Archo Advocacy concludes its second year by demonstrating that the industry responded primarily where the data compelled it. ELAVAY now covers multiple cycles. Each cycle eliminates excuses and shows who truly listens to patient communities and who only relies on rhetoric. Patient power prevails, and patient advocacy is genuinely a competitive advantage.

The 2024 ELAVAY report revealed a system that treated advocacy as a secondary effort. Support from coalitions remained stagnant. Research assistance lagged. Approval for telemedicine increased, while patient preparation for these appointments declined. Awareness of ICER and QALYs was minimal. People in the industry, including advocates and patients, wanted to focus on Health Equity, Health Literacy, and addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), but the industry appeared confused and directionless. Advocacy teams faced growing expectations even as resources decreased. Many leaders dismissed the issues, as shown by the 2024 BIOADVOCATE BENCHMARK study, a pioneering evaluation of the advocacy function that looked at team size, budget, corporate alignment, and more.

The 2025 ELAVAY report removed the option to shrug. It reveals clearer gaps, louder signals, and a wider divide between companies that genuinely prioritize patient partnership and those that are complacent. Janssen, Pfizer, BMS, Merck, Eli Lilly, Sanofi, AbbVie, Amgen, Gilead, and Genentech/Roche earned their positions through consistent engagement, better alignment, and improved performance across education, access support, and advisory work. They did not rely on slogans. They relied on action.

The rest of the field encountered a barrier. Stakeholder demand for evidence-based guidance grew, but support for those needs stagnated. Coalition backing declined even more than expected. The gap between payer engagement demand and available support widened. Advocacy teams still operated with only one to five people, while billion-dollar portfolios expanded rapidly. These findings confirmed a truth that many leaders tend to avoid. Underfunded advocacy poses risks at every stage of the medicine lifecycle, putting hundreds of millions of dollars and millions of patients who need help at risk, leaving them to fend for themselves.

Companies used ELAVAY findings to push for real change. Several teams used the 2024 gaps to secure headcount, expand disease coverage, and build internal alignment. Leaders responded to the 2025 data by resetting strategy, strengthening advisory councils, and rebuilding relationships that had weakened over the years of vague commitments. Advocacy organizations used both years to push for financial support, scientific clarity, and access to aligned policy work. Specific examples included:
•    Archo assisted a medical device company in increasing headcount by 2 by collaborating with C-Suite team members on initiatives such as Health Equity, Maternal Health, and other focus areas through an Executive Sponsorship Program.
•    A large pharmaceutical company used ELAVAY and BIOADVOCATE data to address team bifurcation to two different departments while securing budget increases.
•    A small biotech company collaborated with Archo to develop and implement targeted advocacy strategies in rare cancers, helping the organization reach its goal of being acquired by a larger pharmaceutical firm.
•    Archo guided a mid-sized biopharmaceutical advocacy team through collaboration with colleagues in patient support and patient experience to address Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), enhancing patient adherence and persistence.

Archo sat within those shifts. We helped leaders develop advocacy functions that finally matched the significance of their portfolios. We guided companies through strategy resets focused on authentic partnership rather than superficial visibility. We equipped pharma, biotech, and medical device leaders to engage advocacy groups with greater discipline during federal and state policy battles that tested access, value, and affordability. We supported teams in closing equity gaps with practical tools that eliminated barriers related to transportation, literacy, digital access, and financial strain, addressing SDOH one patient at a time.

The industry and advocacy partners now consider these moves to be mandatory rather than optional.

Commercial execution maintained corporate momentum. A major pharmaceutical company focused on CAR-T therapy hired Archo in late 2024 with a clear mandate: to build and implement a national KAM curriculum tied to strict deadlines and measurable behaviors. The engagement included defined deliverables, structured content, and live facilitation. Teams leave with increased capabilities, not just slogans. Archo also continued its Archo Customer Engagement (ACE) training for a global pharmaceutical firm, adopting the same processes and implementing a system for all new account managers each quarter. The combination of commercial execution and advocacy strategy ensures more patients receive the support they need, benefiting both patients and businesses.

Matt Toresco, CEO of Archo Advocacy, did not soften the message. Leaders need more than conviction. They need evidence, pressure, and clarity. ELAVAY gives them all three. The companies that lead adapt fast. The companies that trail keep writing scripts that no patient believes.

Toresco reinforced that point on the TEDx stage earlier this year, calling out the human cost of fragmented care and the opportunity for biopharma to act with the same urgency as the patients they serve. That message aligned with the data. The data aligned with reality.

Archo begins year three with a clear plan. Expand ELAVAY disease state deep dives. Strengthen the connection between Advocacy Intelligence and overall performance. Encourage leaders to develop advocacy skills that match their influence and responsibility. Train teams to act as advocates every time they enter a room. Toresco notes, “Advocacy is, and will continue to be, your competitive advantage.”

For more information, please contact:
Hunter Fasanaro, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Healthcare Initiatives
[email protected]  |  [email protected]