Our Experts

Steve Callahan

Senior Director, Advisory and Insights

Expertise: Biosimilars, Policy and Regulation, Oncology and Rare Disease, Real-World Data, Contracting, Reimbursement and Rebates, Industry Trends, Product Launch, Commercial Strategy, Payer Coverage and Restrictions, Payer Market Research

Steve Callahan, senior director of Advisory & Insights at MMIT, manages several syndicated and episodic products, which synthesize actionable insights from a variety of healthcare decision-makers to inform key decisions and use cases. Prior to MMIT, Steve was a research scientist and a consultant, leading market access-focused projects at IQVIA, Certara and Compass Strategic Consulting. He holds an M.S. in biology from Fairfield University and an MBA from the University of Connecticut.

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Insights by Steve Callahan

Article | November 6, 2025

Alternative Funding Programs: Short-Term Savings, Long-Term Consequences

The use of alternative funding programs (AFP) has been on the rise in recent years, in keeping with the growing number of self-funded employer health plans. Run by for-profit vendors, AFPs are a relatively new type of specialty carve-out program meant to save employers money by removing certain high-cost medications from their formularies.

On-Demand Webinar | June 10, 2025

The State of Patient Access: Maximizing Access Strategies in the Era of Biosimilars

In this BioPharma Dive webinar, Hannah Baxter, partner at The Dedham Group, and Steve Callahan, senior director of Advisory & Insights, MMIT, share insights from our 2025 State of Patient Access survey.

Article | May 8, 2025

Patient Access Barriers in 2025 and Beyond

The landscape of patient access has become increasingly complex, intensified by evolving channel dynamics, greater biosimilar investment, and legislative reform. As payers evolve their utilization management tactics, manufacturers must also become more sophisticated in their access strategies.

Article | February 13, 2025

Market Access Trends Impacting Your Patient Assistance Program

Payers tend to manage high-cost, high-complexity disease states quite differently than other indications. In recent years, payers’ growing reliance on managed care carveouts, in the form of specialty benefit managers (SBMs) and alternative funding programs (AFPs), has directly impacted pharma companies that offer patient assistance.

On-Demand Webinar | November 11, 2024

Ahead of the Curve: Considerations for Your 2025 Financial Assistance Programsat Launch

In this webinar, MMIT’s Steve Callahan and AssistRx’s Brok Vandersteen discuss the payer, regulatory and market updates that will impact patient services’ financial assistance programs in 2025.

Article | June 20, 2024

The Rise of Specialty Benefit Managers: What Pharma Should Know

In the shift toward value-based care, more payers are outsourcing the management of specific therapeutic areas to third-party specialty benefit managers (SBMs). These companies help payers manage high-cost, high-complexity disease states by leveraging provider networks and making coverage recommendations intended to improve outcomes and lower cost.

Article | February 21, 2024

Payers Troubled by Rise of Alternative Funding Programs

For the past few years, the industry has grappled with the rise of a controversial new pharmacy benefits strategy: alternative funding. Alternative funding programs (AFPs), also known as specialty carve-out programs, are intended to reduce the cost of specialty drugs for both patients and payers.

Article | November 16, 2023

Under Pressure, Payers Are Reevaluating Prior Authorizations

For decades, payers have used prior authorizations (PA) with the intent of curbing costs by preventing the unnecessary use of medical procedures or treatments. But in recent years, more and more physicians have contended that the practice impedes their ability to provide care.

Article | August 24, 2023

What Pharma Wants to Know About the Inflation Reduction Act

Ever since the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) became law, pharma companies have struggled to identify how these changes will affect their business. In many ways, the IRA is forcing a marriage of necessity between product development and market access, as manufacturers must now be more focused on anticipating future market states for their potential and existing pipeline.

Article | August 17, 2023

What Pharma Wants to Know About the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program

Since the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) last fall, pharma companies have been bracing for the impact of its provisions. The main healthcare-related IRA policies are the out-of-pocket spending cap, the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, and the penalty for increasing drug prices faster than inflation.

Article | March 23, 2023

Unintended Consequences of the IRA: Will the CPI Penalty Increase the Price of Drugs?

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law in August 2022, was intended in part to lower healthcare costs for families and small businesses. The IRA contains several provisions aimed at prescription drug costs which will roll out over the next few years, with the earliest taking effect this year.

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