A therapy can be approved across a region and still reach patients months, or years, apart depending on the market. The gap is large, it is knowable in advance, and it is rarely planned around early enough.
For the same class of cancer medicine, patients in the fastest European market can be reached in around 128 days. In the slowest, the wait stretches to around 840. The regional median sits at 532 days.
Source: EFPIA Patients W.A.I.T. Indicator 2025.
One drug type. One region. Nearly two years apart on access.
Faster pathways and earlier commercial access agreements tend to shorten the wait, though never to zero.
Layered price negotiation, regional listing and assessment steps extend the time before a patient is reached.
Which market goes first, and in what order, changes how many patients wait and for how long. It is a decision, not an accident.
Go deeper
The Unmeasured Years sets out the evidence behind the access gap, what it costs, why it persists, and the case for a shared measure. Free to read, no form.
The Unmeasured Years, our discussion paper
