Philippines Patient Adherence Programs Market Analysis

Philippines Patient Adherence Programs Market Executive Summary

The Philippines Patient Adherence Programs market is at around $28.5 Mn in 2023 and is projected to reach $93.5 Mn in 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 18.5% during the forecast period.

A patient adherence program aims to ensure that patients follow prescribed medication regimens to improve treatment outcomes, using both direct and indirect methods to assess adherence. Direct methods include monitoring therapy by measuring drug levels, metabolites, or biological markers in blood or urine, and confirming medication intake. Indirect methods, more commonly used, involve patient self-reports, pill counts, prescription refill rates, clinical response evaluations, and electronic medication monitors. Pill counts compare the number of pills taken between appointments with the prescribed dosage, while patient self-reports collect information through interviews, questionnaires, or diaries. Electronic devices such as pill bottles or blister packs track medication access to provide precise data. A widely used tool for assessing adherence is the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS), a validated and reliable questionnaire suitable for clinical use. These approaches help healthcare providers ensure consistent medication use, ultimately enhancing patient health outcomes.

The Philippines Patient Adherence Program Market is thus driven by significant factors such as increasing non-adherence, rising chronic conditions, and an aging population. However, data privacy and security concerns, regulatory compliance, and patient-related challenges restrict the growth and potential of the market.

The leading players in the Philippines Patient Adherence Programs Market are Abbott Laboratories, Ajanta Pharma, Bauch Laboratories, EL Laboratories, Euro-Med Laboratories, and Pascual Laboratories, among others.

Market Dynamics

Market Growth Drivers

Increasing non-adherence: The adherence rate among the hypertensive patients who are receiving treatment is 66% and consequently the control rate is also 20%. The medical field is focusing more on developing workable solutions as a result of growing recognition of the substantial negative effects of non-adherence on patient outcomes. Governments and healthcare organizations’ awareness campaigns and actions highlight the value of adherence, which increases demand and growth for patient adherence programs.

Rising Chronic Conditions: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for a staggering 68% of all deaths in the Philippines. Chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease require ongoing treatment and long-term medication adherence. The need for continuous monitoring and consistent medication use in chronic conditions necessitates adherence programs to ensure patients follow their prescribed regimens. Patient adherence programs lead to better clinical outcomes and enhanced quality of life, which creates a positive effect on the market growth.

Aging Population: In 2023, the population aged 65 years and above in the Philippines was 5.6 %. The elderly population is more prone to risk from chronic diseases and multiple comorbidities, necessitating complex medication regimens that are difficult to manage without structured adherence programs. Adherence programs help with polypharmacy and provide monitoring and support. The aging population is thus a potential pool that can benefit from these programs which increases the market growth.

Market Restraints

Inadequate Healthcare Infrastructure: By restricting access to vital healthcare services and resources required for these programs to be successful, inadequate healthcare infrastructure impedes the expansion of patient adherence initiatives. Patients face challenges in adhering to recommended therapies on a regular basis due to inadequate technology support, a lack of healthcare personnel, and poorly equipped facilities. Furthermore, inadequate infrastructure frequently results in healthcare practitioners' inability to adequately monitor and promote patient adherence, which has a negative impact on patient outcomes and diminishes confidence in these programs. As a result, these obstacles hinder market expansion by discouraging investments and limiting the efficacy and scalability of patient adherence programs.

High Implementation Costs: Establishing advanced technologies like electronic health records (EHRs), mobile health applications, telemedicine platforms, and electronic monitoring devices necessitates significant financial outlays. Additionally, the need to hire specialized personnel, such as IT experts, adherence counselors, and extra healthcare providers, adds to operational expenses. Integrating these new adherence technologies with existing healthcare systems and EHRs can be particularly complex and expensive. Thus, these all expenses related to patient adherence programs can negatively affect the market.

Limited Accessibility: Accessibility issues can hinder the expansion of the patient adherence program market, especially in regions with inadequate healthcare infrastructure. Patients in these areas often encounter obstacles like long travel distances to clinics, a scarcity of healthcare professionals, and limited access to affordable medications and adherence support. Socioeconomic challenges, such as low income and lack of insurance, further impede participation in adherence programs. These barriers reduce enrolment and engagement, thereby restricting the effectiveness and growth potential of these programs.

Regulatory Landscape and Reimbursement Scenario

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Philippines is a health regulatory agency under the Department of Health responsible for the licensing, monitoring, and regulation of the drugs, foods, cosmetics, vaccines, and medical devices in the Republic of the Philippines.

New drug products can enter the Philippines in one of two ways: either an Abridged Review or a Verification Review. Based on a previous evaluation from an RDRA (Reference Drug Regulatory Agency), an Abridged Review is a limited independent examination of particular sections of the dossier or submission for acceptability of use under local conditions and regulatory requirements. This can be used if the drug product, vaccine, or biological has already received approval from an RDRA and is within three years of that approval date. The Verification Review describes an evaluation process in which the FDA merely verifies the submission and confirms that the product complies with the standards, requirements, and registration conditions that have been approved by the RDRAs after the submission has been assessed and approved by at least two (2) RDRAs. The Abridged Review and Verification Review have an approval time period of not more than 45 and 30 working days, respectively.

The reimbursement landscape for healthcare in the Philippines is complex and constantly evolving. The government of the Philippines provides funding for a public healthcare system. For some residents, especially the underprivileged, this system offers basic medical care at discounted costs or even without charge. Access to experts and cutting-edge treatments, however, may be restricted. Compared to the public sector, more services are offered by the private healthcare system, such as sophisticated procedures and diagnostics, reduced waiting periods, and choice of medical facilities and experts. A government-owned initiative, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) provides employees in the formal sector and their dependents with a mandated national health insurance plan. A percentage of the cost of hospitalization and specific outpatient services in approved public and private hospitals is covered by PhilHealth. Next, the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) is a government initiative that offers low-income families financial support for a range of needs, including healthcare.

Competitive Landscape

Key Players

Here are some of the major key players in the Philippines Patient Adherence Programs Market:

• Abbott Laboratories
• Ajanta Pharma
• Bauch Laboratories
• EL Laboratories
• Euro-Med Laboratories
• Hizon Laboratories
• International Pharmaceuticals
• Pascual Laboratories
• Uni-Pharma
• Unilab