Cancer medicines are advancing rapidly, but access has not kept pace. Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs) help address financial barriers to treatment, yet patient outcomes are shaped by a broader range of factors, including healthcare setting, cancer type, treatment characteristics, patient circumstances, and program design. Drawing on real-world data from 18,076 patients across 21 countries and 87 oncology medicines, this white paper highlights how real-world data can help identify patterns, anticipate barriers, and inform more proactive, patient-centered access program design and management. Factors associated with patient outcomes in PAPs:
- Country plays a significant role. Country was strongly associated with all four outcomes, even after controlling for patient, disease, and product factors.
- Patient journeys differ by cancer type. Gastrointestinal and head and neck cancers were linked to worse survival and shorter treatment. Patients with hematologic malignancies stayed on treatment longer and were less likely to drop out.
- Treatment duration and completion vary by how a medicine is given. Oral therapies were associated with longer treatment duration but higher odds of dropout before completion than intravenous therapies, possibly because home-based treatment offers fewer touchpoints with the health system.
- Support systems can make a difference. A registered caregiver was linked to longer treatment. Pharmacies with more PAP experience were linked to fewer serious adverse events.
