Beyond Evidence: The Challenge of Communicating Value in Biotechnology
Spain is already generating science and innovation in biotechnology. The next challenge is not to produce more evidence, but to translate it into clear, decision-relevant value by connecting health outcomes, access, and sustainability.
Spain’s biotechnology sector has reached a high level of maturity in generating scientific evidence and developing innovative solutions to address unmet medical needs. However, a growing gap remains between the evidence generated and the impact that is ultimately realised within healthcare systems.
Currently, the challenge is no longer limited to demonstrating clinical or economic outcomes but to communicating that value in a way that is actionable for decision-makers, including payers, HTA bodies, healthcare managers, and clinicians.
From our experience working at the intersection of evidence, access, and decision-making with biotech and pharmaceutical companies, as well as broader healthcare stakeholders, we observe that a significant proportion of the value generated by innovation is not consistently reflected in pricing, reimbursement, and adoption processes.
In recent years, the availability of evidence — clinical, economic and real-world — has increased significantly. However, challenges remain in linking this evidence to healthcare system priorities, such as resource allocation efficiency, sustainability, and tangible improvements in health outcomes.
In this context, the ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) perspective, particularly its social dimension, emerges as a key element for structuring and strengthening value narratives in biotechnology.
Elements such as equitable access, reduction of inequalities, improvements in patients’ quality of life, and the sustainability of healthcare systems are integral components of the true value of innovation. Yet, these aspects are often insufficiently embedded within the narratives supporting new health technologies.
The challenge, therefore, is not to replace scientific evidence or health economic evaluation, but to expand the framework through which value is interpreted and communicated. This requires moving beyond a results-driven approach towards a narrative that:
- Connects evidence with healthcare system needs
- Makes the impact on patients and society explicit
- Facilitates understanding and use in decision-making
As pricing, reimbursement and HTA processes require increasingly robust demonstrations of value, the ability to articulate an integrated narrative aligned with healthcare system priorities becomes a clear differentiator.
Spanish biotechnology is already delivering innovation. The next step is to ensure that this value is understood, recognised, and effectively embedded within healthcare systems.