First-of-its-kind AI platform to transform patient voice in PBAC decisions

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Boehringer Ingelheim has joined forces with leading patient advocacy organisations to launch Patient Input Buddy, an artificial intelligence (AI) platform designed to break down barriers preventing consumers from contributing to Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) consultations.

The launch comes amid renewed national efforts to strengthen consumer engagement in health technology assessment (HTA), following the Department of Health’s release of a new framework aimed at establishing a more effective approach to consumer participation across the health technology lifecycle. While the framework introduces a range of practical reforms, it does not commit to specific implementation timelines.

Patient participation in PBAC decision-making remains highly variable, with consumer input continuing to be underrepresented in reimbursement assessments. Between May and December 2025, only 20% of reimbursement submissions reviewed by the PBAC attracted more than five consumer comments, while half of all submissions received no input from patients, family members or interested individuals.

Patient Input Buddy has been developed to address these gaps by providing patients with a guided digital pathway to share their experiences and insights during the reimbursement process. Using conversational AI the platform prompts patients through typed or spoken questions via computer or mobile phone, helping them describe the impact of their condition, their treatment journey and the unmet medical need associated with the therapy under assessment.

The tool then transforms patient responses into a structured email submission while preserving the individual’s own language and perspective. Patients remain in control of the process, with the ability to review, edit and submit their feedback directly to the PBAC from their personal email account.

“Clinical trial data and economic modelling can only ever reveal part of the story. Without understanding the experiences of patients and carers, decision makers risk operating with a significant blind spot,” said Ed Hollywood, General Manager of Boehringer Ingelheim ANZ. “The goal is not to influence what patients say, but to make it easier for people to share what matters to them. Patient Input Buddy equips patients to take on a greater role in Australia’s medicines funding process.”

The AI platform is being piloted alongside Boehringer Ingelheim’s reimbursement submission for Jascayd (nerandomilast), which is being assessed for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and progressive pulmonary fibrosis. The submission will be reviewed by the PBAC in November.

Boehringer Ingelheim said the platform has been designed with privacy safeguards in place. While the company owns the pilot platform, it cannot view or collect medical information shared by patients using Patient Input Buddy. Patient data is not used to train the AI model, which operates on Australian servers. Patients, carers and family members will continue to have the option to provide submissions through the Office of Health Technology Assessment online consultation hub should they prefer.

Following the pilot phase and further refinement, Boehringer Ingelheim plans to transition ownership of Patient Input Buddy to the patient community, likely through Patient Voice Initiative (PVI), enabling the platform to be expanded to support consumer input across all medicines assessed through HTA processes.

“We see this as a practical contribution to make medicines access less abstract and more inclusive and responsive to the needs of patients. Ultimately, we believe Patient Input Buddy can play an important role in the Federal Government’s efforts to increase patient input to funding decisions,” said Hollywood.

Ann Single, CEO of PVI and President of Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi), said the traditional approach to patient submissions had created challenges for many consumers seeking to participate in HTA processes.

“Written input forms have been the standard way of involving patients in HTA for many years. While they seem simple to those familiar with HTA, my experience is they are not intuitive for patients and it can be hard for them to know what the committees need to learn from them,” explained Single.

“Patient Input Buddy represents the most significant innovation in written submissions I have seen in health technology assessment in 25 years,” added Single. “For many people living with complex medical conditions, navigating the medicines access process can be daunting and confronting. We are strong advocates for removing barriers to participation and along with HTA reforms, this approach opens up real possibilities for improved involvement and an enduring evidence-based of patient knowledge.”

The launch builds on Boehringer Ingelheim’s 2025 international whitepaper, Real Voices, Better Choices, which was unveiled at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025. The report outlined a global vision for embedding lived experience into healthcare policy and decision-making.

Patient Input Buddy represents the first Australian implementation of that vision, translating the principles of patient-centred healthcare into a practical tool designed to strengthen consumer participation in medicines access decisions.

The platform was developed through collaboration with PVI, Lung Foundation Australia, Scleroderma Australia and Rare Cancers Australia. The project also incorporated feedback from the HTA Consumer Evidence and Engagement Unit within the Department of Health.

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