Challenge Closed
What is one of the more innovative ways you have seen a life sciences company retain greater than expected number of patients and/or value despite being faced with generics, biosimilars and/or new competitive entrants?
November 15th 2023 @ 23:59 PM EST
Challenge
FAQ
Here was the background of the challenge.
A leading, multi-national life sciences company is facing the loss of exclusivity on one of their flagship brands in the next few years. For years that company has relied on the product to fuel its growth and the brand has been established as a standard of care in their particular therapeutic category. With the loss of patent exclusivity (i.e. patent expiration), this opens the door to new competitors in the marketplace with similar properties.
The goal of the company is to ensure continuous improvement for patients, caregivers and providers while working to retain as many patients and/or as much value as possible. Nevertheless, many insurers have mandatory substitution built into their policies, and insurance benefit structures favor generics and biosimilars over branded competitors. Furthermore, there are more biosimilars and generics available now than ever before, and consumers are used to using them.
FAQ
What is this all about?
What is in it for you?
How do I know if I have the expertise to participate?
What happens after I submit to the challenge?
How do I get involved with future challenges?
What is this all about?
We’re inviting our friends to spend a few minutes to think, problem solve and brainstorm. We are trying to “solve an unsolvable problem.” And the best way to solve intractable problems is to seek out insights and inspiration from clever people who don’t work day-to-day on these kinds of problems.
What is in it for you?
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How do I know if I have the expertise to participate?
We are looking for creative people who are skilled at spotting unexpected relationships and associations.* At the heart of it, we believe that people who see patterns, where others do not, are the secret ingredient to discovering new and better ways of doing things. Often times, the best solutions come from far outside the specific field of expertise.
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All submissions will be reviewed when the challenge closes. All participants will be contacted directly by our team to share the winners. For this reason, please ensure that you provide correct and up to date contact details. Winning contributors will be contacted and an award will be sent.
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Back to the challenge details
Submissions from the community
Delivery Dynamics
Viagra Authorized Generics
Epipen Public School Customer Strategy
The Formulation Formula
A Strategy by any other name would smell as sweet.
A secret, if you can keep it
Provide a physical, useful and supplemental thing that is important to patients and helps with with their therapy
Cultural strategy for generics entry in Japan
Expand your SCOPE!
Alleviate the Pain!
Coverage for Associated Tests w/Drug Product Usage
Delivery Dynamics
Improving delivery of a drug can provide an added value that extends exclusivity. This is done for small molecules by changing formulations, e.g. to create extended release formulas that decrease the frequency of taking a medicine. For a biologic that requires injection, a drug-device combination can add convenience and safety or even the option to take a drug at home vs at a clinic.
2
Viagra Authorized Generics
Pfizer entered the generic market for Viagra by launching an authorized generic version of Viagra. This allowed them to capture some of the market share that would have otherwise gone to competitors. Pfizer introduced its own generic version of Viagra, which was identical to the brand-name product in terms of active ingredient (sildenafil), dosage, quality, and manufacturing standards. This generic version was essentially the same as the original Viagra but without the brand name. Pfizer priced its authorized generic competitively, often at a lower cost than the brand-name Viagra but higher than some other generic versions. This pricing strategy aimed to attract both cost-conscious consumers and those who preferred the assurance of a product from the original manufacturer. Pfizer launched the authorized generic shortly before the expiration of Viagra's patent, ensuring a smooth transition from the brand-name product to the generic version for patients and healthcare professionals.
4
Epipen Public School Customer Strategy
Mylan's EpiPen faced competition from generic versions, and they implemented a multi-faceted strategy. Mylan lobbied for legislation that encouraged schools to stock EpiPens, increasing their market presence. Mylan launched public awareness campaigns to educate schools, parents, and healthcare providers about the importance of having epinephrine auto-injectors readily available in schools, where many children with allergies spend a significant portion of their day. These campaigns emphasized the potentially life-saving benefits of EpiPens.Mylan lobbied for legislation in various U.S. states that encouraged or mandated schools to keep EpiPens on hand for emergency use. The legislation often included liability protections for school personnel who administered the medication. By doing so, Mylan ensured that schools were more likely to purchase and stock EpiPens, increasing the market demand.
1
The Formulation Formula
One of the most creative ways I've seen of retaining and even gaining patients and value is through product lifecycle management - specifically creating a new, more convenient formulation or delivery mechanism that makes it easier for patients to take and adhere to their treatment. This works particularly well for medicines like infusions that typically require the involvement of healthcare professionals because payers immediately understand the benefit of a convenient drug that can be taken by patients without medical assistance. There are also potential added patent extension benefits.
0
A Strategy by any other name would smell as sweet.
1. Update packaging prior to loss of exclusivity (LOE) to differentiate yourself from the generics - blister with days/times that ensures compliance versus a bottle where patients may lose track. Keep co-pay on board post LOE - allows for commercial patients to likely pay less than a generic, especially early on. Not sexy but effective. 2. Machine learning/predictive analytics to identify "switch" threats and increase non-personal or other promotional vehicles to increase share of voice during this important window. This has proven to be effective.
1
A secret, if you can keep it
Product quality as a differentiator. We have several examples of old products that have maintained a high revenue base for decades, well beyond patent expirations, based on trade secret manufacturing processes that competitors have found difficult to replicate. While not necessarily a proactive strategy in the case of these examples, there was a demonstration of the unique quality characteristics of the innovator product that results in its efficacy profile. Unlike patents, trade secrets can last forever, though keeping them is not something a company can ever have 100% control over.
1
Provide a physical, useful and supplemental thing that is important to patients and helps with with their therapy
Years ago, one manufacturer provided an inexpensive wearable device to LATAM markets for patients suffering from chronic pain, including fibromyalgia. This allowed patients to track their symptoms and pain episodes more easily and then correlate those with their daily activity. Having an option to receive this device to support their treatment made them feel like they were indeed receiving a premium product from the manufacturer. This wasn't just another "app". It was something physical which provided the patient with a useful tool for sleep and activity tracking beyond reminding them of their disease. Today it wouldn't be as useful because of the market saturation of wearables/fitness devices. However, this model could certainly be duplicated today with "the next generation" of "things" that are important to patients beyond their actual medicine.
0
Cultural strategy for generics entry in Japan
In Japan, the MHLW forced the industry to use more generics. The expectation from MHLW for the pharmacy is to use more than 80% of what they prescribe should generics. As the strong pressure keeps going, many pharma companies lost their revenue right after the patent is expired like the U.S. As a result, a pharma negotiated with the country to manufacture "authorized generics". Authorized generic is manufactured by an affiliate or subsidiary company of the original manufacturer. The original manufacturer gives a license to use its patents to its affiliate or subsidiary, and the AG is manufactured by using the same factory, production line, drug substance, excipients, and everything else as the original brand-name drug. Japanese have higher expectations about the product quality so authorized generics were culturally suitable in Japan. Understanding the culture when entering is critically important in a life science industry.
0
Expand your SCOPE!
I have participated and launched after approval to look more broadly …. in looking at a tumor agnostic approach for a specific mutant type. So instead of focusing into a niche we opened the possibilities by looking forward to a larger group of patients who all express the same mutation. This was unexpected and now very successful in propelling the brand even in the face of LOE
0
Alleviate the Pain!
If you can't beat competitors on price or efficacy then you need to find another way to stand out - consider customer experience as your differentiator! Value added services can help to support the treatment pathway and overcome customer needs and barriers. If you can identify the needs that mean the most to your customers and find effective solutions to those problems and pain points, you can create opportunities to become the 'preferred' brand for patients and HCPs. Examples: Enbrel lost patent many years ago and faced biosimilar competition. The brand team focused on how to make it easier and less burdensome to administrate the treatment. No one likes to regularly inject themselves with needles. So the SmartClic device was created In the medical dermatology space, AbbVie regularly top the charts with HCPs in service and congress surveys etc giving the impression sometimes they 'own' Med Derm as a trusted experience partner. Patients are their North star and they invest heavily in extensive customer support services for them and HCPs. Their 'Complete Program' wraps around all of the portfolio in Med Derm providing a comprehensive and personalised services for a seamless experience. (It should be noted that they are risk takers when it comes to compliance and tread a fine line taking fines etc on occasion to drive this approach)
1
Coverage for Associated Tests w/Drug Product Usage
Coverage for the periodic lab work required when taking the product. For example when taking a drug for osteopenia or osteoporosis you need to have your bone density checked. If you stay w/the brand provide coverage / copayfor the test.
0
Open Challenge
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