Pharma Launch Excellence Summit Main Conference Day 1: Tuesday 2nd December

The launch landscape is evolving rapidly-driven by digital transformation, empowered stakeholders, and complex global markets. Understanding where we're headed is key to building adaptive, future-proof launch strategies.

Delve into:

·       Interpreting key market, regulatory, and technology trends impacting product launches

·       Understanding the shifting expectations of patients, HCPs, and access stakeholders

·       Identifying the cross-functional skills needed to thrive in tomorrow’s launch environment

Leave with a strategic lens on what’s shaping launch excellence—and how to stay ahead.

Richard Hinde

Launch Excellence Lead & Global Brand Director
Norgine

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Ossama Ibrahim

Global Marketing Excellence Director
Merck Group

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Slot reserved for Within3, session details to be announced

Health systems aren't always ready for innovative therapies. Forward-thinking companies are embracing health system strengthening as a strategic lever—not a CSR initiative. Learn how cross-functional teams are building long-term partnerships that unlock sustainable market access while addressing health equity concerns.

·       Mapping system barriers to therapy adoption early in the launch planning process

·       Designing collaborative initiatives that align with healthcare system development goals

·       Embedding health equity considerations into market development strategies

·       Tracking impact of system investment on access, uptake, and market growth

Leave with tools to embed health system strengthening and equity initiatives into your long-term market development plans.

Karen Cheng

Former Global Medical Lead, Immunology
Sobi

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Jo Christon

Clinical Pathway Manager
Johnson & Johnson

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Launch excellence begins years before market entry, yet many organizations underestimate the critical importance of robust New Product Planning (NPP) in determining ultimate commercial success. The difference between breakthrough launches and disappointing market performance often lies in the quality of early preparation and strategic handover processes. At Takeda, systematic NPP processes have been instrumental in building organizational readiness and ensuring seamless transitions from development to commercialization. Attend this talk to understand how NPP teams are:

·       Establishing strategic foundations that set launch teams up for success through comprehensive early planning and stakeholder alignment

·       Implementing best practice handover processes that ensure critical knowledge, insights, and strategic direction transfer effectively between functions

·       Building organizational readiness capabilities that enable rapid, coordinated launch execution across diverse markets

·       Creating cross-functional NPP frameworks that bridge development, regulatory, medical, and commercial objectives from early stages

Jolanda Koenders

Head of Launch Excellence and New Product Planning, Central South East Europe
Takeda

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Robust market intelligence forms the backbone of successful launch strategies. This session explores how to build, validate, and leverage market insights that drive competitive advantage.

·       Developing comprehensive competitor intelligence frameworks across product types

·       Translating market research into actionable launch tactics and messaging

·       Integrating intelligence from diverse sources to create unified market narratives

·       Market intelligence – do we know our evidence gaps?

Leave with methodologies to strengthen your market intelligence capabilities and make more informed launch decisions.

Slot Reserved for Sponsor Partner

Laura Wallace

Former Global Head of Integrated Evidence
Boehringer Ingelheim

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Even the best-designed launch plans can falter in execution without deliberate coordination. Implementation science provides a structured lens for moving from strategy to tangible outcomes, while omnichannel ensures continuity across stakeholder interactions.

·       Applying implementation science to ensure consistent, evidence-based launch execution across functions

·       Synchronizing omnichannel efforts to maximize HCP and patient engagement touchpoints

·       Creating shared accountability from strategy to delivery at every functional level

·       Integrating portfolio-level considerations into individual product forecasts

·       Come away with strategies to make forecasting a unifying strategic tool rather than just a numbers exercise.

Leave with a blueprint to operationalize your strategy and drive coordinated launch success.

Roundtable 1: AI in Action: Where Launch Teams Are Seeing Real Impact

As AI hype evolves into real capability, pharma launch teams are beginning to adopt and test AI-powered tools across the value chain - from insight generation to content development. This roundtable explores what’s working, what’s scalable, and what’s still to be proven.

• Share successful use cases of AI supporting pre- and post-launch activities
• Explore barriers to adoption and strategies to overcome internal resistance
• Discuss future AI capabilities that could redefine launch planning

Roundtable 2: Digital-First Launch Design: Getting Personalisation, Channels & Execution Right

Today’s launches demand more than digital add-ons—they require fully integrated omnichannel strategies tailored to stakeholder behaviours. But executing that vision remains a challenge. Join peers to dissect what’s working and how to optimise digital-first launch blueprints.

• Define what a true “digital-first” launch looks like for your product and audience
• Share challenges integrating content, channels, data and systems for end-to-end orchestration
• Discuss KPIs and best practices for measuring digital launch effectiveness

Roundtable 3: Real-Time Insights, Smarter Decisions: Enabling Agile Launch Execution

Speed and adaptability are increasingly critical as market dynamics shift post-approval. This discussion focuses on how data and insights are being operationalised to enable real-time pivots, smarter targeting, and ongoing optimisation during the launch window.

• Identify the most valuable data streams during the first 6–12 months post-launch
• Explore tools and structures for real-time insight capture and decision-making
• Share lessons from teams that have successfully pivoted post-launch

Roundtable 4: Getting Ahead of the Curve: Using Predictive Analytics to De-Risk Launch Planning

With pressure to get launches right the first time, teams are increasingly turning to predictive analytics to reduce uncertainty and stress-test strategies. This session explores how forecasting, simulation, and modelling tools are shaping smarter launch plans.

• Share how predictive tools are being used in early-phase and pre-launch stages
• Discuss how to scenario-plan for pricing, access, uptake and competition
• Explore how commercial and data teams can collaborate to drive smarter predictions

Talk Details to be Announced

Sandra Almeida

Assoc. Director, Medical Excellence and Innovation Lead
KalVista Pharmaceuticals

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In this insightful session, we'll explore the critical aspects of measuring launch success in the pharmaceutical industry, with a particular focus on rare disease markets. We'll address the industry-wide challenge of balancing standardized success metrics with the unique needs of diverse markets.

·       Developing comprehensive KPIs that encompass both commercial outcomes and patient impact

·       Integrating quantitative and qualitative measures for a well-rounded evaluation

·       Adapting metrics for markets with varying resources and healthcare systems

·       Consistent launch measurement across different regions

·       Leveraging launch metrics to inform strategic decisions and resource allocation

·       Using success measurements to drive continuous improvement in launch strategies

Margarita Saakova

Global Head of Launch and Strategic Planning
Alexion Pharmaceuticals

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Forecasting is more than a commercial exercise- it’s a strategic alignment tool. When done right, it anchors cross-functional planning and creates shared accountability. When done wrong, it fuels disconnect, finger-pointing, and misaligned execution.

·       Building forecasts collaboratively to reflect real-world assumptions across functions

·       Assigning ownership of assumptions, not just numbers, to ensure accountability

·       Creating transparency through shared access, updates, and scenario planning

·       Integrating portfolio-level considerations into individual product forecasts

Come away with strategies to make forecasting a unifying strategic tool rather than just a numbers exercise.

Richard Hinde

Launch Excellence Lead & Global Brand Director
Norgine

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In an increasingly competitive and resource-constrained launch environment, AI and insight-driven planning are no longer optional - they’re essential. From early scenario planning to post-launch assessments, teams can utilise vast amounts of data and analysis to eliminate guesswork and confidently direct investment. In this session, Vynamic explores how their new LaunchNav tool helps launch leaders plan, benchmark, stress-test, and continuously refine their launch plans with precision.

• Pulling together structured insights to build tailored, benchmarked launch plans that ensure teams are focused on the right activities for a successful launch
• Using rich data to scenario plan, audit, and adapt launch in real time to increase efficiency and optimise team alignment
• Translating market and industry intelligence into clear, confident go-to-market decisions that drives investment

Leave with a vision for how AI, insight, and consultancy expertise can supercharge your launch lifecycle - from planning through to execution.

Ashley Stanley

Executive, Product Launch Practice Lead
Vynamic

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While scenario planning has theoretical value, Will Goulding, Senior Director of Marketing Operations at Astellas Pharma, brings practical experience in navigating real-world launch challenges - particularly in post-launch optimization. Drawing from experience launching products within the pharmaceutical industry, Will shares insights on cross-functional management and data-driven decision-making that transformed potential market barriers into opportunities.

·       Real-world navigation: Converting unexpected challenges into cross-functional collaboration opportunities

·       Breaking barriers to HCP: Engaging HCPs through innovative schemes and targeted education

·       Data-driven decision making: Implementing robust KPI tracking frameworks that enable quick course corrections

·       Cross-functional execution: Creating effective partnerships between medical, commercial, and market access teams when it matters most

Will Goulding

Senior Director of Marketing Operations
Astellas Pharmaceuticals

See Bio