In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, access to innovative treatments must begin long before regulatory approval. This presentation explores how strategic and structural collaboration between Medical Affairs and Market Access can drive earlier, broader, and more equitable patient access—e.g. through programs like Expanded Access and Post-Trial Access. Boehringer Ingelheim’s recent initiative to foster cross-functional collaboration via a dedicated CoE is used as an example to showcase how integrating market access perspectives already in the development phase—rather than handing off responsibilities post-approval—can significantly improve outcomes. Historically, global teams have operated in silos, with medicine “passing the baton” to market access teams too late in the process. This siloed approach often leads to delays in reimbursement, limited access programs, and missed opportunities to anticipate affordability challenges. The presentation demonstrates how early joint planning, shared ownership, and structured collaboration between global and local teams enhance consistency, avoid duplication, and optimize patient population estimates. A practical “toolbox” has been developed to equip teams with insights into best program frameworks, pathways, and best practices to inform timely and patient-centric strategies. In this session you will learn:

• How to initiate collaboration between Medicine and Market Access as early as Phase 3
• How to build a structured program that proactively addresses reimbursement, affordability, and access challenges across markets
• How to use integrated planning tools and country-level best practices to improve consistency and reduce inefficiencies
• How to shift team mindsets to think beyond clinical development and focus on holistic access strategies for better patient outcomes.