Access to innovation in prevention and early detection

At Interpharma, we are firmly committed to ensuring that medical innovations and effective preventive measures are accessible to all. In Switzerland, however, the federalist division of responsibilities (among other factors) leads to significant differences in access to and use of services for the prevention and early detection of diseases. Our focus is to provide the population with advances in prevention and early detection as quickly as possible, and to make access to evidence-based measures as simple as possible. We are working to ensure that approaches and ideas that emerge and prove successful can also become widely adopted standards for achieving health goals and sustainably improving the quality of life.

Innovation has a crucial role in the prevention and early detection of diseases. One notable example is the development of vaccines, which today can prevent over 30 life-threatening diseases. In 2024, over 285 vaccines were in the development stage, thus underscoring the industry’s enormous potential and continuous efforts in this area.

Our members are also working directly to improve patient access to innovation in prevention and early detection:

1. Access in the context of cardiovascular health disparities: Chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are among the world’s leading causes of death. The Global Heart Hub, supported by Roche, reveals how strategic prevention measures and early diagnosis can significantly reduce the burden of disease. It not only promotes technical innovation, but also supports programs that address gender-specific, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in the early detection and diagnosis of CVD in a targeted manner.
2. Lowering barriers: The Pink Cube project has helped to improve the early detection of breast cancer in Switzerland by providing consultations and breast examinations. It has also raised awareness of breast cancer, had an impact on political decisions and supported the introduction of programs for mammography screening in several cantons. Despite the successes, challenges still remain, such as a lack of national coordination, the general lack of information on early detection, and unequal and unfair access to cancer screening programs in the individual cantons.
3. Further development of products to simplify access: Another example is the development of products that facilitate access to the early detection of cervical cancer. Roche has developed innovative solutions that enable the self-collection of samples, thus further lowering the barrier to this important preventive measure.

To Blog Part 1: Prevention as part of a sustainable Swiss healthcare system

To Blog Part 2: Targeted prevention and early detection are the key to long-term success

To Blog Part 3: Holistic strategy and coordination

To Blog Part 4: Use of data as a key to more targeted prevention