Beyond the miracle drug: specialty drug manufacturers should innovate with population health

A rare but common problem

With increasing competition from genetics and payors pushing back on drug prices, manufacturers have tacked away from the old blockbuster model – developing lifestyle and primary care drugs that could be used in a large population – and invested in novel therapies for rare diseases. But the space is increasingly crowded. When the model first started, treating rare disease was, well, rare. Today, it’s common, writes Michelle Hoffmann, senior vice president of strategy consulting at Boston-based life science consultancy, Back Bay Life Science Advisors, in an overview of the future of rare disease drug development and population health.

Tipping the affordability balance