient approach,” said Jordi Badia, Founding Partner, Orphan Now. “In rare diseases, every patient counts. Through our partnership, Orphan Now and RCP can play a critical role in elevating the awareness of rare diseases among critical stakeholders and ensuring that patients’ voices are heard. A comprehensive global commercial strategy must incorporate collaboration with patient advocacy groups and by extension, the patients.”
Traditionally, companies enter one market at a time, starting with their local market and then choosing to expand globally once they are established in their home country or region. RCP and Orphan Now can help companies consider a path to global commercialization that takes advantage of potential synergies across markets and mitigates areas of possible risk or delay — like the nuances between U.S. and European clinical trial data collection requirements, which can enable or stall market entry. Combining the geographic strengths of RCP and Orphan Now will help ensure that efforts in the US and ex-US are strongly coordinated, resulting in faster access to therapy for patients as solutions are deployed across key markets in parallel instead of in a linear sequence — a methodology that can eliminate repetitive work while also driving economies of scale.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6974615/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6974615/
[3] https://www.fda.gov/patients/rare-diseases-fda
About Rapid Commercialization Partners (RCP)
RCP provides the multidisciplinary, executive-level expertise, processes and partnership clinical-stage biotech companies need to maximize revenue though efficient, effective commercialization. With a relentless focus on integrated end-to-end strategic commercialization planning and disciplined execution on strategy, RCP positions biotech companies for commercial success by building a foundation for long-term growth. Visit rcpbio.com for more information.
About Orphan Now
Orphan Now is a consulting and partnering organization that guides and supports orphan drug companies in their quest of developing and commercializing needed therapies for patients with rare diseases. Led by a network of highly successful rare disease business leaders and experts, Orphan Now is focused on helping to transform the lives of patients with rare diseases. Visit OrphanNow.com for more information.