Roche, ViiV and Horizon most reputable pharmas in the world last year, say patient groups

Relationships between patient groups and pharma have become an accepted trend in healthcare and from a patient perspective, three firms did the best job of meeting needs and expectations last year, 

Roche, ViiV Healthcare and Horizon Therapeutics topped the list while Pfizer slipped from the highest tier, according to patient groups and compiled in a report by U.K. consultancy PatientView. 

The recently released corporate pharma reputation survey collected opinions from more than 2,200 patient groups globally, between November 2022 and February 2023.

Even as the most acute fears around COVID-19 began to ease last year, the bond forged between pharma and patient groups during the pandemic appeared as strong as ever.  Nearly nine out of 10 patient groups worldwide (88%) told researchers that they work directly with a pharma company, suggesting such relationships are mutually accepted as the norm.

Yet not all firms enjoyed the same level of reputation as partners. Of the 42 companies scored on the survey, the above trio – oncology giant Roche, HIV specialty company ViiV and rare disease drugmaker Horizon – stood out based solely on patient groups’ familiarity with those firms as opposed to an actual working relationship.

Next, researchers asked that same question of respondents who do work directly with the pharma companies they are ranking. The order came out slightly differently: ViiV and Horizon followed by Roche.

In 2021’s PatientView survey, it was ViiV claiming the top spot for corporate reputation, followed by pharma giant Pfizer and then Roche. At the time, PatientView CEO Alex Wyke commended ViiV for going to “extraordinary lengths to understand the dilemmas of patients they provide treatments for.” 

Companies rising the most in the 2023 edition of the survey, from a reputational standpoint, included cystic fibrosis biotech Vertex and French drugmaker Servier, surging 12 spots and eight spots, respectively. Horizon and legacy pharma player Merck tied for third, each moving up four places.

Among other findings, patient groups around the world still considered pharma the most highly regarded of healthcare’s stakeholders in 2022, with 60% rating its reputation as “excellent” or “good.” 

That marks a one-point uptick from 2021, according to PatientView, and shows that the halo effect of the industry’s rapid response and knick-of-time vaccine development still predominates. 

Despite the good vibes, though, only about one-third of respondents rated the industry “good or excellent” at improving access to medicines. A slim majority of respondent patient groups added that pharma was merely “fair or poor” on the access front, which refers to companies’ focus on lower pricing and distribution, particularly in poorer countries.