Pharmaceutical Market Europe • October 2026 • 14
HEALTHCARE
MAXINE SMITH
A FIVE-STEP FRAMEWORK FOR PRECISION LAUNCH
The decisions that will have the greatest influence on performance
Pharma has spent years making launch harder to get wrong, with tighter governance, more rigorous readiness and more disciplined execution. Those advances have undoubtably raised the industry standard, as well as increasing confidence in the launch process, even when confidence in the strategy is less certain.
Applying the same framework to every launch may well create consistency, but it does not reflect the different risks each product faces. A rare disease therapy that depends on identifying previously undiagnosed patients faces different challenges from a late entrant in an established market. An access-constrained medicine requires a different approach from a category creator seeking to change clinical practice.
At Prescient, we have identified the next opportunity as ‘Precision Launch’. It focuses launch effort on the decisions, assumptions and moments that will have the greatest influence on performance. Here, I summarise this approach in five steps.
1. Start with the launch archetype
Every launch has a distinct risk profile. Before assessing readiness, leaders should identify the type of launch they are preparing for.
A rare disease launch depends on diagnosis and patient finding. A competitor-shadowed entrant relies on differentiation. An access-constrained product succeeds through evidence generation and reimbursement strategy, while a category creator must build new clinical behaviours before demand can develop.
Archetyping highlights where conventional launch practices are sufficient and where additional focus is needed. It provides the context for prioritising effort throughout the launch.
2. Focus on the ‘must-win’ moments
Every launch contains hundreds of activities, but only a small number of decisions materially influence its trajectory – and those decisions will be specific, influenced by individual launch parameters.
We call these ‘Must-Win Moments’ and they might include identifying the first eligible patients, securing reimbursement, changing prescribing behaviour or responding to an unexpected competitive move. Success in these moments creates momentum for everything that follows.
Readiness should reflect how well the organisation is prepared for these pivotal decisions. Routine activities still require discipline, clear ownership and defined milestones. Leadership attention should concentrate on the moments that carry the greatest strategic weight.
3. Build decision architecture
For every Must-Win Moment, teams should define the decision to be made, the assumptions supporting it, the evidence behind those assumptions, the signals that would challenge them and who has the authority to respond.
Making assumptions explicit strengthens decision quality and creates a shared understanding of when the strategy should be revisited. Scenario testing, benchmarking and rehearsal expose weaknesses before they appear in the market and allow teams to prepare responses in advance.
4. Create a common backbone with local flexibility
Precision Launch depends on consistency across markets. Global teams should define the strategic intent, critical assumptions, evidence standards and non-negotiable decisions that hold the launch together.
Markets should adapt that backbone to local healthcare systems, treatment pathways, competitive dynamics and access realities. Clear guidance on where adaptation is expected allows markets to respond confidently while preserving strategic alignment.
5. Turn dashboards into decision systems
Most launch dashboards measure activity and outcomes. Precision Launch also tracks the assumptions that underpin strategy.
Leading indicators such as patient identification, referral behaviour, payer engagement or emerging field objections should have predefined thresholds, named owners and agreed actions. The purpose is to recognise when the evidence is changing and respond while there is still time to influence the launch trajectory.
So, how do we move on from the universal launch playbook?
The universal launch playbook has served the industry well. The next source of advantage lies in Precision Launch, recognising that different launches demand different priorities and creating the governance and culture to adapt as evidence evolves. Decision rights should enable rapid action and constructive challenge should be encouraged before certainty becomes embedded. Teams need the confidence to revisit assumptions and the authority to course-correct when circumstances change. These capabilities will define the most successful launches of the future.
Maxine Smith is Head of Practice – Partner at Prescient