
Why Early Communication is Crucial for a Successful Drug Launch
In this Pharmaceutical Executive video interview, Chris Martin, Chief Commercial Officer, Verona Pharma, discusses specific advantages for a small biotech company in crafting a unique commercialization strategy and the importance of starting early and getting aligned.
The article mentions that Verona Pharma is developing its own "playbook" for commercializing ensifentrine. What specific advantages do you see for a small biotech company in crafting a unique commercialization strategy compared to following established industry practices?
I think the
You emphasize the importance of "starting early and getting aligned" across departments in the article. Can you identify some of the potential challenges of achieving this alignment within a company, particularly for a first-time product launch?
this is a really important question on alignment. Because you know, without alignment, you won't be able to achieve the goals that you've set out for through the organization, I think the biggest thing that ensures alignment is proper communication. And for me, proper communication is not when you're done the solution, it's at the beginning of a solution. So, bringing in the appropriate stakeholders at the right time. I think all too often sometimes we get caught in our processes. And we bring people along too late that either bog down the process, or potentially allow people to not be heard, or feel like their voices actually heard. So, they ended up not buying into the solution as much as we want them to. So, what I found key throughout my career is involving people earlier in the process, I think, you know, in the article we talked a little bit about it's never too it's never too early to start the commercialization process. It's also never too early to really start communicating. I think one of the things that I see at Verona that's been very special as we've been aligned from an organizational standpoint, from clinical, to commercial to medical affairs, even in defining its HR and other functions that are in it, that are critical to ensure that we launched successfully. That's very different than what I've seen in other companies. Sometimes we end up working in silos, and those silos have their different priorities. So that alignment in your function, but more broadly within the organization is critical for success.
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