Introduction
It’s launch time. The heavy lifting of R&D and interaction with HCPs, regulators, and patient groups has been concluded, and a coordinated ‘battle plan’ has been signed and sealed. Time to exhale? Far from it. Product launches require a particular intensity and commitment to survive a precarious period that is still being shaped by changing demands and regulatory pressures across healthcare systems. Fault lines can easily develop if organisations sit back and admire their hard work and anchor ambition to traditional formulae.
This new Launch Age, which is being forged in the pandemic’s aftershocks, scientific advances and digital disruption, is littered with potential sinkholes and crevasses where hope, good intentions, and profit projections can easily disappear. It is a demanding, complex, and volatile environment with companies now launching multiple products across multiple indications a year rather than landmark blockbuster events. Regulators are also placing more demanding and specific emphasis on engagement with patients, while the influence of real-world evidence – across multiple healthcare systems – is creating a fresh reimbursement dynamic.
Value, access, and affordability are always launch touchstones, but they are now subject to more nuanced metrics factored around engagement and performance. And all this in a world where healthcare data are on an exponential growth curve and information is being consumed, and often easily diffused, across multiple channels and where launches come thick and fast in bustling condition areas where differentiation is essential.
Launch is way more than a countdown and blast-off. This Moments of Truth whitepaper is powered by unprecedented levels of front-line industry experience and their voices provide unique insights into this critical and hyper-competitive sector of pharma.
Focus and Synchronise
Relying on routines and mechanisms that have served well over the last generation of launches will not equip an organisation to prosper in the current, changing climate. Launches cannot cling to the strength of the science, new class entry or the firepower of thousands of field representatives, says Dana Maiman, Chief Executive Officer of IPG Health, a collective of over 45 diverse agency brands, which has a deep understanding from biopharma start-ups to Top 20 global pharmaceutical companies.
“Everything about launches can be summed up in three letters – BAM. Blockbusters Are
Made,” she says. “ Today, all the different pre-launch pillars need to be implemented and
executed exquisitely.
“While building to that blockbuster status may look a bit different today, there are numerous components that have remained critical throughout the years, including: maintaining focus and energy, and the ability to communicate effectively and clearly with teams and key stakeholders. Setting a clear vision and direction from the start and continuing to measure all activities and efforts against that purpose is paramount.”
She underscores the need for a synchronised, collaborative approach across an organisation, adding: “It’s important to remember that all launches come with potential scenarios and curve balls. The teams that succeed are those who pivot with passion, remind each other of the bigger picture goals and make decisions to prioritize, maintain consistent communication to stay aligned, motivated and ensure prompt issue resolution, and match talent to task, ensuring we’re leveraging our teams skills and competencies to drive greater efficiency and productivity, and that they understand how their roles and contributions support the overall strategy.”
Those skills and competencies are transitioning, with industry needing to work harder to forge meaningful connections with HCPs, who continue to be time-pressed and operate as digital nomads, who channel-hop through content storms. A detailed map of physician interests and touchpoints, along with the awareness levels of patient groups, has become a launch imperative, connecting the swirling virtual and in-person contours of this landscape needs elevated levels of communication and collaboration.
Kathleen Gillooly, Group Management Director at healthcare agency AREA 23, observes: “First impressions matter – in life certainly, and equally so, in pharmaceutical launches. While the importance of launch is often well understood, especially when a new product is entering the market, there is a tendency in the industry to follow tried and true methodologies that can lead to lackluster results in the days, weeks and months that follow Day 1. As new technologies, new capabilities and higher-than-ever stakes set the stage for launch in the emerging future, it’s more important than ever that launch planning evolve to better allow for emerging complexities, contrasting insights, and shorter windows of planning.
Succeeding across all factors takes huge investment, cross-department collaboration and a bold approach to marketing and communication. Gillooly sees the launch as an opportunity to refresh and disrupt approaches.
She adds: “Launches, whether they are as a new therapeutic entrant to the market or of a new clinical dataset or indication, represent critical moments of inflection across a product’s lifecycle and require purposeful investment of time and expertise to get right. Taking advantage of these lifecycle opportunities with disruptive marketing and creative strategies that frame your products’ unique points of differentiation can have exponentially positive or negative impacts for the months and years ahead. Positive launches can reshape marketplace perceptions and turn a stagnant sales curve into a positive peak that delivers halo impact for years to come. Some even have the potential to reshape a category altogether. Conversely, poorly managed launches can create an unwanted lasting impression that requires an abundance of commercial resources to undo. Brands that fall prey to poor planning are left with unwanted cleanup and audience confusion that requires a clarification of their role amongst an increasingly competitive set.”
“Brands that can take a more modern approach, that allow for more individuality and adapt quickly are set to win big – in terms of customer relevance, marketplace differentiation and in overall cost efficiencies.”
Catarina Santos, Executive Director Medical Launch Region Europe in Novartis, believes that a flexible-dynamic culture is a key to navigating launch challenges and she states: “Face time with HCPs is reducing, which places greater importance on getting your engagement and communications in shape for launch. Our ‘air time’ in terms of education and partnership building is shortening and a lot is changing across healthcare systems that puts launch excellence at risk. Preparing a good launch plan, supported by the right culture, is becoming more and more important.”
Culture, communication and clarity have emerged as launch components that sit alongside the science, patient engagement and market awareness as keys to success.
The power of the story
With a multitude of connection and engagement points available across a product and patient journey, the need for a curated narrative is essential. Staccato, self-contained communications that punch out on timetable rigidity can undermine potential reach with HCPs, KOLs and patients.
“Telling the same story, with the depth and context appropriate for the audience and channel, is essential. Finding the right lexicon – words that can help differentiate or create a sense of urgency while clearly and credibly communicating our brand story – is one of our most powerful tools for doing that,” says Ariel Buda-Levin, President, Medical Communications across AREA 23 on Hudson, ProHealth, and Trio.
“Many times, a lexicon is designed internally amongst agencies and clients, but we find that the step of vetting with both KOLs and community treaters is essential to ensuring the language resonates and conveys the message we hope it will. KOLs are not usually the main audience for the lexicon or the messaging but, since we need their advocacy, it’s important to consider their perspective and likelihood of adapting that language. The right lexicon, socialized appropriately, takes on a life of its own, and KOLs are the drivers of that, adapting the language into their podium presentations and publications.”
This discipline needs to work internally and externally and Mardene Miller, President, Neon, the New York-based creative marketing and advertising agency, observes: “Message resonance across an organization is extremely important because it rallies cross-disciplinary groups behind a consistent brand story to communicate to their respective external stakeholders. It helps your stakeholders understand the company’s vision, mission, and goals. Without that consistency, the value proposition of a product may either not be realized (launch) or may erode (established brand), and uptake or utilization can be limited or possibly niche. Inconsistent messages can lead to customer confusion and dilute the brand’s identity, ultimately undermining impact and effectiveness.”
Having an ‘inside-out’ enthusiasm and passion for a core brand narrative improves an organisation’s morale and can increase the likelihood of messages sticking with key target audiences, she says.
Clarity and Simplicity
A product’s success rate is clearly energised if it grabs the attention of KOLs, HCPs and patients and conceptual creativity is a prime element of any campaign. But the more workhorse qualities of education and engagement are also vital to reach and retain audiences. This is achieved by robust and relevant messages that are easily and swiftly understood.
“As a new product moves from pre-launch to launch, it is crucial to properly educate both physicians and patients on the clinical data that underpins the brand’s differentiators. It is also important to maintain relationships with KOLs,” says Sommer Bazuro, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, IPG Health.
“Often, the need for branded education is underestimated, especially when the product involves novel clinical trial designs, endpoints, complicated dosing schedules, or associated biomarkers. Physicians, despite their medical training, require clear, simplified explanations of these elements to confidently prescribe the product and communicate effectively with their patients.”
She adds: “Simplifying complex scientific information with a narrative and visuals enhances engagement, aids memory retention, and supports decision-making. When the science behind a product is made accessible, healthcare professionals and patients are more likely to connect emotionally with the brand, leading to better adoption and adherence to treatment protocols.
“By simplifying the science and maintaining strong advocacy, the brand can secure a successful launch and achieve sustained impact in the market.”
The new Patient Paradigm
Launching a new product now has a core obligation to connect with the patient on a much deeper level than basic brand awareness. Patients are knowledgeable about and empowered in their treatments so the communication thread needs to entwine them as well as KOLs and HCPs.
Marc van Unen, Business Unit Head, Cardiovascular for Bristol Myers Squibb, has led multiple launches across different condition areas involving a range of modalities and devotes critical attention to patients and niche markets.
“When we’re talking about preparing the product, we need to understand how the patient moves through the healthcare system, which can be very different by country to country. We need to look at what leverage points we can influence to smooth that journey, increase patient flows and make it easier for them. Knowing where we could intervene to bring benefit it is important,” he says.
He cites the example of an anticoagulant therapy that reduced the need for young patients to visit the clinic every six weeks for blood tests. “For them it was a huge benefit,” he adds. “These are the areas where you can intervene and improve patient flow and also have a good benefit for the physician. In terms of the story, it is about looking at where the product has a critical benefit.”
Van Unen is a strong advocate of building social capital with interdependent launch teams and laying the ground for them to become highly motivated and generate initial momentum for a product.
Investing in those internal connections and listening to, and understanding, the needs and drivers of HCP and patient behaviour can be labelled soft skills but they are increasingly recognized as the route to significant dividends.
Laura Catalusci, Group Director, Learning Strategy, YuzuYello, observes: “Shifting from pre-launch to launch priorities involves a tremendous behavioural shift. Not only a shift of physician diagnosis and prescribing behaviours but a shift requiring patients to gain a renewed understanding of their treatment options and assessment of how treatment changes affect their day-to-day routines and health outcomes.
“The focus at launch tends to be on awareness, awareness, and awareness. But what happens if patients get an Rx and don’t exactly know what to do with it or how to stick with it? That’s where the often-overlooked Patient Support Program experiences really shine. Brands need a launch plan and program aimed at catching those with prescriptions and guiding them through the access and adherence process before they get lost.”
Medical Affairs teams increasingly view the value of the patient as a stakeholder with a voice in discussions of endpoints and a key audience for education and evidence dissemination that is delivered with plain language.
Real World Connections
A sharp focus on the needs of financial decision-makers in hospitals, health systems and medical groups is an essential strand of value communications and a balanced flow of content across channels needs to be achieved around a launch. Messages need to land with clarity and consistency while also being tailored to the diverse factors that influence their day-to-day and impact their choices.
“This area is frequently overlooked,” says Joshua Bueller, Director, Strategic Planning, McCann Health Managed Markets. “These organized customers have different value drivers than traditional payers, having not only to manage care for their patients but also manage costs for their organizations. Real-world evidence (RWE) planning can also be an afterthought and is typically focused on in the postlaunch environment. However, there is now a growing trend to integrate RWE strategy between medical and commercial pharma teams to support long-term market access and product positioning. One final example that is typically overlooked is moving managed care customers from awareness to retention of key product information and value statements.
“Addressing these areas proactively during the transition from prelaunch to launch can help ensure a smoother market access process and better overall launch outcomes in today’s managed care environment.”
Get Personal and Go Digital
Mike Guarino, Chief Commercial Officer, IPG Health, is a launch veteran and advises on creating a product narrative that is consistent across organisations as early as possible to create the foundation of a communication platform.
Significantly, he majors on the personal, giving it a high value rating in a product’s potential. “One frequently overlooked but powerful approach cultivated in consumer products marketing and evolved for pharma marketing is the use of emotion to create ownable space for brands,” he says. “The ability to connect viscerally often activates a more influential brand association, enabling marketers to move beyond the typical ‘reasons to believe’. This emotion-based marketing approach has been supported by a wide range of behavioural sciences studies.
“Now, with the proliferation of Large Language Models (LLMs) and the integration of AI within our strategic process, we’re able to more rapidly uncover often hard-to-articulate emotional insights across all customer types – from the highly influential thought leader specialist to the mom searching for the right treatment for her child.”
KOLs have been a powerful downstream force for product awareness and take-up, but a new cohort of Digital Opinion Leaders (DOLs), who operate in and influence digital communities, are playing vital roles in healthcare roles, and need to be integrated into launch strategies. This requires careful planning to ensure message consistency and clarity across all channels, says Jack Vance, Managing Director, Data and Activation, IPG Health and SOLVE(D).
“The first step is to carefully select the right DOLs and, by using social listening tools and
network analysis, brands can pinpoint DOLs who align with their values and have the authenticity needed to effectively deliver key messages,” he says. ”Establishing a collaborative relationship with DOLs is crucial. Digital platforms are dynamic, with messages evolving rapidly. Co-creating content with DOLs ensures that messaging remains consistent while allowing their unique voices to resonate with their audience.
“Offering clear guidelines coupled with creative freedom strikes a balance between brand consistency and authentic engagement.”
Data-driven insights can track DOLs’ engagement and message dissemination levels and allow for real-time adjustments to ensure unified messaging across all digital touchpoints.
“DOLs have become essential to modern healthcare launches. By strategically identifying, collaborating with, and integrating them into a broader strategy, we can ensure clear, consistent, and impactful messaging across the digital landscape,” he adds.
Conclusion
Market feedback and research draw a picture of an increasingly crowded and specialised world of product launches.
A study by QuintilesIMS revealed a competitive and innovative environment and observed that the focus was turning to ‘more specialist therapy areas, limited key launch countries, healthcare budgets, doctor attention time, and even patients.” 1
With many new and disparate factors in play, it forecasted: “Achieving true Launch Excellence will become even more challenging.”
Maintaining clarity and consistency of message that works internally and externally has never been more important, as the economic and scientific case will need to resonate across different audiences as well as be robust, flexible and durable across a product’s life cycle.
Formulaic launches are unlikely to prosper, so constructing bespoke approaches with in-built adaptability that can weather fluctuating markets and shifting demands is paramount. This can only be achieved with a strong focus on communication, and a willingness to listen, understand, and respond.
Launch is a time to be creative, collaborative and to have a bold vision that can be shared with KOLs, DOLs, HCPs, and patients. Telling your story with clarity and compassion is never more important than at launch.
Launch Notes:
- Abandon assumptions: No two launches are the same.
- Invest in internal and external communications.
- Ensure creative and practical collaboration across all departments.
- Differentiate your product, your company and the unique support to patients it can offer with a powerful, consistent narrative.
- Be hyper-relevant to understand customer’s experiences.
- Dig deeper for the human truths involved in choosing treatments or managing a condition.
- Make the science accessible with clear, concise branded education for HCPs and patients
- Leverage the clinical experience of trialists and clinicians to underscore product benefits.
- Develop strategies to navigate increased payer management and support practices in achieving coverage and reimbursement is essential to achieve brand success.
- Deploy Ambassador Experience Tracking and expand it to include just-prescribed patients.
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About the author:
Marcus West
I have directed 35 plays and coached performances for 30 years. I have worked with the likes of LA director, Robert Benedetti, US playwrights, Edward Albee and Will Eno, voice coaches, Kristin Linklater and Cicely Berry, Alexander teacher, Nadia Kevan, LA acting coach, Ivana Chubbuck, British playwright and screenwriter, Stephen Jeffreys, LA screenwriting master teachers, Steven Kaplan, Chris Vogler and Michael Hauge. I use these experiences with the world’s leading performing arts practitioners and my own background in theatre, to inform my work in presentation coaching. I work with a host of CEOs and their firms around Australia including KPMG, DLA Piper, CBA, QBE, Merck, and BOQ, as well as politicians and barristers, to help them present their message with punch. I am also a talent coach with Seven, Nine, SBS, ABC, and Fox Sports working with reporters and presenters on their presentation and storytelling skills, as well as many of Australia’s leading sportspeople. Clients have included Michael Slater, Wally Lewis, John Aloisi, Sharelle McMahon, Lara Bingle, Mark Ferguson, Ben Fordham, Allison Langdon, Mike Baird, Jonathon Brown, Glen Boss, and Tom Carroll.
In the past five years, I have created a new performance coaching app called 60 Seconds which is a crystallization of my experience.
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