Many new biotechs start off as virtual companies. But at each stage of development, you always end up asking whether you should stay virtual or build your own in-house wet labs. What are the pros and cons of being virtual? And is there a more pragmatic “semi-virtual” approach?
Continue reading →Many research-stage biotechs and other small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) prioritize partnerships with Big Partners or in Big Disease Indications without sufficient consideration of other options. But SMEs need to consider other factors when deciding who to partner their assets with and how. As do large pharmas partnering with SMEs … Continue reading →
As the 2015–16 English Premier League football season ends, I reflect on the lessons that smaller/medium sized enterprises (SMEs) can learn from Leicester City’s unlikely victory. In addition, to the usual lessons on how an underdog can triumph over much bigger competitors, I explore three other important lessons that are … Continue reading →
Some interesting findings from an industry study on the operational performance drivers in clinical R&D were published earlier this month, many of them challenging established wisdom. In this article, I comment on these findings and look at their implications for both the big pharmas and especially the smaller biopharma SMEs. … Continue reading →
Partnering assets with large pharmaceutical, diagnostic or medical device multinationals is a critical part of the business model for many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the life sciences. But does it make sense for an SME to have a clearly defined partnering strategy or should it be opportunistic? … Continue reading →
Pfizer’s proposed Hospira acquisition is the latest in a long line of deals that have moved generic drugs into the mainstream of Big Pharma corporate strategy. Once seen as threats eating away at their expensively-built revenue streams, generics now have a distinct role in many Big Pharmas’ business models. In … Continue reading →
In this final instalment of our 3-part series, we look at bioscience platform companies as they mature into focused product businesses. What drives this transition? What are the key success factors as a focused product business? This article covers in more detail Stage 4 of the lifecycle of bioscience platform … Continue reading →
In this second instalment of our 3-part series, we look at the adolescent and early adulthood stages of bioscience platform companies. What drives the transition to these stages? What are the key success factors during these stages? This article discusses in more detail Stages 2 and 3 of the lifecycle … Continue reading →
What are bioscience platform companies? And how do they eventually develop into fully-fledged product businesses? Most industry participants, commentators and investors recognize and understand start-up biotech companies at one extreme, and fully-fledged pharmaceutical and medical device product companies at the other. However bioscience platform companies are neither. They can be … Continue reading →
Managers at all levels are increasingly involved in strategy development and execution. With this audience in mind, this article aims to demystify a few common misconceptions and clarify some essential truths about Strategy. … Continue reading →
Most Pharma companies focus their R&D activities by therapeutic area. But in the New Pharma world of Payers as Customers, does this continue to make sense? In this article, we will look at the history and evolution of therepautic area focus in R&D, highlight today’s new requirements and suggest a pragmatic … Continue reading →
“Stretching” a brand into new products and services is a well known strategy for generating new revenues. The idea is to exploit customer brand loyalty with new offerings while retaining or even enhancing the original brand values. However it’s not always quite this straightforward, as illustrated with this cautionary Tale … Continue reading →
