Pharmaceutical lifecycle management: making the most of each and every brand

Svetlana Borukhova

doi:10.1515/gps-2014-0014

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Pharmaceutical lifecycle management: making the most of each and every brand

Svetlana Borukhova

Published/Copyright: March 18, 2014

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From the journal Green Processing and Synthesis Volume 3 Issue 2

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Ellery Tony Hansen Neal Wiley-Blackwell 2012 Hardcover, 412 pp Price: € 77,90 ISBN: 978-0-470-48753-2

Pharmaceutical lifecycle management (LCM) written by Tony Ellery and Neal Hansen provides a manual for potential measures that could maximize the overall profit of a pharmaceutical company. The authors begin with involving the reader into a pharma world, showing the risks and compliances associated with establishing a competitive market position. The dimensions of the pharma world are extensively described in the first part of the book. Firstly, challenges on the route to success are presented along with an introduction to possible strategies that can help to avoid the negative effects of bumps on the road. Examples of actions taken by famous companies during their struggles are presented. The authors compare the phases of the lifecycle in general with those of a pharmaceutical brand to elucidate the need for a different approach.

Legal and governmental constraints imposed on pharma are presented on a global level. Their evolution is presented in chronological order. One of the constant threats is the genericization. The nature and importance of filing a patent are discussed in great detail. A way to defend the exclusivity by patents is given with a clear indication of limitations and possibilities.

Later the author move on to presenting tactics and strategies on how to approach LCM. Two aspects of LCM are given as developmental and commercial. The aspects are well defined and the explanation is structured in a comparative manner, which helps in seeing them in parallel while designing LCM. Prior to the design strategies, the authors provide a tactical approach to the integration of LCM in a specific brand development. Goals and keys to success are described, which solidifies the picture of brand LCM and gives the reader a concrete basis for a brand LCM plan. Finally, the authors concentrate on describing how to design and build a concrete portfolio for brands with integrated LCM.

In conclusion, it should be stated that the authors reached their goals in providing a reference manual for potential measures that should be applied in case the life and profit of a brand are to be maximized. Moreover, they raise awareness to the need of differentiating the brands within a company to select the brands with higher long-term profitability that deserve a longer life and require better management. The structure of the book is perfect due to the fact that reading it from beginning to end results in an interwoven mind map. However, it could also easily be used as reference material, as some material is repeated and clear definitions are given throughout the book. One of the strong points of this book is the global perspective on the pharma world. The financial aspect is discussed as it will always serve as one of the key arguments in favor of investing in LCM design or skipping it to have short-term success. Thus, a decision tree is included and followed by a collection of case histories that show where LCM could help and where it could be done without. Occasional humor and sarcasm expressed by the authors lightens the mood of the book. Finally, the authors state that there are three essential pillars to a good LCM program and process; planning, people and passion. This brings about two of my favorite quotes: “Failing to plan is planning to fail” and “Nothing is worth doing without passion”.

Published Online: 2014-3-18

Published in Print: 2014-4-1

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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