OBJECTIVES: Climate resilience and environmental sustainability are increasingly important topics in the health economics outcomes research (HEOR) field, with companies investing in reducing their environmental impact. We conducted a survey aimed to identify perceptions across the life sciences industry regarding their organizations’ efforts to tackle sustainability, particularly within HEOR, evidence generation, and value communication strategy.

METHODS: The survey was distributed online and through in-person outreach efforts, targeting those in the pharmaceutical or MedTech field. Questions included region of focus, role, level of interaction with environmental sustainability topics in the context of business, perceptions on how organizations are incorporating these topics into their evidence generation strategy, challenges, etc. Survey results were collected between May and June 2024.

RESULTS: A total of 20 respondents completed the survey. 45% of respondents reported that their work has a Europe or global focus, with 45% of respondents working in the HEOR or market access field. Responses ranged widely regarding agreement that their organization is adequately incorporating environmental sustainability data into their evidence generation strategy, with most (32%) reporting “neutral”, ~26% reporting “somewhat disagree” and ~16% reporting “somewhat agree”. Respondents stated that incorporation of environmental sustainability into their organizations’ HEOR strategy was important and needed for product value communication among stakeholders, including pricing determinations/negotiations (58%) and Health Technology Assessment (HTA) (53%) as well as interactions with health systems (79%) and payers (68%). Regarding foreseeable challenges, respondents noted awareness and acceptance on the relevancy of environmental sustainability as a key piece of the HEOR framework.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that while life sciences stakeholders are interested in environmental sustainability, many believe that organizations are not adequately incorporating climate resilience into their evidence generation strategy. Those working in the HEOR space should progress discussions on how existing HEOR methodologies and access strategies can be applied to quantifying the sustainability impact of assets.