European priority review vouchers for neglected disease product development.

introductionNeglected diseases are a significant global health challenge. Encouraging the development of therapeutics and vaccines for these diseases would address an important unmet medical need. We propose a priority review voucher programme for the European Union (EU). The developer of a drug or vaccine for a neglected disease would receive a voucher for accelerated assessment of a different product at the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

methodsThis study uses retrospective observational data to estimate the potential commercial value of the proposed voucher programme using a five-step approach: (1) estimating the time saved in the EMA accelerated regulatory review; (2) gauging time reductions in accelerated pricing and reimbursement decisions by EU member states; (3) selecting 10 high-revenue products launched between 2015 and 2020 representing typical voucher users; (4) analysing IQVIA MIDAS sales data for the selected products and (5) calculating the net present value (NPV) of the voucher based on the 10 products.

resultsThe accelerated EMA review would reduce regulatory time by an average of 182 days. Additionally, products could save more than a year in many member states through an expedited 120-day pricing and reimbursement review. The estimated NPV of regulatory acceleration by two quarters would be €100 million. In addition, if France, Italy and Spain reviewed pricing and reimbursement in only 120 days, then the value would double.

conclusionAn EU voucher estimated at more than €100 million, coupled with a US$100 million counterpart, offers a meaningful incentive for novel product development. However, the voucher programme should be part of a comprehensive strategy for tackling neglected diseases, rather than a standalone solution.