Asembia AXS26: Why Pharma Can’t Afford to “Go It Alone” Anymore

In her conversation with Pharmaceutical Commerce live at the Asembia AXS26 Summit, Kim Plesnarski, SVP of Market Access and Patient Support at Syneos Health, discusses a different kind of pressure facing pharma today: the need to do more with less. As costs rise and access challenges grow more complex, manufacturers are being pushed to rethink how patient support programs and field reimbursement models are designed and delivered.

Plesnarski points to a core issue behind many of today’s inefficiencies, relying on outdated program designs. Too often, manufacturers reuse old models instead of building support strategies around the specific needs of a brand, its lifecycle, and the realities of patients, providers, and payers, she says. In a fast-changing market, she notes, these programs need to be flexible and able to evolve quickly, sometimes in a matter of months.

Plesnarski also highlights a disconnect in how partnerships are structured. Many relationships are still driven primarily by cost-focused procurement processes, which can limit innovation and slow progress. Instead, Plesnarski emphasizes the need for more aligned partnerships, where incentives are tied to outcomes like speed, access, and patient impact. For Plesnarski, improving efficiency in pharma isn’t just about cutting costs, but about designing smarter systems and working more collaboratively to deliver better results.