Supporting the Named Patient: How we do it How we do it

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This article is the first of two that will explore different parts of the Named Patient Import for unavailable medicines given from our perspective and those of healthcare professional. In this article we will focus on what the Named Patient import is and how patients can use it to access approved medicines that are not approved or not available in their home country.

One of the most common questions asked by the patients, family members, caregivers, and doctors we support at Buycancermedicine is “How are you able to provide access to approved medicines that aren’t approved in my home country?” Put simply, we use the Named Patient Import basis, which gives patients the ability to access approved medicines that are not yet approved or available in their home country.

What is the Named Patient basis?

In most countries, any patient (the Named Patient) with a life-threatening, long-lasting or seriously debilitating illness has the right to access, purchase, and import medicines that are potentially life-saving or able to improve quality of life. Every country has their own specific rules and regulations surrounding the access and import of innovative medications, and there are many different programmes and regulations set up for this purpose. These include the Named Patient Import, Compassionate Use Programme, and Early Access Programme, to name a few. (To learn more about the other types of programs for accessing medicines, please see the resources listed the end of this article.)

Buycancermedicine provides access to medicines specifically on the Named Patient Import basis, which means that we work on behalf of the patient in cooperation with their treating doctor. In general, every country has the same rule that only approved medicine shall be marketed. However, every country also has legal exceptions stipulated in the national law, such as a Named Patient Import for personal use in cases where the medicine is unavailable in the patient’s country. These exceptions are made to ensure that everyone, in theory, shall benefit from all medicine innovations globally. In order for us to support individual patients in accessing approved medicines using the Named Patient basis, these requirements must be met:

  1. The medicine has market approval in another country and is not approved or available in their own country.
  2. There is no alternative on the market.
  3. The medicine is for personal use.
  4. The patient has a prescription-letter from their doctor in their home country.
  5. The medicine must be dispensed from a pharmacy.

Depending on the national legislation of the specific country additional requirements may apply, such as approval by the Ministry of Health, a limit on the import amount, etc. Buycancermedicine makes sure all relevant requirements are known and met.

Order inquiry and further communication

After we are first contacted, our support team works with the patient to ensure that they have first consulted with their treating doctor to plan the best course of treatment and have a prescription for the medicine they need. From that point on, our role is to oversee the entire process. We manage every aspect so the patient doesn’t have to. This ranges from sourcing to shipping, to customs and delivery, as well as following up to make sure that everything was received in good order. With assistance from our team of pharmacists, physicians and lawyers, we support the patient and their doctor every step of the way. Throughout this process we aid patients by proactively providing them with information on what to expect from beginning to end. Patients also get timely updates on shipping, responses to their questions and more information on anything else that may arise. Our goal is to offer customised support to each patient and treating doctor so they don’t have to worry about how they will receive the medicine they need.

From supplier to pharmacy

What happens after a patient provides us with a prescription? First we verify that we can legally provide them with the medication they need. If so, we work with the pharmacy to make sure that all the prescription and patient data is correct. We then pass along the information to our sourcing manager who contacts our preferred trusted suppliers to see which can fill the order the quickest, safest and at the lowest cost. Transportation is also a key part of the process as some medications require specific shipping conditions like temperature regulation, called cloud chain transport. It is commonly used by pharmaceutical suppliers and is generally more expensive and time-sensitive than regular shipping. Using the appropriate transport method, we arrange for the medication to be delivered to a partner pharmacy.

From pharmacy to you

The pharmacy prepares the medications for local or international shipping. At this point our logistics manager organises transport from the pharmacy to the patient’s door or a designated pick-up point, usually a local pharmacy in patient’s hometown. Since this leg of the journey is entirely dependent on us for the shipping, our logistics manager must draw from his broad network and years of expertise to expedite the medications as safely, securely and hassle-free as possible. This involves coordinating all the necessary medical proof and import paperwork with a focus on accuracy and timeliness. Customs agencies and even the transport companies also have different procedures that must be taken into account and the required paperwork varies from country to country. However, our support team is always there to guide, help and inform patients and their healthcare providers in submitting these Buycancermedicine documents.

We’re proud to boast a 100% success rate on our deliveries to doctors and patients in over 70 countries! Thanks to the hard work of everyone at , thousands of people have benefited from the medicines they receive. Even more people (such as other patients or a patient’s family, friends and doctors who also contact us) have been helped to find the information they need or to connect with other healthcare professionals specialising in their disease. At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that we are striving for a world where everybody, no matter who they are or where they live, has equal, fast and fair access to the latest and best healthcare.

References

  1. Questions and answers on the compassionate use of medicines in the European Union [PDF], European Medical Agency, January 2010.
  2. Iudicello A., Alberghini L., Benini G. and Mosconi, P. Expanded Access Programme: looking for a common definition. Trials, 2016;17:21, 2016/01/12
  3. Named Patient Programs, WEP Clinical, October 2018.
  4. Glossary of Pre-Approval Access Terminology [PDF]. Pre-approval Access Patient Advocacy Summit, Janssen, October 2018.

Supporting the Named Patient: Healthcare professionals

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This article is the second of two that will explore different parts of the Named Patient Import from our prespective and those of healthcare professionals. In this article we will give a brief recap of the Named Patient basis. Then we will address common questions and concerns that doctors and pharmacists may have when accessing approved medicines that are not approved or not yet available in their home country.

Doctors take the Hippocratic Oath and do their utmost to secure the best health outcomes for their patients. However, there is still a vast amount of information and resources that are not widely known or easily accessible. This includes the service that we provide. When approached by a patient, most doctors may be aware that it is possible to obtain treatments only available in a foreign country…but do they know how access these medications? Let’s first start by explaining what the Name Patient is and the role of Buycancermedicine.

Introduction to the Named Patient

As mentioned in the previous article, a patient (the Named Patient) with a life-threatening, long-lasting or seriously debilitating illness has the right to access, purchase, and import medicines that are potentially life-saving or able to improve quality of life. There are various programmes and regulations in different countries that allow patients to access such treatments. Among these are the Compassionate Use Programme, Named Patient Import, and Early Access Programme, to name a few. (To learn more about the other types of programmess for accessing medicines, please see the resources listed the end of this article.)

Defining our role

At buycancermedicine our mission is to be a portal so that everybody, no matter who they are or where they live, has equal, fast and fair access to the latest and best healthcare. As an intermediary registered with the Dutch Ministry of Health, we work on behalf of the individual patient, on a Named Patient Import basis, in accord with their treating doctor. We support them in accessing medicines when certain requirements are fulfilled:

  1. The medicine has market approval in another country and is not approved or available in their own country.
  2. There is no alternative on the market.
  3. The medicine is for personal use.
  4. The patient has a prescription-letter from their doctor in their home country.
  5. The medicine must be dispensed from a pharmacy.

In the Named Patient Service that we provide, we encourage the patient to consult their doctor to establish their best course of treatment. Once we get a prescription-letter for that treatment, we confirm the validity of the information given then manage all the next steps – from sourcing to shipping, to customs and delivery, as well as following up to make sure that everything was received in good order.

Doctors like you

Everyday our knowledgeable and compassionate support team is in contact with treating doctors, medical specialists and institutions, as well as pharmacists. Often, healthcare providers do not quite grasp the power they possess to make their patient into a Named Patient. This opens up the world to your patient and gives them an opportunity to find the treatment they need to have a better quality of life.

Having our own in-house doctors and pharmacists, we truly understand the pressing concerns faced by healthcare professionals when approaching us. Some of the most common questions we get are: 1) Is this legal? 2) Can we be trusted? 3) Are the medications of good quality? 4) How can I find out more about these new medications and how our service works? 5) Are there any risks for me and my patient?

Legal and credible

For questions 1-3, the answer is YES! The buycancermedicine is a legally recognised company registered with the Dutch Ministry of Health in The Hague, registration number 6730 BEM. Over 3,000 patients, their doctors and loved ones have put their trust in us. Operating in over 70 different countries, we follow a strict set of rules laid out by the Ministries of Health, the Named Patient-type regulations and customs agencies in those areas of the world. We carefully choose our suppliers based on the quality of the products they offer as well as their ability to maintain a reliable stock. We also negotiate to get the lowest price so we can quickly pass along these savings to the patients we support.

Reliable information

Question 4 asks how you, the medical professional, can find out more about the new treatments and our service. We know that treating doctors have so much to do in very little time and that a Named Patient often does not have the time or energy to explore every possible avenue, even though both doctor and patient may wish otherwise. For this reason our support team, in combination with our in-house doctors and pharmacists, have compiled an extensive and up-to-date database on all the medications we have access to, as well as all the regulations surrounding our Named Patient Service. We happily share this information and their sources with you so that you can make the most informed, efficient and effective decision possible.

Mitigated risk

As for question 5, our team of pharmacists, physicians and lawyers offer customised support to you and your patient to mitigate any risk. Beforehand, we’ll tell you what to expect, what paperwork must be submitted and keep you informed about anything relevant to your case. Our partners have been vetted to comply will all legal and transport regulations so the high-quality medicines arrive as quickly as possible and in perfect condition.

Somewhere in the world, someone needs special medication to improve or save their life. Somewhere else in the world, this medication has been approved. Unfortunately, this is not an unusual scenario. buycancermedicine aims to bridge that gap. We have all been impacted by this disconnect on a personal level. So we feel very strongly that our loved ones, your loved ones, your patients and everyone deserves a fair chance at a better life. Early access-type programmes are a means to achieve this and we want to connect you to those opportunities.

As one of the first companies to provide the Named Patient Service, we are aware that we are entering a new frontier. By providing more information on this subject, we aim to educate patients, healthcare professionals and policy-makers all over the world so they understand that they have the power to effect positive change. To date, healthcare policy has not caught up with the existing need for cross-national treatment and in our next article, we will dive more deeply into this issue.

References

  1. Questions and answers on the compassionate use of medicines in the European Union [PDF], European Medical Agency, January 2010.
  2. Iudicello A., Alberghini L., Benini G. and Mosconi, P. EExpanded Access Programme: looking for a common definition. Trials, 2016;17:21, 2016/01/12
  3. Named Patient Programs, WEP Clinical, October 2018.
  4. Watt, J. Policies Relating to the Management of Medicines – Section 9.3: Expanded access / Compassionate use / Named patient supply programmes for unlicensed medicines – Guidance notes [PDF], NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, December 2014

5 simple tips for a good start to 2019

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It’s common to set new year’s resolutions and just as common to break them. We’ve all been there. This year we have a secret weapon, Dr Ayşen Şimşek, with some tips to help us set goals that are easier to keep and that will have a lasting impact. Here she is:

Hello everyone, my name is Dr Aysen Simsek and I’m a member of TheSocialMedwork’s support team. Today I’d like to share our team’s 2019 tips for a healthier lifestyle. We hope that you will join us and together we will begin the year on a more positive note!

I would like to start with my personal favourite…


Tip 1: Get more sleep. Get better sleep

Here is the Bartman. Our logistics expert was up all night making sure medicines were delivered. Sweet dreams, Bart!

This one is no surprise. You already know that good quality sleep is essential to maintaining physical and mental health and wellbeing, leading to healthy metabolism, concentration and productivity.

Around seven to eight hours of sleep per night is considered the norm, don’t get too hung up on the number. Yes it’s important to ensure you get enough sleep but it’s also about the quality of sleep you get.

Now is the perfect time to assess your sleep quality and change any old habits that are blocking you from getting the best sleep possible.


Tip 2: Stay hydrated

8 glasses of water per day!? Ha! Our social media aficionado, Pippa, gets 8 glasses of water per hour!

Staying hydrated is important. Water makes up about 60 percent of our bodies, so drinking enough fluids keeps everything functioning more smoothly from head to toe.

It may seem difficult for us to remember to drink enough water with the busy lives we lead. By the time you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. I’ve found that keeping a refillable water bottle nearby is an easy way to help you remember.

Tip 3: Cut back on salt

Joanna, our copywriter, and her little friend take a quiet moment to contemplate the pros and cons of this salty snack.

Too much salt can raise blood pressure, which is a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Most people around the world eat too much salt: on average, we consume double the recommended limit of 5 grams (equivalent to a teaspoon) a day.

Remove salt and salty condiments from the table and try to avoid adding them out of habit. Our taste buds can quickly adjust and once they do, you’re likely to begin enjoying food with less salt, but more flavour!

Tip 4: Exercise

Who needs chairs!?!?!  Not our talented project manager, legs-of-steel-Laura!

I am sure many of you renewed your gym memberships before 2019. We know because we did.

This year we don’t want to fall short by February, so we decided to set more realistic goals and stay committed to them. We think of it as a lifelong commitment and we will make sure to take it easy at the beginning. For example, do a few stretches when you wake up. You can stay in your pjs, shake off sleep and get both your body and brain in a more productive mode before the day begins.

And the last one which I believe many of us find the most challenging.


Tip 5: Reduce your screen time

Here we have our marketing director, Brendan, in his natural habitat. Oh no, the computer screens are beginning to circle their prey. Watch out, Brendan!

Make this the year that you turn off all screens an hour before bed! Stop binging on boxsets and looking at Instagram one MORE time!
Artificial light later at night suppresses melatonin – the hormone you need to feel sleepy. Not only that but scrolling through social media or playing games can stimulate the brain making it harder to switch off.

Health is the New Wealth! It’s never too late to start living a healthier life. From all of us at Buycancermedicine , Happy New Year!