Maximizing the Impact of Analytics and Insights Teams across the Biopharma Organization

Industries Profiled:
Medical Device; Biotech; Biopharmaceutical; Pharmaceutical; Manufacturing; Consumer Products; Diagnostic; Research; Consulting; Health Care; Clinical Research; Laboratories


Companies Profiled:
Alcon; Alkermes; Amgen; Arena Pharmaceuticals; AstraZeneca; Atara Biotherapeutics; Bayer; Bio-Rad Laboratories; Inc.; Biotest AG; Biotronik; Boehringer Ingelheim; B.Braun; Dermira; Edwards Lifesciences; GlaxoSmithKline ; Grünenthal; Janssen; Klosterfrau Healthcare Group; LEO Pharma; Lonza Inc.; MEDiSTRAVA; Merck; Merck Sharp & Dohme; Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma; Momenta; Novartis; Pfizer; Qiagen; REGENXBIO Inc.; Sanofi; Santen; Scilex Pharmaceuticals; Seqirus; Servier; Sunovion; Takeda Pharmaceuticals; UCB Pharma; Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Study Snapshot

Best Practices, LLC engaged 44 Analytics and Insights professionals from 38 leading biopharma organizations in this research through a benchmark survey. Data in this report are segmented by mid vs. large pharma companies. Deep-dive interviews were conducted with selected benchmark participants to provide further insights. Over 85% of research participants serve at the director level or above.

Key topics covered in this report include:

• Core A&I responsibilities and clients supported
• Valuable strategic practices, skills and expertise areas
• High-value analytics, methodologies, platforms and outsourcing approaches
• Streamlining market research via analytics
• Internal branding programs
• Innovation centers of excellence: Usage, staffing, services and alignment
• Top A&I obstacles, mistakes and lessons
• Innovative pilots, design thinking and patient engagement
• A&I support during COVID-19 and beyond

• Clients supported: A&I teams spend just 38% of time supporting brands, spending the balance on franchises, commercial dev, HEOR, medical, C-suite & others.

• Analytics: Greater access to data is driving increased use of advanced analytics, especially for commercial customers (forecasting, mining, AI, conjoint, sentiment & regression). A&I teams often insource higher-value projects. Some competitors have replaced traditional market research studies (forecasting, segmentation) with analytics.

• Percentage of time spent by Analytics & Insights groups in support of various internal teams – Total benchmark class
• Percentage of time spent by Analytics & Insights groups in support of various internal teams – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Voices from the field: Building holistic view for improving business results
• Role played by Analytics & Insights groups in fulfilling the listed organizational capabilities – Total benchmark class
• Role played by Analytics & Insights groups in fulfilling the listed organizational capabilities – Large pharma and mid-pharma

• Effective practices used by Analytics & Insights groups to provide greater value to stakeholders – Total benchmark class
• Voices from the field: Making consensual and collaborative plans and recommendations to clients
• Effective practices used by Analytics & Insights groups to provide greater value to stakeholders – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Preferred professional experiences and soft skills for Analytics & Insights professionals to have in order to deliver the highest value to internal partners – Total benchmark class
• Interview narratives around staffing an analytics organization
• Preferred professional experiences and soft skills for Analytics & Insights professionals to have in order to deliver the highest value to internal partners – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Most critical knowledge areas and technical skills for Analytics & Insights team members to have in order to provide maximum value as a strategy partner to internal partners – Total benchmark class
• Most critical knowledge areas and technical skills for Analytics & Insights team members to have in order to provide maximum value as a strategy partner to internal partners – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Greatest challenges to the future success of the Analytics & Insights function – Total benchmark class
• Interview narratives around what can drive the approach to analytics capabilities
• Interview narrative around analytics and different therapeutic areas
• Greatest obstacles to the future success of the Analytics & Insights function – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Common mistake areas for the Analytics & Insights function
• Innovative ways to foster ongoing innovation in providing greater value to stakeholders

• Analytic methodologies used by Analytics & Insights groups for different operational purposes – Total benchmark class
• Analytic methodologies used by Analytics & Insights groups for different operational purposes – Strategic A&I teams vs. total benchmark class
• Interview narrative around determining “Next Best Action” in promotional mix
• Analytic methodologies used by Analytics & Insights groups for different operational purposes – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Interview narrative around predictive analytics in R&D
• Valuable analytics projects for informing brand, HEOR and other key internal partner teams and driving measurable results in the market – Total benchmark class
• Valuable analytics projects for informing brand, HEOR and other key internal partner teams and driving measurable results in the market – Strategic A&I teams
• Interview narratives around the outputs from new analytics platforms
• Interview narratives around data mining and usage with digitization
• Valuable analytics projects for informing brand, HEOR and other key internal partner teams and driving measurable results in the market – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Interview narrative around characterizing the activities that are enabling to connect the dots, in terms of analytic operations and methodologies performed
• Insource vs. outsource approach for analytics projects – Total benchmark class
• Insource vs. outsource approach for analytics projects – Strategic A&I teams
• Interview narrative around benefits of insourcing analytics
• Insource vs. outsource approach for analytics projects – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Insource vs. outsource approach for specific methodologies and processes – Total benchmark class
• Insource vs. outsource approach for specific methodologies and processes – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Use of analytics to replace listed market research study types – Total benchmark class
• Interview narratives around opportunities for more boutique research methodologies
• Interview narratives around approaches that tend to stifle innovation
• Use of analytics to replace listed market research study types – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Platforms used by organizations for analytics
• Platforms used by organizations for reporting
• Benchmark peer assessments (pros and cons) of leading analytics platforms
• Preferred analytics platforms

• Internal branding campaign to change or influence the perception of the Analytics & Insights function and the types of work it conducts
• Important objectives for Analytics & Insights internal branding program – Total benchmark class
• Structural challenges, different data sources, and interview narrative around Analytics & Insights from medical perspective
• Important objectives for Analytics & Insights internal branding program – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Vendor support and budget for internal branding efforts
• Measurement and overall impact of formal branding efforts

• Presence of an innovation center of excellence (CoE) to leverage expertise and drive new improvements – Total benchmark class
• Interview narrative around innovation centers of excellence
• Presence of an innovation CoE to leverage expertise and drive new improvements – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Relationship between innovation CoE (or similar department) and Analytics & Insights groups
• Number of FTEs working in innovation CoE or similar departments
• Effective services delivered by innovation CoE (or similar groups) in supporting the overall organization
• Critical professional experiences for staff working in an innovation CoE or similar department

• Employment of a formal design thinking methodology to achieve better performance over time
• Engaging directly with patients to better understand and meet their lifestyle needs relative to the disease state treated by the company’s medicines
• Examples of patient engagement programs of benchmark partners
• Disease areas in which benchmark organizations have made a positive impact using patient engagement programs to better meet patient needs – Primary care, specialty, and rare diseases
• Disease areas in which benchmark organizations have made a positive impact using patient engagement programs to better meet patient needs – Drug routes and drug types

• Support provided by Analytics & Insights groups to internal stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Key new opportunities and challenges that have emerged for Analytics & Insights groups as a result of COVID-19