Have you ever wondered what separates the organisations that consistently secure unhindered access and optimised value at launch, from those that see value and access potential erode at the point of payer scrutiny? In the sections that follow, we outline five behaviours that distinguish high-performing teams, and the practical steps that pharma leaders can take in 2026 to elevate market access to a central strategic capability.
Current trends indicate that market access can no longer sit downstream as a submission-focused support function. It is imperative that organisation recognise market access as a primary driver of long-term asset value, because the product development choices and evidence strategy made early on during Phase I/II largely determines whether a product launches with momentum or enters negotiations already on the back foot.
As healthcare budgets continue to face sustained pressure, and political and economic uncertainty increases worldwide, payers are intensifying their scrutiny. There is a growing necessity for a clear demonstration of value, supported by robust evidence, and a lower tolerance for uncertainty. When robust evidence is missing, the consequences are predictable: slower reimbursement, narrower eligible populations, deeper price concessions, and costly late stage “fixes” that rarely restore a product’s value to its full potential.
Key Differentiators of High-Performing Market Access Teams
High-performing market access teams will:
- Embed access thinking into asset strategy from the early stages of development
- Treat pricing as a strategic lever, not a fixed target
- Measure organisational success beyond regulatory milestones
- Define impact through capability, not headcount
- Recognise Market Access as a central strategic function that orchestrates cross-functional decision-making to shape long-term organisational value
Embed access thinking into asset strategy from the early stages of development
High-performing market access teams incorporate payer needs into their asset strategy early on during clinical development. In shaping target product profiles (TPPs), evidence plans, and pricing assumptions early on, the influence of market access team expertise promotes a strong value proposition and improves likelihood of successful pricing and reimbursement outcomes; and consequently exert a direct impact on bottom line revenue and return on investment.
| High-Performing Teams | Others | |
|---|---|---|
| Behaviours | – Integrate payer-relevant endpoints into TPPs from the Phase 1/2 trial stages – Test value hypotheses early in the development process, ensuring that payer evidence needs are incorporated into the design of pivotal clinical trials – Explicitly model HTA downside risk (e.g. immature OS, weak comparators, generalisability issues) early on to equip commercial teams with realistic revenue potential estimates – Influence cross-functional teams to leverage RWE as part of the core evidence plan (not post-hoc mitigation) | – Optimise trials for regulatory approval, and discover evidence misalignment (endpoints, population, comparator) after Phase III is ongoing – Rely on suboptimal “fixes” that impact robustness of the evidence package and credibility of the value proposition e.g., reactive RWE (real world evidence) to mitigate avoidable evidence gaps |
| Result | Enter pivotal development with fewer access risks, higher chance of reimbursement, faster, and broader access with higher price | Late-stage value erosion, constrained pricing flexibility, and costs related with additional evidence generation needs |
Treat pricing as a strategic lever, not a fixed target
Rigid pricing strategies that overlook the realities of local payer landscape often delay access and erode value, weakening commercial performance. Strong market access teams manage pricing as a strategic lever, balancing it against speed of access, breadth of uptake, and long-term price integrity to support sustainable patient access to innovative therapies.
| High-Performing Teams | Others | |
|---|---|---|
| Behaviours | – Collaborate across teams to align commercial ambitions with country-level realities – Pre-define acceptable price-access trade-offs and negotiation boundaries early on – Develop pricing corridors, not single “target prices” to reflect different possible scenarios Leverage pricing flexibility against: Speed of access Population scope Future indication / portfolio expansion goals | – Anchor on a rigid global pricing logic and attempt to defend it everywhere, regardless of local payer realities / often at the expense of reduced or delayed patient access – Reactively consider spillover effects (international reference pricing, indication expansion penalties), rather than proactively shaping indication and country launch sequencing |
| Result | Fewer negotiation cycles and lower launch risks, since teams have agreed boundaries (what you can trade, and what you cannot) before payer conversations begin | Higher risks resulting from unsuccessful payer negotiations, delayed or restricted access, and reactive pricing concessions |
Measure organisational success beyond regulatory milestones
Launch success in today’s environment extends beyond regulatory approval. While this may seem obvious to most market access leaders, cross-functional alignment remains a challenge in many organisations. The most effective MA teams drive a shared definition of success that incorporates access-related metrics into governance, ensuring drug development milestones are designed to support access at the patient level.
| High-Performing Teams | Others | |
|---|---|---|
| Behaviours | – Redefine organisational success using broader metrics focused on patient-level access and long-term stakeholder value, such as: Achieving reimbursed access (not just regulatory approval) Breadth of reimbursed population Realisation of price potential – Embed market access-related metrics into cross-functional governance, with shared accountability | – Define success as “regulatory approval” alone – Miss silent failures: access delays, restrictions, or sub-optimally negotiated prices |
| Result | Build earlier visibility of price and access shortfalls and course-correct in a timely manner, resulting in broader access and sustained value over time | Miss on price and access optimisation opportunities, resulting in value erosion |
Define impact through capability, not headcount
Market access impact doesn’t come from team size, but from its ability to orchestrate multi-disciplinary capabilities spanning scientific, commercial, and country-specific expertise to optimise value and patient access.
| High-Performing Teams | Others | |
|---|---|---|
| Behaviours | – Systematically connect expertise across scientific, commercial and technical country-specific domains to create in-house strengths – Shape the wider access environment through engagement with external stakeholders (e.g. HTA, payers and policy decision-makers) – Leverage external insights from these interactions to understand value drivers and refine strategies – Leverage learning from previous pricing and access negotiations to optimise future strategy and payer interactions | Remain tactically busy but strategically reactive |
| Result | Shape a favourable access environment internally and externally, driving improved chances of launch success and protecting long-term value | Deliver variable outcomes because decision quality depends on ability to anticipate and shape the environment |
Recognise Market Access as a central strategic function that orchestrates cross-functional decision-making to shape long-term organisational value
Sustainable long-term organisational value is influenced by whether or not Market Access is positioned as a central strategic orchestrator, not just a downstream support function. When Market Access aligns clinical, medical, HEOR, and commercial teams around a shared value narrative; risks and opportunities are anticipated in a timely manner and discussed collectively, rather than surfacing late when risk mitigation options are more limited.
| High-Performing Teams | Others | |
|---|---|---|
| Behaviours | – Orchestrate integration of MA capabilities and expertise across: Clinical development Medical affairs HEOR Commercial teams – Embed a shared mindset of value optimisation and access goals across the organisation | – Present fragmented narratives (clinical vs economic vs commercial) – Compete internally for priorities rather than resolving trade-offs collectively – Allow internal misalignment to surface as inconsistent or contradictory HTA submissions |
| Results | Fewer avoidable mistakes and coherent, credible value propositions that withstand payer scrutiny and translate into faster, broader, and more durable access | Internal misalignments translate into inconsistent strategy, leading to suboptimal P&R results |
Conclusion
High-performing market access teams in 2026 will be defined by their ability to influence development decisions early, embedding access considerations directly into asset strategy. Rather than optimising solely for regulatory approval or rigid pricing goals, they will manage pricing as a strategic lever to support long-term access and value. They will build impact through connected capability and retain critical access knowledge within the organisation.
Above all, they will be recognised internally as a central strategic partner, not a downstream service function, aligning clinical, medical, HEOR, and commercial teams around a shared understanding of how access decisions create long-term value.
Continue the discussion in our 2026 Market Access & Pricing Trends Webinar
The behaviours outlined in this article, from earlier access thinking to more strategic pricing decisions, sit against a backdrop of significant change in the market access environment.
In our upcoming Market Access & Pricing Trends for 2026 webinar, we will explore the external pricing, access and policy trends shaping that environment, including global price pressure, evolving HTA expectations, shifting launch geographies and the growing role of patient evidence.
Register for the 2026 Trends Webinar to understand the context in which these strategic decisions will need to be made.
The following case studies illustrate how Remap has helped clients apply these principles in practice, get in touch to find out more!
- Enhancing Market Access Capabilities Through Interactive, 2-Day Training Programmes
- Designing Bespoke EU Market Access Training Informed by Organisational Capability Assessment
- PMA eLearning Training Program
- Aligning and Upskilling a New Precision Medicines Commercial Team Through a Briefing Book
- Advancing Value and Access Storytelling Through Case-Study-Led Training
References
- Remap Consulting. Do companies’ market access training capabilities address the needs of today’s complex payer marketplace? Available at: https://remapconsulting.com/hta/do-companies-market-access-training-capabilities-address-the-needs-of-todays-complex-payer-marketplace/
- Remap Consulting. The results of our market training survey are in! Available at: https://remapconsulting.com/training/the-results-of-our-market-training-survey-are-in/