Client Background

A biotech company preparing for FDA approval of its flagship eye care therapy in late 2021 aimed to leverage strong Phase 3 clinical results to drive results at launch.

Launch Goals

• Raise awareness with HCPs while offering a seamless PA submission process

• Ensure patients faced no barriers to accessing and adhering

• Protect GTN while delivering sustainable growth

The Challenge

Despite having a unique product with proven benefits, the team knew success required an effective patient access strategy to overcome key launch challenges.

1. Branded Competition Not first to market—needed best-in-class user experience to drive HCP prescribing.

2. Barriers to Patient Access Ensure affordable, quick therapy starts without cost burden with an effective bridge program.

3. Utilization Management Hurdles Specialty-lite category meant frequent prior authorizations (PA), even after winning formulary placement.

4. HCP Loyalty Build awareness and confidence in adherence amid generic and over the counter competition.

5. Retail Channel Retail presence was important but inadequate for evolving consumer behavior and PA needs.

6. Stakeholder Insights Monitor payer and HCP response during launch to guide timely strategy adjustments to business rules.

The Solution

The brand determined that retail distribution alone—and traditional specialty pharmacies—couldn’t meet modern patient expectations or address today’s channel complexities. To ensure launch success, they needed a partner that could deliver a seamless digital experience, eliminate access barriers, and manage gross-to-net by driving high PA submission rates and leveraging a fully contracted pharmacy network. They chose PHIL as a partner due to our proven success as a strategic digital hub partner and ability to convert market access into covered dispenses.

Partnering to Bringing a Launch Strategy to Life

1. Offering a Frictionless Digital First Experience HCPs ePrescribe within existing workflows; patients enroll and manage prescriptions on their smartphones in minutes.

2. Complete Payer Awareness Amongst Payers PHIL would support PAs for all prescriptions received during the launch phase to create awareness amongst our extensive payer network with 98% plan coverage

3. Real-Time Business Rule Adjustments Our platform delivers real-time data and insights, enabling strategic access decisions to unlock sustainable growth.

The Approach

PHIL partnered with launch teams to provide strategic guidance and implement a customized access program powered by the PHIL Platform—fully integrated into brand assets and launch-ready within weeks.

1. Seamless Digital Enrollment Patients enroll via text in minutes after receiving a prescription.

2. Bridge Program Immediate low-cost therapy start while PHIL handles PAs in parallel.

3. Pharmacy Routing Prescriptions routed to contracted pharmacies after benefit verification.

4. “1-Click” PA Submissions Prepopulated forms from eRx allow quick HCP review and submission.

5. Simple Refills Patients opt into refills management with notifications for easy adjustments.

6. Business Rules Engine Real-time payer insights enable timely updates to access strategies.

This solution gave the brand access to

The Results

With a coordinated marketing effort, 50% of total prescriptions were sent through the PHIL in year 1!