Addressing the Key Question Your Prescribers Will Ask on Day One

We’ve had the opportunity to participate in or examine our fair share of pharma/ biotechnology brand launches over the years. What sets apart most successful product launches from sub-optimal product launches is the ability to address one central question your physicians will almost certainly ask at approval.

What is the one patient type that will best showcase the benefits of your product?

Successful launch brands frequently ask for a very specific patient type. In contrast, less successful brands often ask for everyone, because they are afraid to lose out on any potential market share. This approach results in physicians relegating the new, unfamiliar product to the area of highest unmet medical need, which rarely aligns with the company’s desired brand positioning or strategic goals.

It’s critical to be able to clearly articulate to physicians ‘who is’ and ‘who is not’ the optimal candidate for your drug. When done right, ownership of the right patient type will ultimately unlock a broader patient population as physicians gain positive experiences the brand. You may ask, “But what if we end up niching our brand instead?” This is a testable proposition, but one that many organizations avoid due to inflated pre-launch sales forecasts and expectations, which lead teams to feel they must market the product for everyone or risk missing their targets.

By not identifying the ‘ideal patient’ prior to launch, you inadvertently push this task to the sales organization as they face this question during their initial sales visit.

Need help identifying your ideal patient type? We are experts in creating the positive tension that forces a thorough examination of the market and your data to identify this patient for your brand. Here’s a hint… it’s not everyone!