Medaffcon Brings RWE from the Nordic Markets for Global Use

Medaffcon’s operations in Sweden are well-established and growing, offering pharmaceutical companies RWE studies and Market Access services delivered by Data Scientists, Market Access experts, and RWE specialists working together. A key therapeutic area is oncology. 

Lisse-Lotte Hermansson, Medaffcon’s Country Director, M.Sc (Econ.) & M.Sc (Health Econ) in Sweden, has a clear vision of what Medaffcon can offer pharmaceutical companies and other clients in Sweden, Denmark, and across the Nordics. She emphasizes that the results of data analysis move beyond borders: Real-world data (RWD) from Sweden and Finland  serves clients worldwide. 

Oncology is currently Medaffcon’s most important therapeutic area, with several RWE (real-world evidence) projects underway focusing on eg lung cancer. Other important areas include large chronic illnesses such as asthma and autoimmune diseases. 

In addition to Lisse-Lotte Hermansson, Scientific Advisor Johan Rehnberg is physically based in Sweden, but the team works in a hybrid model. Medaffcon’s top experts in Finland also contribute to projects in Sweden. 

“Finnish experts, Data Scientists, Market Access professionals, and RWE specialists have been familiar with the Swedish system for many years. Their understanding of Sweden is extensive and deep,” Country Director Lisse-Lotte Hermansson notes. 

Medaffcon has been operating for 15 years, which is reflected in the expertise of its staff, for example in RWE studies. 

“We have highly qualified personnel. Most of our experts are leaders in their fields in terms of scientific work. Recent graduates, on the other hand, get a fantastic learning opportunity. Medaffcon is not just a workplace but a place to grow,” Hermansson says. 

What can Sweden offer in RWE studies? 

Although Lisse-Lotte Hermansson was born in Finland, she has lived most of her life outside Finland and with over twenty years in Sweden. During her time in Sweden she has been a representative for pharmaceutical and MedTech industry during the two Swedish EU presidencies highlighting aspects of personalized medicine and HTA. Today she is an advisor in the pan-European partnership EDIH and HealthHub Finland European Digital Innovation Hub. 

She points out that the biggest difference between Sweden and Finland is that Sweden has longer traditions with national quality registers. RWE (real-world data) has been collected 

in quality registers supported by the Swedish government. Funding has been more stable than in Finland, with cancer quality registers dating back decades and producing high quality scientific research. 

Hermansson describes the collaboration between Finland and Sweden as critically important, as diseases are increasingly divided into smaller groups or specializations. To obtain larger sample sizes and enough patients for RWE studies (real-world evidence), RWD (real-world data) from different countries must be combined. 

What facilitates collaboration between Finland, Sweden, and other Nordic countries is the use of personal identification numbers. These allow linking all registers and data from a person’s birth to death, something that is missing in most other countries. 

Medaffcon Sweden also works with Denmark, with plans to expand services for international projects. 

Also MedTech Projects 

“In Nordic Market Access projects, Medaffcon ensures that a drug gets reimbursement and reaches the right patients. We also work on MedTech projects, where we build cost-effectiveness and budget impact models. This helps products that do not follow the traditional pharmaceutical pathway but enter the market through different routes,” Lisse-Lotte Hermansson says. 

For RWE studies, Medaffcon leverages national quality registries as well as hospital registers. 

“Medaffcon has six Data Scientists. We can create decision support systems and use artificial intelligence so that, for example, a doctor can see the best treatment options based on a patient’s background. With a ready patient pool, RWE studies can be quickly implemented because the patient group is already available,” Hermansson explains. 

Although Medaffcon operates in the Nordic countries, its work can be utilized globally. While Market Access requires deep knowledge of each country, RWE studies (real-world evidence) can be applied anywhere the patient characteristics and treatments are similar. 

“Clients understand that results can be used even where the research is not conducted. A client may be based in Switzerland, but the work was done in the Nordics”, Lisse-Lotte Hermansson says.