Health meets responsibility: How sustainability shapes specialty pharma

The rise of advanced therapies

Over the past decade, advanced therapies have moved from research labs into clinical practice. CAR-T cell therapy, where a patient’s own immune cells are modified to fight cancer, has shown life-changing results in certain types of leukemia and lymphoma. Similarly, gene therapies are able to correct faulty DNA sequences, addressing the root cause of inherited conditions such as spinal muscular atrophy or certain rare metabolic disorders.
These breakthroughs mark a fundamental shift: instead of treating symptoms, advanced therapies aim to cure diseases at their origin.

Areas of application today

While oncology has been the main driver, the field is rapidly expanding into other medical areas:

• Neurology: promising approaches for conditions like Parkinson’s disease or ALS.
• Ophthalmology: gene therapies restoring partial vision in patients with rare eye diseases.
• Rare Diseases: targeted therapies for very small patient populations, often where no other treatment exists.

This diversity of use cases highlights the flexibility and transformative potential of advanced therapies.

Challenges and limitations

Despite the promise, there are still considerable hurdles:

• High costs: Many therapies are priced in the six-figure range, limiting access.
• Complex production: Manufacturing requires highly specialized GMP facilities and strict quality control.
• Logistics: Some therapies must be delivered to patients within hours, demanding an advanced supply chain.
• Regulation: Approval processes are evolving, but often not fast enough to keep pace with innovation.

These factors make it clear: advanced therapies are not a “plug and play” solution – they need strong ecosystems around them.

The role of Medios

At Medios, we see ourselves as part of this ecosystem. Our expertise in Specialty Pharma and individualized medicine provides the foundation to support clinics, pharmacies, and patients on their journey with advanced therapies.

• Expanding GMP facilities: We are investing in infrastructure that allows for the safe handling and preparation of cell and gene therapies.
• Strengthening logistics: Our nationwide supply network ensures that sensitive products reach their destination on time and under the right conditions.
• Collaboration with partners: We work closely with research institutions, hospitals, and biotech companies to translate innovations into real-world therapies.

In short: our mission is to make advanced therapies not only possible but accessible.

Patients at the center

Ultimately, the success of advanced therapies will not be measured only in scientific breakthroughs but in patient outcomes. Stories of children who can walk again thanks to gene therapy, or cancer patients who achieve remission after exhausting all other options, are powerful reminders of why this field matters so much.

But to make these stories common rather than exceptional, healthcare systems must adapt. Cost coverage, physician training, and patient education all play crucial roles in ensuring these treatments reach those who need them most.

Looking ahead

The next decade will be decisive for advanced therapies. With increasing knowledge, more streamlined production processes, and broader regulatory acceptance, these treatments are expected to move from being highly specialized interventions to becoming more widely available.

Future trends include:

• Off-the-shelf cell therapies: ready-to-use instead of patient-specific products.
• Gene editing with CRISPR: opening new frontiers in precision medicine.
• Combination therapies: advanced therapies used alongside traditional treatments for maximum effect.

For patients and healthcare providers alike, this future promises more effective and more personalized care.