Pharmaceutical Early-Stage Marketing Teams Must Increase Role in R&D, New Study Shows

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., June 5 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study underscores the importance of new product marketing teams adding their commercial perspective earlier in the drug research and development process. According to pharmaceutical intelligence firm Cutting Edge Information, there is a structural, strategic and process gap between R&D and marketing that causes a disconnect between what the market wants, what patients need and how researchers develop drugs (http://www.unitingresearchandmarketing.com/).

Pharma companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars to develop new products - without knowing the key market demographics and the scope of medical needs, R&D cannot build products that will achieve immediate sales uptake.

Progressive companies are bridging the gaps between marketing and R&D with integrated project management teams, formal communication processes, and co- governed portfolio management authorities. Top-performing drug companies build core marketing competencies in early-, middle-, and late-stage commercialization by dedicating project (or product) management teams to guide the commercial development of drugs as they progress through each of those three stages. Project management teams usually consist of marketers with expertise in the different commercial development activities required for products in each of those three broad lifecycle stages.

"Uniting R&D and Marketing for Integrated Early-Stage Market Preparation" available at http://www.unitingresearchandmarketing.com/, includes strategies and tactics from 15 top pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer, Novartis, Merck, and Sanofi-Aventis. Failing to unite marketing and R&D in the drug development process may cause companies to spend millions on drug candidates that may not be commercially viable.

"Gathering these players in the same conference room enables communication, knowledge sharing and activity coordination," said Elio Evangelista, research team leader at Cutting Edge Information. "It also unites people from different backgrounds with diverse experiences and expertise to achieve common objectives."

To download a free summary of this 132-page report, visit http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/unitingresearchandmarketing/index.htm#body. For more information on this report or to learn about other research being conducted by Cutting Edge Information, contact Oveda Slade at oveda_slade@cuttingedgeinfo.com or 919-403-6583.