The rise of the patient-as-partnerure du patient-partenaire
Over the past three decades, the passive description of the patient has been challenged by the emergence of a new figure with a more active role: the patient-as-partner, which is now undergoing a form of institutionalization.
The Université des Patients de la Sorbonne1, which aims to “transform patients’ experience into expertise”, is thus the first in the world to offer associated degrees. This new centrality of the patient is at the heart of Servier’s commitments, which evolve our practices to strengthen this collaborative approach.
A new philosophy that changes everything
The rise of the patient-as-partner implies a profound transformation of practices across the entire care pathway. For the medicines industry, it extends from designing therapeutic solutions to clinical trials, including packaging. At Servier, this takes shape for example through the establishment of Patient Advisory Councils, whose mission is to integrate patients’ needs and ideas across the organization. By 2030, Servier aims to have 100% of its therapeutic areas represented by Patient Advisory Councils.
Integrating patients across the entire medicine lifecycle has concrete effects. It is first a powerful lever to support therapeutic adherence, while 50%² of patients living with chronic diseases do not follow their treatment correctly. According to the WHO³, it is also an effective way to reduce avoidable harm by around 15%.
68%
of Servier Group clinical trials protocols obtained patient feedback in 2024/2025.
Care settings: A great opening
At the same time, care is moving out of traditional spaces. Health is now organized in new geographies: at home through remote monitoring, in community settings, and in digital spaces via telemedicine and connected objects. The care pathway is no longer a sequence of steps (consultation, hospital), but a continuum integrated into daily life.
PwC’s consulting firm speaks of the LIFEcare ecosystem4 to describe the convergence between the traditional curative health system, and daily prevention logics embodied by the development of connected health objects, AI-based data processing and personalized nutrition services.
This shift also translates into an expansion of the pharmaceutical domain, particularly through the rise of new technologies. In this context, Servier is multiplying real-world studies5 to test therapeutic solutions closer to patients’ everyday lives.
“We continue to build and strengthen our relationships with patient organizations, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs are met. By fostering collaborative relationships and maintaining constant dialogue, we aim to create innovative solutions that truly improve patients’ lives. The patients we work with no longer want to simply be consulted; they want to be true partners. It is this deeply human principle that guides us every day.”
A matter of trust
The emergence of an active patient and a more diffuse logic integrated into daily life raises a number of challenges and ethical questions. It calls for particular attention to ensure equal access to care, implies a prior delimitation of roles and makes access to reliable information more fragile.
In this context, medicines stakeholders can play a trusted third-party role: helping create a clear framework so that the integration of the patient-as-partner is truly beneficial. At Servier, this is realized by taking into account all components of the patient relationship: from medical impact to wellbeing, including the production and sharing of accurate and precise information.
Testimony: Julie Carignan, Diagnosed withcholangiocarcinoma in 2022 (Quebec, Canada)
I live with the disease every day. This experience has given me a concrete understanding of real needs and access-to-care issues. I believe this expertise must be at the center of laboratories’ work. As a patient partner, I share my voice to create links between the pharmaceutical industry, physicians and researchers. This collaboration brings me hope: Hope of benefiting from targeted therapies if my disease progresses, of extending my life and, one day, achieving a full remission.
[1] Université Paris-Sorbonne – institutional website.
[2] PMC article – scientific journal published on PubMed Central.
[3] World Health Organization (WHO) – Patient engagement: elevating the voices of patients and families for safer care.
[4] PwC / Strategy& – Future of Health, sector report.
[5] Servier – importance of real-world studies, institutional dossier.