Three Imperatives Pharma Leaders Should Prioritize This Year

The rules that governed pharmaceutical strategy for the past two decades are being rewritten in real time, driven by political, cultural, and behavioral change. U.S. policy priorities are reshaping investment decisions across the globe. China and India, established manufacturing bases, are maturing their product innovation capabilities. And artificial intelligence (AI) is changing how pharmaceutical companies engage with healthcare professionals (HCPs), who increasingly access the information they need to make clinical decisions using digital mediums. This also applies to patients, who now have AI tools such as ChatGPT Health and Claude for Healthcare at their fingertips.

For commercial leaders, this environment challenges longstanding assumptions about pricing strategy, geographic prioritization, and commercial engagement. Three imperatives now face leaders seeking success in 2026. They must navigate the global policy reset, future-proof go-to-market strategies, and innovate to meet modern realities and demands.

Navigate the global policy reset

Policies are shifting in ways that affect decisions about manufacturing and R&D investments, country prioritization, and the broader corporate strategy. Companies that invest in and build policy intelligence will be better positioned to stay agile in a complex, dynamic environment. With much still in flux, the ability to monitor policy developments and identify opportunities to influence outcomes has become a strategic priority.

In many ways, 2025 was the life science industry’s year of recalibration. Global pharmaceutical companies have pledged over $500 billion in U.S. manufacturing and research investments, signaling how seriously the industry is taking this new environment.¹ Most Favored Nation pricing discussions, which are linking U.S. prices to lower international benchmarks, are a factor to consider in a complex mix of individual company and country deals with the U.S. administration. The recent U.K.-U.S. tariff deal, which offered tariff relief in exchange for access reforms, may offer a template for bilateral negotiations elsewhere. The European Union is also investing billions to fuel biotech and simplify clinical trials while navigating a new wave of trade and price agreements.

Innovation leadership is also diversifying. China has spent a decade investing to become a significant global leader, both in the quantity of clinical activity and the quality of assets currently in development. Chinese firms attracted $48.5 billion in alliance commitments in the first half of 2025 alone,⁵ and the country now approaches the U.S. in clinical trial starts when measured by company headquarters.⁶ India is much earlier in this journey but shows clear momentum. The share of clinical trial starts conducted by Indian-headquartered companies grew 109% from 2019 to 2024,⁶ and the government has committed to substantial investments in research and development initiatives.

For pharmaceutical leaders, these shifts demand a more proactive stance. Policy can no longer be treated as a “nice to have.” It has become a strategic variable that shapes where to invest, how to price, and whom to partner with. Companies should monitor developments, engage with policymakers, and adapt quickly to changing policies. Those that identify opportunities early will have a meaningful advantage over those that wait for clarity on policy direction. In this fast-moving environment, proactivity is essential, while reactivity is a liability.

Future-proof go-to-market strategies

The way HCPs access information to support clinical decisions is changing. Research undertaken in 2025 by IQVIA subsidiary EPG Health shows that 54% of HCPs already use generative AI to obtain scientific information and rate it above field sales representatives as an information source.⁷ Meanwhile, pharmaceutical executives overestimate the importance HCPs place on medical science liaisons (85% vs. 39%) and sales representatives (74% vs 30%).⁷

This gap in perception demands attention. Companies should first work to understand why the gap exists, then build strategies that either improve the relevance and value delivered by field teams or reprioritize resources accordingly. Given the ability of AI to effectively handle routine information, it is increasingly important to determine the value that human engagement provides. This also means rethinking content strategy to ensure that company information is discoverable and accurately represented in any AI-powered search.

Separately, new funding approaches are emerging outside of traditional reimbursement. Self-pay channels have expanded considerably in markets such as the U.K., where major online pharmacy platforms now offer a wide range of prescription medications out of pocket. These medications range widely from dermatological products to vaccines, migraine treatments, and more, but by far the largest segment is the new obesity medications. Over two million U.K. patients now self-pay for monthly obesity medications, creating a market that exceeded £2 billion in 2025.¹

The common thread here is a shift in decision-making power, fueled in part by the rapidly expanding range of digital information and services available to HCPs and patients. Companies that recognize this shift and adapt their engagement models accordingly will be better positioned to compete in an increasingly fragmented marketplace. This means optimizing content for AI discovery, defining the distinct value of human touchpoints, and building the capabilities to engage patients as consumers navigating a modern, AI-guided world.

Innovate to meet modern realities

As technology advances and patient expectations increase, new formulations that improve convenience, affordability, and the range of drug delivery options are taking center stage. To compete in this highly dynamic environment, market leaders will need to innovate, both in the clinical and commercial domains.

For example, oral GLP-1 agonists are launching at price points around $149 per month in the U.S., and the overall cost of obesity treatments is on a long-term downward trajectory in the wake of deals between the administration and manufacturers. In countries that represent one-third of the global obesity population, which includes India, Turkey, Canada, Brazil, and China, off-patent semaglutide will become available in 2026.¹ As a result, the global obesity market could see significant expansion in users across high- and middle-income countries this uear, powering the potential for the market to reach $100 billion to $200 billion by 2030.¹

Another example is long-acting injectables in new therapeutic categories, which are set to disrupt the status quo throughout the year. GSK recently received approval for a twice-yearly allergy shot, joining their twice-yearly HIV injection that is already on the market.¹ For companies with established injectable franchises, two questions emerge: Can their products be adapted to these less frequent dosing schedules, and will patient demand be strong enough to drive adoption ahead of payer coverage?

To leverage responsiveness and agility in the face of faster competition and growing complexity, AI adoption is essential. It is time for market leaders to move from “perpetual pilot” mode to a more mature, proactive state that empowers clinical, medical, and commercial functions.⁷ Maturity, in this sense, is defined by more than the scale of implementation. It is defined by a virtuous circle of feedback, continuous improvement, and iterative rollout that spans the organization, delivers measurable value, and accelerates innovation at every stage of the product lifecycle.¹

A moment of opportunity emerges

In many ways, global pharma proceeds further into 2026 with far greater confidence and optimism than a year ago. The M&A market has resurged, with $133 billion of deals announced in 2025 and the uptick continuing in 1Q26.⁵ Many innovative pharmaceutical companies have now agreed to deals with the US administration, creating greater certainty for their business. Eli Lilly became the first healthcare company with a $1 trillion valuation in 2025, and the XBI, an indicator of US biotech sentiment, grew very positively in the last half of 2025.⁵

The trends transforming the industry in 2026 were already visible in 2025, from shifting US policy priorities to the rise of AI-powered information channels. Shifts have created the need for agile go-to-market approaches. Enhanced efficiency helps companies compete as profit margins come under pressure. All indications suggest the pace will continue, and what emerges will look quite different from the pharmaceutical market paradigm of the last several decades.

Organizations that invest in understanding the changing landscape, adapt engagement models, and build enterprise-level AI capabilities will be effectively positioned to help shape the future instead of reacting to it.

Sarah Rickwood is VP, EMEA thought leadership, at IQVIA

References

1. Rickwood S. Nine for 2026: Nine issues that are new or trend-breaking in 2026 for the global Life Sciences and Healthcare markets. Webinar. 2025.
2. European Investment Bank. European Commission and EIB Group announce new initiative to mobilize €10 billion investment for Europe's biotech sector. Press Release. December 2025.
3. European Commission. Commission proposes new measures to improve health and the healthcare sector. Press Release. December 2025.
4. European Commission. Proposal for a Regulation establishing a framework of measures for strengthening the Union's biotechnology and biomanufacturing sectors (Biotech Act). COM (2025) 1022 final. December 2025.
5. IQVIA Pharma Deals. Half-Year Review of 2025. White paper. August 2025.
6. Citeline Trialtrove; Pharma R&D Annual Review. Report. 2025.
7. IQVIA. Advancing Scientific Exchange: Trends and Tactics for Healthcare Professional Engagement. White paper. 2025.