What’s happening now?

Biopharma innovation is increasingly focused on products that have specialized clinical value, like cell and gene therapies and orphan and rare disease drugs, as follow-on drugs are no longer as viable on the market as they once were. As evidenced by recent legislation and the persistence of drug pricing scrutiny, the rising costs of these innovative drugs make it more important to show deep scientific value to payers (both government and private), prescribers, patients, caregivers, and other external stakeholders.

Commercialization strategies in today’s market extend beyond the reach, frequency, and share-of-voice game of the past. Instead, companies must achieve new objectives and new market needs to commercialize an asset, including:

communicate the deep scientific valueengage with payers early on to inform the clinical and communication profile advise on clinical trial design so that products can be optimally positioned for payersserve as the collaborative bridge between medical affairs and value access

With science playing an ever more prominent role in driving the discussion, I think it’s now essential for all other parts of the launch process to become comfortable with the fact that they can - and should - take ownership of commercialization. And none more so than the medical affairs function.

Medical Affairs Driving Commercialization

Because the heavy emphasis of commercialization used to be sales and marketing, medical affairs professionals were often quick to shy away from claiming to be a part of the commercialization process.

I’ve thought for a while, and more people are starting to agree, that commercialization really begins with medical affairs, value, and access.

We’re now in an environment where payers are hyper-focused on the differentiating clinical value that a new product brings to the table, and it is medical affairs professionals who are best poised (and credentialed) to drive that asset value messaging.

Medical affairs touches a launch strategy at several points along the path to launch. But the earlier they can get involved and collaborate with value and access, the better positioned a product can be for payers.