DiCE played a leading role at the Making Access Happen (MAH) Sandoz Global Access Forum 2026, held in Munich, Germany, bringing the patient voice to international discussions on access to medicines, biosimilars, advocacy, and innovation. The forum gathered more than 45 patient advocates from over 20 countries, representing a wide range of disease areas and patient communities. DiCE CEO Zorana Maravic and Communications Manager Ruel Jacob represented the organisation throughout the two-day event, contributing to key sessions focused on improving access to treatment and strengthening patient advocacy worldwide.

On the opening day, Zorana joined a high-level panel discussion exploring the opportunities and challenges facing generic and biosimilar medicines. Bringing a patient perspective to the conversation, she highlighted the importance of ensuring that policy decisions translate into meaningful improvements for people living with serious diseases. She also facilitated the European regional workshops, helping participants identify priorities for future collaboration and advocacy.

The following day, Zorana delivered a presentation on streamlined biosimilar development, explaining how evolving regulatory approaches can support faster access to affordable medicines while maintaining the highest standards of quality, safety, and effectiveness. Her presentation focused on what patient advocates need to know and how they can confidently engage their communities on the topic.

Ruel delivered a practical presentation focused on communication and patient engagement. The first showcased lessons learned from the Global Biosimilars Week campaign, including awareness-raising strategies, social media tools, and resources that patient organisations can easily adapt for their own communities. The second explored how artificial intelligence and digital communication tools can help organisations create content, reach wider audiences, and work more efficiently, even with limited resources.

Throughout the forum, participants discussed some of the most pressing challenges affecting access to medicines today, including reimbursement barriers, low awareness of biosimilars, and the impact of intellectual property policies on patient access. Strengthening patient involvement in policymaking and expanding education initiatives emerged as key priorities for the global patient advocacy community.

DiCE’s active participation reflects its ongoing commitment to ensuring that patients remain at the centre of healthcare decision-making. By sharing expertise, building partnerships, and championing evidence-based advocacy, DiCE continues to help shape a future where more patients can benefit from timely and equitable access to treatment.

Author:

Ruel Jacob