Establishing a medication in the market is challenging. In this interview, Andreas Hermwille discusses these challenges with Marc van Unen, author of “The Product Launch Playbook” and General Manager Germany of Aspargo Laboratories, and Ines Vogel from Metaplan, Life Sciences expert.
Andreas: Marc, how does a medication launch typically work? Are pharmaceutical companies as hierarchical as I imagine, with everything dictated from the global level?
Marc van Unen: Let’s take my launch as an example: Bayer 507939, which became Xarelto. You start with just a number – no product, no name, no colors. You have to create all that, usually done globally. It’s crucial to start early; organizations often start too late. You need to prepare the product and the market well. If it’s a new application area, experts must be convinced it will deliver. Studies help, but the know-how is anchored globally. When data comes in, it’s evaluated by authorities. After about a year with approval, the first countries start their introductions.
Watch the whole talk here (in German)
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Balancing Global Strategy and Local Adaptation
Andreas: Ines, how does global knowledge about medications work with country-level knowledge about specific markets?
Ines Vogel: Ideally, both come together. But it’s formally designed as a top-down rollout initially. Clinical development and study design decisions are global. That’s where you start incorporating expertise from economically relevant markets or those with influential actors. This negotiation is a micropolitical arena, with each market trying to influence the study design to fit their conditions.
When a launch is imminent, Global rolls out the strategy to the markets. There’s consultation, then some market adaptation, but it’s more of an adjustment than a new development. Guidelines are already set. Markets and country organizations sometimes hide specific strategies that might not align with global but fit their market.
A Collaborative Approach to Global Launches
Andreas: Marc, you’ve looked at this closely and seen a solution. How does it succeed for both global and country markets?
Marc: At Bayer, we were a global team of just three. I distributed tasks to country offices based on their strengths: England for health economics, Switzerland for concept boards, Germany for scientific programs. I paid them from the global budget, so they were willing to participate while incorporating our branding and story.
The result was surprising. Countries were engaged early because they were creating materials. When I offered England’s clinic folder to other markets, they wanted it immediately because it came from a country with practical experience, not from the global ivory tower. It stimulated exchange between countries, as they were more likely to approach England with questions than us. It meant more coordination for me, but the outcome was very positive.
The Role of Trust and Control
Andreas: How did this risk assessment look for you, Mark? What made you trust your colleagues in the countries?
Marc: Trust was a coincidental finding in my research. Countries participating in worldwide marketing meetings had better success and steeper product adoption curves. I conducted 20 interviews, and it came out clearly that when they saw my passion, they could trust me. This mutual trust is enormously important, built up at these meetings and social events. A large launch family forms.
Ines: As Metaplanners, we’d say trust and control are interdependent. By distributing tasks to individual countries, you were more involved in their processes. It’s a story of clever, collegial control. You created control points to accompany the process closely, not in a directive way. That’s how trust could arise and you could let go of things.
Andreas: How does the trust of colleagues from the countries in Mark develop? They didn’t control him, did they?
Marc: Partly. When material is created, countries bring in their perspective through co-creation. Sometimes it’s not accepted, but it’s explained. This engagement helped enormously because the same story and brand were shown everywhere, unlike in the past where products might be launched differently in each country. You can only achieve global consistency by incorporating countries’ perspectives in the co-creation process.
Ines: Integrating perspectives is about clever micro-political action, crucial when combining previously separate functions. We see this in sales forces and global organizations. It makes sense on paper but requires micro-political investment. Everyone gives up something when division of labor is abandoned, which is often overlooked.
Key Takeaways for Successful Launches
Andreas: What can we extract from your case, Marc? Is this interdependent approach generally recommended for launches?
Marc: A launch is a cross-functional collaboration involving marketing, Medical Affairs, developers, and regulatory. Everyone needs to look beyond their perspective and work together. It’s crucial to transfer this to countries in digestible pieces.
The key is to start early. Prepare the product, the market, and the company itself. This is often underestimated. The interplay between departments is becoming more crucial as development progresses faster, driven by AI.
Whether it’s a billion-dollar product or a small one, the work for product introduction is the same. The more we can standardize processes and build capacities with convergence, the more competitive a company can be.