4 min 
Introduction
More than half of new drug launches — 56%, climbing past 60% in competitive therapeutic classes — miss their pre-launch sales expectations ¹. The science almost never causes that failure. The commercial engine does.
Years before launch, commercial teams start making assumptions and decisions that shape everything that follows: forecasting, market understanding, data, analytics, technology, and go-to-market approach.
The challenge is determining what to prioritize, when to invest, and how to build a commercial organization that’s ready for launch while managing cash burn and remaining flexible enough to evolve as the asset de-risks and the business opportunity grows. A successful commercial engine is built in stages, with each decision laying the foundation for the next.
Over the course of this three-part series, we’ll follow the commercialization journey—from building the right commercial foundation before launch, to navigating the critical first months after launch, and ultimately sustaining long-term brand growth. Let’s begin with the decisions that every successful launch depends on.
From Strategy to Commercial Readiness
The years before launch are about answering strategic questions: How big is the opportunity? Which markets have the greatest potential? What do analog products tell us about adoption?
As launch approaches and the focus shifts from understanding the opportunity to preparing to capture it, commercial leaders begin asking a different set of questions:
- Is the strategic forecast translating into an operational one?
- How should we size and deploy the field team?
- Which HCPs get priority on day one?
- What capabilities need to exist before the first call is made?
This transition is one of the most important milestones in the commercialization journey. It’s the point where commercial strategy becomes operational reality and where decisions begin to shape how effectively the organization will execute throughout the launch. Get it wrong and the gap shows up fast: companies that begin structured commercial planning less than 18-24 months before approval consistently underperform those that start earlier ².
Drawing on more than 30 years of experience leading commercial organizations and preparing products for launch, Shannon Campbell shares three pieces of advice for first-time biotech launchers:
“Begin commercial planning before approval is imminent, invest early in the critical capabilities that matter most, and align the whole company around a clear, patient-centered launch strategy.”
Turning strategy into execution requires more than a well-defined operational plan. It requires putting the right technology and capabilities in place—at the right time.
Invest in Systems & Technology That Simply Today and Scale Tomorrow
Technology is a critical enabler of commercial execution, and successful launch organizations need to make the right technology decisions— and make them at the right time.
One useful way to think about commercial technology investments is through a simple crawl, walk, run approach. Every stage of the commercialization journey presents different challenges, priorities, and technology requirements. Rather than building the end state on day one, the goal is to ensure every investment supports the organization’s current stage while preparing it for the next.
Driving Commercial Excellence with Lean Teams
Unlike larger pharmaceutical organizations, emerging pharma companies rarely have the luxury of expanding headcount every time new commercial needs emerge. Commercial leaders are often balancing multiple priorities at once—from launch planning and field execution to analytics, forecasting, and performance monitoring.
That’s why building a commercial engine isn’t simply about adding more technology or more processes. It’s about enabling lean teams to operate more efficiently.
The organizations that execute successfully look for ways to automate repetitive work, reduce manual analysis, and embed insights directly into everyday workflows. The less time teams spend gathering information and managing disconnected systems, the more time they can spend understanding customer needs and insights, making decisions and executing their commercial strategy. One recent example comes from a Verix customer preparing to launch a rare disease treatment. By replacing fragmented account planning processes with a centralized workflow, the commercial team significantly reduced manual effort—freeing up more time to focus on account strategy and field execution.
For lean commercial organizations, operational simplicity becomes a competitive advantage. The right commercial foundation doesn’t just support launch—it enables small teams to execute with the speed, consistency, and confidence of a much larger organization.
Conclusion
A successful launch isn’t built on a single technology, process, or decision. It’s built by creating a commercial engine that grows with the organization—one that’s ready for launch, designed to scale, and flexible enough to adapt as priorities evolve.
With that foundation in place, the focus shifts from preparing for launch to maximizing its impact.
In the next blog, we’ll shift from launch planning to execution, exploring what happens during the critical first six months after launch. We’ll look at how commercial teams can monitor early adoption, identify the leading indicators that matter most, and use that information to uncover growth opportunities before momentum begins to slow.
References
- Sedulo Group, “Why 56% of Drug Launches Miss Expectations — and How to Beat the Odds,” sedulogroup.com.
- OneAlphaMed, “Pharma Product Launch Roadmap: A Strategy for Pre-DCGI Alignment,” onealphamed.com.
