Head, Market Access & Government Affairs

At Astellas, we believe that nurturing exceptional relationships with our employees delivers exceptional business results.

Everyone at Astellas has a responsibility for creating a brighter future for patients around the world. From the first moment, Astellas will inspire you to put this ethos into practice – with a positive, agile company culture and with well-defined ethical principles, values and systems.

Everything we do is led by our company values of integrity, being patient centric, taking ownership, delivering results and communicating openly. These values are essential to Astellas’ relationship with its employees and now is an exciting time to join us as we continue to evolve as a cutting-edge, value driven life sciences innovator.

Purpose and Scope:

Head- market Access & Government Affairs supports and reports to the General Manager. The person in this role is accountable for the effective implementation of the local strategy. Working with cross-functional teams to develop the national reimbursement strategic plan & tactics for launch products and align the strategy with cross-functions to maximize patient access is the core of the role.Key areas include localizing market access and pricing strategy, understanding, and tracking local healthcare system developments and identifying new opportunities for product access to company’ life-saving products for patients in the country for new pipeline and current products in India.

Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

Healthcare System KnowledgeHas a deep understanding of how political, economic, social and legal contexts determine how health systems operate and are influenced.Acquires knowledge of the Pricing, Reimbursement, Funding and Procurement mechanics of the local health care system(s) (processes, evidence needs and guiding regulatory and legal principles etc.)Understands decision-making processes and trends in health care financing and policy.Understands how health system(s) incentivize and dis-incentivize payer and stakeholder behavior and decision making.Understands how local health system(s) fit into wider market archetypes (on global, regional and national levels) based on underlying system principles (i.e. type and nature of payer; sources of funding; approach to health technology appraisal).Anticipates power shifts between stakeholders and understands the wider implications of these changes to healthcare systems and pharmaceutical product access (e.g., increasing importance of non-prescribing stakeholders or shift of budgetary responsibility to Healthcare Professionals (HCPs)).Identifies opportunities to shape the system to improve pricing, reimbursement and access, and create health system improvements enabled by our value offerings.

Market Access StrategyDevelops and deploys tailored payer communication materials, anticipating payer interests/concerns and creating multiple possible solutions.Supports development of value creation strategies and plans for customers and stakeholders that go beyond the clinical evidence (e.g., Integrated Care, Patient Support Programs), to ensure, optimize and sustain access and product uptake.Successful subsidy listings for relevant products.

Government AffairsLeads for engagements with key access and government bodies focusing on key opportunities in the market with clear impactLeads on Access, Government & Public Affairs topics for specific brands and broader topics e.g. MPP frameworks, NLEM listing, PMJAY policy, tenders, legal reform, policy shapingLeads, coaches and supports the team on market access and payer/budget holder engagementInterpret policy, provide healthcare policy analysis, and make recommendations to the business to support business decision-making.Communicate relevant changes and trends in local health policy environment to brand teams

Data and AnalyticsUnderstands how evidence is used in decision making and how it impacts various payers & their stakeholders (e.g., providers, patients, health systems).

Strategic Pricing and Contract StrategyDevelop and implement innovative pricing models for existing and new pipeline products to ensure optimum patient access to Astellas productsUnderstands compliance considerations and risks of pricing practices (competitive law, antibribery regulations) and flags pricing practices which are in conflict with compliance requirements (competitive law, anti- bribery regulations).Understands cross-border pricing considerations arising from international reference pricing, parallel trade and cross-indication referencing, and has ability to deliver optimal country strategies in the context of wider corporate considerations.Knows innovative pricing models and managed entry schemes (e.g., risk identification, mitigation planning and performance management of schemes).

External Stakeholder ManagementPayer & government authorities communication plan, KEE Management and communication planExperience in working with patient groups/POsActively participate in business case developments for affiliate, prepare relevant analysis, market access strategies and optimal launch pricesDevelop and implement Patient Access Programs

Required Qualifications:

Relevant degree or professional qualificationAt least 12 to 15 years of Pharmaceutical Industry and more than 7 years Market Access & Pricing experiences & GA experiencesProven records for successful product listingsCreative problem solver approaches new ideas with a can-do attitudeEnjoys strategic thinking able to evaluate broad set of possibilities and evaluate how these can evolve according to different scenariosBasic understanding of local healthcare system and keen to acquire knowledge of local market and identify new access pathwaysStrong people skills, able to communicate with people from different functions and geographies effectivelyAble to explain complicated ideas simplyFluent in written and verbal business EnglishFluent in written and verbal local language

Preferred Qualifications:

Relevant degree or professional qualificationAt least 12 to 15 years of Pharmaceutical Industry and more than 7 years Market Access & Pricing experiences & GA experiencesProven records for successful product listingsCreative problem solver approaches new ideas with a can-do attitudeEnjoys strategic thinking able to evaluate broad set of possibilities and evaluate how these can evolve according to different scenariosBasic understanding of local healthcare system and keen to acquire knowledge of local market and identify new access pathwaysStrong people skills, able to communicate with people from different functions and geographies effectivelyAble to explain complicated ideas simplyFluent in written and verbal business EnglishFluent in written and verbal local language

Working Environment

This position is based in Mumbai and will require on-site work.At Astellas we recognize the importance of work/life balance, and we are proud to offer a hybrid working solution allowing time to connect with colleagues at the office with the flexibility to also work from home. We believe this will optimize the most productive work environment for all employees to succeed and deliver. Hybrid work from certain locations may be permitted in accordance with Astellas’ Responsible Flexibility Guidelines.

Please be aware of recruitment scams impersonating recruiters or representatives from Astellas.

All genuine communication will come from an official Astellas LinkedIn profile or a verified company email address.

If you come across a fake profile or anything suspicious , please report it immediately to LinkedIn's support team via LinkedIn Help