Brand 6
Brand 6, a first-in-class drug, launched into a well-established disease area with an extremely large patient population. Physicians and patients alike eagerly await new treatment options in this space, however, and significant unmet need across different patient subsets put Brand 6’s projected sales well into blockbuster territory, as seen in Figure 6.1 [full data figures and table appear in complete report].

Brand 6’s key challenges at launch were to spread awareness of its efficacy and convenience among a variety of different audiences. Fortunately, positive clinical data and market buzz over the drug’s mechanism of action and accompanying delivery device – along with a launch marketing expenditure of more than $150 million, as seen in Figure 6.2 and Table 6.1 – helped drive rapid sales uptake during the product’s first year.

To market its first-in-class product, the team had to unseat long-standing market leaders and convince physicians of Brand 6's efficacy. Significant early investments in speakers, meetings and thought leader work created interest in the drug’s innovator status. At the same time, comprehensive research of the market and competitors identified unmet needs that led to the development of Brand 6’s delivery mechanism.

The drug was backed by an experienced commercial organization with access to relatively deep funding. This support, both in terms of resources and marketing expertise, maximized the commercial impact of Brand 6’s clinical improvements while innovating in terms of the delivery device. A world-class marketing team worked with industry-leading investments to bring a truly innovative product into a well-prepared market. Brand 6 shows how clinical superiority, deep resources and clear market understanding combine to launch a blockbuster product.
 

Phase IIIa Resources
As seen in Figures 6.3 and 6.4, Brand 6 focused its pre-submission marketing investments on a few key areas. The bulk of activity occurred in communication with the medical community, but early market and competitor research also played a role, as did market access activity.

…To read more, please see Chapter 6 of “US Launch: Phase IIIa, Phase IIIb and Launch Year Brand Commercialization”