Archō Advocacy today released the 2025/2026 ELAVAY Mental Health Advocacy Intelligence Report, the annual read on which companies mental health advocates, professional societies, and community-based organizations trust to act in patients' best interests. Neurocrine Biosciences finishes first in seven of the eight measured categories, the widest sweep any company has posted in a single ELAVAY therapeutic report.
Sixteen companies and health plans earned mentions across the mental health field: Neurocrine Biosciences, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Otsuka, Teva, Boehringer Ingelheim, Alkermes, AbbVie, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Aetna/CVS Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Molina Healthcare, Centene Corporation, CareSource, and Intermountain Healthcare. Manufacturers, payers, and health systems share one league table here, which happens in mental health and almost nowhere else Archō tracks.
“Mental health advocates do not reward the biggest budget. They reward the partner who shows up, listens, and then lets the community lead. That is the whole story of this report,” said Matt Toresco, Founder and CEO of Archō Advocacy.
WHO LEADS, AND WHERE
Advocates ranked the companies they had worked with in the past 12 to 18 months, then rated their top three on a seven-point scale. Archō weighted recognition against rating to build each league table. The leaders follow, and the full report carries the scores behind them. Every score in Patient Assistance Programs sits near the industry average, which makes patient support the softest performance in the dataset.
Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine takes the lead in the one category Neurocrine Biosciences does not. On education and change in health equity, advocates name Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine first, with Bristol-Myers Squibb and Neurocrine Biosciences close behind. One advocate put it plainly: “J&J has leaned into equity and inclusion when others are leaning out.”
WHY NEUROCRINE BIOSCIENCES WINS: A REAL ALLIANCE, NOT A CHECK
Across seven categories, advocates return to the same relationship when they explain the Neurocrine Biosciences score. The company partners with NAMI on TD Awareness Week, not only with the national organization but with NAMI state organizations across the country. Advocates describe joint work on tardive dyskinesia education, built with them rather than handed to them.
“Neurocrine Biosciences stands out as a leader in expanding access to education and awareness for patients, particularly within the tardive dyskinesia space,” wrote one mental health advocacy leader. Another described the working relationship this way: “Their approach is highly collaborative and grounded in supporting shared goals rather than advancing commercial interests. Interactions are focused on listening and collaboration, not product promotion.”
“Plenty of companies write a check to a national office and call it a partnership. Neurocrine Biosciences built a working alliance with NAMI and with the state organizations that carry the work locally. Advocates can tell the difference, and this report shows exactly what that difference is worth,” Toresco said.
THE IRA IS NOT THE FIGHT MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES ARE IN
Mental health advocates engage with federal drug pricing policy far less than the broader ELAVAY field, and the report explains why. The patients they represent skew under 65 and rely on Medicaid or commercial coverage rather than Medicare. Six in ten organizations have taken no step at all to educate their communities about the Inflation Reduction Act, and no single view of the law commands a majority.
The pressure advocates do organize around sits closer to the pharmacy counter. Nearly nine in ten call non-medical medication switching a high or extremely high threat to their patients. On copay accumulators, maximizers, and alternative funding programs, every respondent wants industry to partner with advocacy groups on the problem. The report breaks down each of these pressures, plus prescription drug affordability boards, Most Favored Nation pricing, health literacy, and clinical trial engagement.
“Ask a mental health advocate about the Inflation Reduction Act and most of them have nothing to say, because most of their patients are not on Medicare. Ask the same advocate about a formulary switch or a copay maximizer and the room changes. Companies leading with federal pricing talking points in this space are answering a question nobody asked,” Toresco said.
FROM INSIGHT TO ACTION: THE ADVOCACY INFLUENCE DIAGNOSTIC
ELAVAY measures how the outside world sees a company. Its companion tool, the Advocacy Influence Diagnostic (AID), measures how a company’s own organization sees and uses its advocacy function. AID sorts advocacy leaders into four personas, the Architect, the Defender, the Underdog, and the Whisperer, and surfaces where internal influence lags external rank.
“A company can win seven categories outside and still lose the budget argument inside. AID tells advocacy leaders where their internal stance trails their external reputation, where to fix it, and how we can help at Archō” said Toresco.
The full 2025/2026 ELAVAY Mental Health Report carries every league table, the ratings behind each rank, and the advocate testimony in full. For the report or a private briefing on where a company sits inside the dataset, visit https://archo.io or contact Matt Toresco at [email protected].
About ELAVAY
ELAVAY turns patient and advocate insight into industry-level intelligence. By tracking how advocacy and community-based organization leaders score the companies serving their patients, ELAVAY gives healthcare organizations a clear, longitudinal read on their reputation, access position, and policy standing across the patient community.
About Archō
Archō gives patients a voice and drives positive change in healthcare. Through training, market research, and advocacy, Archō educates the industry on the value of patient-directed care and helps healthcare companies do well by doing good. Archō keeps the patient at the center of healthcare decision-making.
For more information, contact Matt Toresco, Founder & CEO, at [email protected].
