The pharmaceutical reimbursement landscape has grown increasingly complex and—thanks to an intensifying focus on improving clinical outcomes—increasingly competitive. Reimbursement was once a formality that followed regulatory approval. Now, it’s forcing life science companies to rethink their market access strategies and reorganize the way they develop and launch products.
The task of executing these new strategies may be even more complex, as companies seek to embed market access considerations into almost every stage of development and streamline the process of getting therapies into patients’ hands.
When the head of market access at a biopharmaceutical company was preparing to launch a new drug, she became concerned about her ability to address a critical component of strategic execution: the creation of effective sales training and support materials. The environment was competitive, and the launch accompanied a shift into the retail market. She needed to make sure that the company’s salesforce was not just aligned with the new strategy but could communicate effectively with physicians and providers.
Committed to finding an approach that enabled her to move both quickly and efficiently, the SVP of Global Market Access contacted Business Talent Group.
An independent answer
Independent consultants are an excellent resource in situations where deadlines are tight and internal resources are spread thin on competing priorities. Today’s top independents often have both consulting and executive experience, along with deep expertise in niche areas like value proposition development, pricing, sales training, and project management.
That was certainly true of Business Talent Group’s consultant, a global marketer who was accomplished in commercial strategy, product development, and brand launch. Before he became independent, this consultant had worked at a boutique life science consultancy, then held marketing roles at a series of global biopharma companies. He understood the fast-changing access marketing landscape and brought an experienced, practical perspective to the project as he coordinated with stakeholders, managed deadlines, and drove to specific deliverables.
Building new sales models
Clinicians are no longer the sole focus for pharmaceutical marketers. It’s still critical, however, for marketers to address them—and craft messages that are relevant to their needs. Pharmaceutical sales teams thus need to be armed with actionable information and resources that help physicians simplify access for appropriate patients and provide a seamless patient experience. What is the ideal patient for a therapy? What access obstacles exist and how can they be overcome? And how do those answers fit with broader go-to-market strategies? Compliance adds another layer of complexity, limiting the amount and type of information that sales teams can be given.
BTG’s consultant helped the client’s access team build a robust suite of sales tools to support the upcoming launch, identifying specific training modules and developing appropriate support tools. He also oversaw the process of shepherding them through the company’s maximum allowable cost (MAC) approval process. Two months later, they were ready to be presented at the company’s annual U.S. Regional Sales meetings, and were deployed out to the field soon thereafter.
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