Pharmaceutical Market Europe • July/August 2025 • 14

INNOVATIVE IMPACT BLOG

STEPHANIE HALL

WHY LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT IS
PHARMA’S MOST UNDERRATED CAPABILITY

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How early decisions, strategic agility and cross-functional intent unlock lasting brand value

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Pharmaceutical marketers must face up to a fundamental truth – sustainable brand performance needs regular, proactive strategic stewardship. It evolves, driven by science, shaped by strategy and challenged by the realities of the geographic market and disease area. That’s why life cycle management (LCM) should not be seen as simply a technical process and should never be the cause of a patent expiry panic. Those who have mastered the art and discipline of making proactive strategic decisions, early and often, really do maximise the long-term value of their pharma brands.

At its best, LCM is how companies extract every possible bit of value from their innovations, and I do not just mean commercially, but in terms of patient access and outcomes, competitive positioning, cross-indication and cross-portfolio fit. It requires planning from early pre-launch and continued strategic agility through to the end.

I recently discussed this subject with Aidan Metzinger, Senior Director, Pfizer Marketing Excellence & Academy, who agrees: “Maximising an asset’s life cycle value has long been a strategic objective across the industry. Achieving this, however, requires a truly unified global approach – one that adapts insights from every customer type and market, while maintaining a genuine focus on addressing patient needs through modern techniques and future-looking technologies.”

Having worked with brand teams across discovery, launch, growth and loss of exclusivity, what sets the most successful ones apart is not a secret playbook – but rather that they have an innate ability to make confident decisions that match each phase of the life cycle.

Commercial clarity starts long before launch

Even in early clinical development, commercial strategy matters. Defining the target product profile in line with future market realities – access needs, competition, patient population clarity – gives brand teams a head start. It is also when strong leaders align the new product with the broader portfolio and sharpen their focus on top-priority geographies. These are not aspects that are ‘nice to have’ – they are critical indicators of future launch success.

Phase 3 is when life cycle strategy takes shape. Brand leaders need an integrated go-to-market plan that brings medical, market access and marketing together from the outset. That includes indication sequencing, geographic resourcing and critical-path planning. It is also the point to test assumptions: what evidence will matter most? How are we planning for cross-functional launch readiness? The groundwork here pays dividends in pre-launch alignment.

Launch is only the beginning

As the brand nears launch, every lever – from segmentation and differentiation to evidence generation and promotional mix plus pricing and access – needs sharpening. The best teams build flexibility into their plans, prepare for local variation and keep global strategic alignment clear. They conduct honest readiness assessments, identify capability gaps and adjust resourcing.

Strong launches need operational excellence, but agility maintains momentum. Market dynamics, prescriber behaviour, access barriers and competitors change quickly. Access, patient insights and prescriber initiation remain as top priorities, but so does reassessing the brand’s relevance and value.

Growth and competition require ongoing recalibration

In the growth phase, teams can deepen prescribing, strengthen clinical advocacy and increase uptake, but only if resource allocation stays aligned. All too often, success stalls because investment does not evolve. Revisiting assumptions, challenging growth ceilings and focusing on value delivery, not just volume, makes a difference.

As competition increases, strategy must sharpen. Differentiation needs evidence, insight and clear positioning. This is the moment to test resourcing. Reassessing the commercial value of indications and focusing resources where they matter most is more effective than being spread too thin. Smart teams adjust the resource model to match opportunity across the life cycle, across indications and across the portfolio.

Maturity and LOE are pivots, not endpoints

With declining revenues ahead, mature brands still hold room for smart wins. That might mean focused digital engagement, refreshed services or rebalancing geographies. Bold teams shift metrics, roles and operating models to reflect what drives final growth. Mature brands investing in refreshed healthcare professional (HCP) engagement, especially through digital, can stay relevant beyond expectation.

Brands facing loss of exclusivity (LOE) should still expect to deliver value with patients, pharmacies and HCPs. Forward-thinking teams plan early for label changes, pricing and ways to protect brand equity. Building on brand heritage and managing the pharmacy channel transition helps extend impact as models evolve. This phase shows the strength of earlier decisions, whether the brand was future-proofed or held too tightly for too long.

LCM calls for proactive thinking, creative problem-solving and cross-functional alignment. For all it demands, it rewards with lasting value.


Stephanie Hall is Founder and CEO at Uptake

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