Building Trust in Clinical Trials: The Key Role of Patient Advocacy Groups

For any clinical trial’s success, trust is non-negotiable. Patient advocacy groups are at the heart of this trust-building process, serving as vital connectors between pharmaceutical companies and participants. When industry leaders, from executives to managers, engage meaningfully with these groups, they’re not just ticking a box — they’re laying a foundation for transparency and trust […]

Why aren’t more physicians joining clinical trials?

Have you ever wondered why only a slim fraction of physicians are involved in clinical trials? Time:  Consider the relentless time crunch physicians face, balancing patient care with their other professional commitments. Diving into clinical trials is like adding another hefty layer to an already full plate. Incentives:  Without tangible rewards, be it financial, career […]

Agile pharma marketing: Teamwork principles

Collective Problem Solving: Encourage the whole team to engage in discussions on how to tackle challenges and develop strategies. This collective approach ensures a shared understanding and ownership. While specialization in tasks like data analysis, creative development, or regulatory compliance is necessary, it’s essential that all team members have a say in the overall strategy, […]

Efficiency in Oncology Drug Development: Navigating the Timeframe Dynamics

When we peel back the layers of drug development, focusing in on oncology, an unexpected narrative emerges:  It’s commonly believed that developing cancer drugs is a marathon of complexity and time (or if you ask some people, the only marathon that matters). However, a closer look at the data reveals a compelling story: the journey […]

Fostering Innovation in Business: Defining the key challenges

Innovation stands as a cornerstone for growth and sustainability. It’s not just a buzzword; it’s a critical strategy for companies seeking to stay competitive and agile.  This importance is echoed by business leaders globally:  84% of CEOs, agree that innovation is key to their company’s success. However, realizing the full potential of innovation is not […]

Agile pharma marketing: Agile team principles

Autonomous End-to-End Delivery Streams: Structure teams as mostly-autonomous units responsible for end-to-end delivery of marketing initiatives, from strategy development to execution and analysis. Equip teams with a diverse range of skills necessary for handling situations autonomously while ensuring they have the authority to act upon information promptly. This autonomy enhances the team’s ability to respond […]

Making R&D transformation sustainable through leadership transitions

Sanofi recently announced new leadership for R&D.  I’ll riff on this announcement to explore why the hire of a key executive ‘to continue the work of the departing key executive’, in the midst of a full on R&D transformation, is both critical and rare. First, let’s step back and familiarize ourselves with the basics of […]

3 Tips to Integrate New ways of Working in Your Study Teams 

We work in a complex industry, and the complexity is increasing.  Some of the contributing factors are the looming economic uncertainties, ongoing geopolitical conflicts, and evolving workforce dynamics, Leaders are overwhelmed with the burden of keeping their teams motivated and focused to consistently deliver value to their organizations. To address these challenges and distractions, Leaders […]

Aligning competing Pharma R&D priorities

Bill, VP of Clinical Development, entered the room clutching a cup of black coffee. Noticing Charles’s evident distress, he took a deep breath. “Charles,” he began cautiously, “I sense you have concerns with our latest design.” Charles looked up, meeting Bill’s gaze. “Bill,” he replied, “it’s not the design per se. It’s the lack of […]

How a risk-contingency playbook can accelerate your study program

We spend a lot of time attempting to mitigate against risks in pharma R&D, and most of the expertise, information, and guidance focuses on risk mitigation.  However, here is the cold, hard reality of risks – they happen The reality is that sometimes risks are ‘realized’ and can’t be mitigated.  It is my experience that […]

Clinical Program Leaders: Has your study team gone feral?

Once upon a time in the pharmaceutical industry, a grand experiment emerged as a result of an unprecedented global pandemic. White collar workers everywhere were sent home, uncertain of the future of their work. Yet, within a month, a surprising revelation unfolded: virtual teams could not only match, but often surpass, the productivity of co-located […]

3 simple tactics to improve study program team execution

In a world that thrives on complexity, the secret to unlocking exceptional team performance can be achieved through simple, straightforward steps. It is the simple, pragmatic tactics that often yield the most powerful results. The aim of this article is to illuminate three simple but transformative tactics to boost team execution: Creating a ‘single source […]

Pharma Senior Leadership Transitions

Frieda is a well- respected clinical operations leader within a large pharma company. She has built a solid reputation working across both the clinical and commercial functions over the last 10+ years. She and her team have been stretched thin driving critical initiatives and a recent re-shuffle has now led to 2 other adjacent teams […]

Pharma marketing: The importance of market feedback

Applying the principle of continuously obtaining feedback from the market and stakeholders involves creating a dynamic, integrated approach to engage with healthcare professionals, patients, and other stakeholders. This approach would ensure that marketing strategies and product development are closely aligned with the needs and preferences of the market. The following strategies are essential: Establish Direct […]

BioPharma Leaders: Avoid these behaviors

As we near the end of 2022, its worth taking a look back at year and understanding the behaviors that leaders might avoid or stop-doing to become better leaders. Before determining which of your “bad” behaviors to drop, ask a trusted colleague to share some of the perceptions that are holding you back from making […]

Biopharma Mindset Shifts for Successful Operations

Leaders in Biopharma are looking at some daunting trends in the coming years. Profits are on a general decline and costs are up. When it comes to big pharmaceutical companies, the greatest costs now come from sales and administrative expenses. Moreover, external factors, namely inflation and supply chain disruptions are adding to cost and uncertainty. […]

Big Pharma Can Win by Giving Big Tech a Taste of its Own Medicine

Pharma leaders are beginning to realize that they need to have the capability to analyze and extract insights from real world patient data to stay competitive. Big tech is already making headway into disrupting parts of pharma, primarily by being able to leverage data for making the healthcare experience more adapted to new consumers of healthcare […]