From Development To Commercialization: Early-Stage Activities
In the early stages of product development, thought leader activities are typically science-oriented, and the thought leaders will often serve as advisors to the product team. At Company 13, the business development and the new product development groups work together to develop a new product. New product development performs its own market research for potential products and calls on thought leaders to help identify true market needs. The department hosts meetings where pipeline products are discussed, and thought leaders are invited to suggest products or types of products they would like to see developed.

The insight gained from practicing, thought-leading physicians can be instrumental in the early development of a compound. At Company 33, thought leaders are involved throughout the entire product development process. In the early stages of a product’s lifecycle, Company 33’s thought leaders help select indications based on their market viability. The company seeks thought leader input on which indications to develop and which areas of the market it should pursue if a product has the potential to be active in different areas. Regarding potential safety issues that have nothing to do with a product’s indication, companies will bring in experts to develop risk management plans. Thought leaders at many companies also assist with study design and planning for Phases 1 to 4 or with in-licensing products or compounds.

Excerpted from Chapter 2, Section 2: Criteria for Segmenting Thought Leader Candidates:

Tier 2 Thought Leader Profile
While Tier 2 thought leaders do not have quite the level of recognition that Tier 1 thought leaders attain, they remain important influencers, as they carry years of clinical experience, give speeches and write for publication. Tier 2 thought leaders at surveyed companies have an average of XX years of clinical experience. They produce an average of XX publications per year and give an average of six promotional speeches per year.

Tier 2 thought leaders lag noticeably behind their top-tier counterparts in the frequency of their high-profile activities; however, Tier 2 thought leaders maintain a professional presence through still-frequent speeches and publications.

Tier 2 thought leaders are similar to Tier 1 thought leaders in that neither segment includes any local thought leaders, highlighting the importance of geographic influence at the highest levels of thought leader segmentation. However, while surveyed companies reported that, on average, XX% of their Tier 1 thought leaders held global influence, only XX% of companies reported Tier 2 thought leaders with global influence. The largest portion of Tier 2 thought leaders belongs to the nationally influential group. XX% of companies believe that their Tier 2 thought leaders have national influence in the United States, and another XX% of companies see Tier 2 thought leaders carrying national-level influence in another country.

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