Commercializing A Breakthrough Medicine

A major biopharmaceutical company had developed a breakthrough medication that stood to dramatically disrupt the market for its therapeutic area. Expected to be approved by the FDA in the next year or two, this new drug had the potential to bring billions of dollars upon approval. What, then, was the best way to commercialize it, maximizing long-term shareholder value while generating near-term revenue that could fund other promising pipelines? The company’s CEO turned to BTG in search of an experienced commercial life sciences consultant to help them quickly examine the options and form a tangible business plan.

BTG’s consultant—a former Monitor Principal and biopharma executive who had shaped commercial strategies in this therapeutic area at other major companies—stepped in for a hands-on assessment. He evaluated the strategies the client had already outlined and developed what each business plan would look like. Then, he worked with the client to prioritize the options and select the most promising one. The client was so happy with his work that, months later, when executives brought on L.E.K. to benchmark their launch strategy for the drug, he requested to re-engage him in an advisory capacity to assist the large firm in their work.