BCG helps biopharma companies fulfill their mission of delivering life-changing medicines and therapies, and take advantage of new technologies—including digital, data, and advanced analytics—in order to unlock innovation and bring new medicines to market faster.
Biopharma companies turn inspiration into innovation, discovering new medicines that improve and save lives—and they’re in the midst of transforming how they do it. The global pandemic has pushed digital, data, and analytics to the forefront of the industry, shortening the time it takes to develop new medicines and bring them to patients. Next-generation capabilities are driving more rapid and effective manufacturing and supply chains. They’re also enabling the swift redesign of networks, the creation of new commercial models and patient-engagement ventures, and the pursuit of new value-creation opportunities through M&A.
BCG’s biopharma consulting experts work with companies to accelerate all of these changes, building a foundation for strong growth and sustained value creation.
R&D Innovation Strategy. BCG worked with a biopharma company to develop a holistic cell and gene therapy strategy. By collaborating, we identified entry points, current capabilities, possible M&A options, and needed investments, and created a high-level business plan.
Increased Customer Engagement. At a major pharma company, topline growth for a previously underperforming product jumped 50% in a year after BCG used CRM, payer data, and other analytics to assess its promotional efforts and improve customer engagement.
Disease Management Platform. BCG Digital Ventures partnered with a global pharmaceutical company to launch a platform for patients with inflammatory bowel disease, providing live daily data to clinicians and medical researchers, and allowing for better treatment and drug development.
Production Network Transformation. BCG guided a biopharma company through a multiyear transformation of its client network, production system, and supply model. The transformation included realigning site roles, combining portfolios, and pruning SKUs. It resulted in overall savings of more than $1.5 billion.
Post-Merger Support. We provided post-merger support for the integration of two flagship biopharma companies, preserving the best of each entity’s operating models while unlocking new potential, and creating opportunities to scale and diversify the unified portfolio. The result increased value through improved stock performance.
Our biopharma consultants work closely BCG’s specialty businesses on specific value-chain priorities, including digital supply chain, next-generation sales, personalization, and digital marketing. With our guidance, companies can rapidly scale new capabilities and ways of working through agile at scale, data and digital platforms, and our Build-Operate-Transfer approach. We collaborate with GAMMA on projects that require applied data science and advanced analytics, and with BCG Digital Ventures to launch new businesses.
Integrated into our biopharma solutions are an array of proprietary tools, including benchmarks, databases, and other knowledge assets. Some highlights:
The Disease Deep Dive Navigator data-mining tool provides up-to-date market intelligence on developments in seven therapy areas. Clients use dashboards to track activity by therapy, company, R&D pipeline, and clinical trials.
The Biopharma M&A Suite is a series of tools that clients can use to identify potential products or technologies that could be a good match for their current or future portfolio and capabilities.
The BCOMM Benchmark is a database of key metrics for European and US industry players that helps clients optimize their own commercial organizational structure and operating models. It includes organizational productivity ratios by geography and function, resource strength, and activity allocation by geography.
The Real-Time Demand Forecasting tool is part of the BCG Lighthouse high-frequency data and analytics platform. It uncovers rapid shifts in demand and source of demand, allowing for dynamic planning and resource allocation. Forecasts for trends come from sophisticated proprietary models and data visualization.
The External Supply Benchmark is a database of external supply metrics for outsourcing manufacturing operations to third-party suppliers, including data on corporate portfolio and performance, organization and operating models, and tech transfers. BCG hosts an annual companion event with top biopharma suppliers.
The Yield Optimization Tool Model compiles sensor and process data and then applies machine learning to predict and optimize biopharma manufacturing yield based on key drivers.
BCG helped Allergan launch a digital-transformation pilot to rework its medical aesthetics business model from one based solely on relationships with doctors to one tied more directly to consumers’ interests.
To help an oncology center improve treatment, BCG GAMMA developed an advanced analytics solution and innovative digital tool by using AI techniques, machine learning algorithms, and marketing strategies.
With advances in knowledge, understanding, technology, and data come fragmentation and complexity. Since the bets are big, companies need to evaluate prospects and make their investments count.
These essential actions weave digital capabilities into each phase of the launch journey.
Acquirers need to plan their integrations carefully and act quickly, but too often they delay decision making and destroy value.
Biopharma companies should approach the coming year with a clear view of shifting expectations and market conditions.
Once a visionary ambition, synthetic control arms are poised to take off. Now is the time for pharma companies to identify opportunities and gain experience.
Digital tools allow biopharma firms to interact with physicians and patients in new ways, leading to new business models and better outcomes.
