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Over the past 20 years, The NemetzGroup has been involved in the launch of more than 50 different drugs and has had input into the strategic commercialization plans of many more. While no two launches are ever exactly the same — based on the team, company, and unmet need the drug hopes to address — there are certain patterns and similarities that we see repeating. Unfortunately, not all of these are positive.

There are many ways we introduce ourselves to make an impact and grab the attention of our audience. In our line of work, that might be what your path was into biopharma (I was headed toward academic medicine with my MD/PhD but diverted for the reasons described below), or it could be the diverse companies where you’ve applied your skills (in my case, rare disease and oncology). It can even be the cities where you have lived (I transplanted to Boston from the Midwest over two decades ago; at some point, I expect to master driving here).

“Gen Z professionals have a low tolerance for inefficiency and are not going to allow their boomer bosses to remain selective luddites.” That’s how the breakfast conversation began earlier this month between my Gen Z son and his boomer parents. To put this in context, you need to know that it was yet another rainy holiday weekend in New England, and we had already tested the limits of our togetherness. So this declarative headline was an appealing distraction.

It’s no secret that the last few years have been hard on just about everyone. COVID, climate change, political strife in the US and around the world… the list is long and troubling. Closer to home, biopharma has experienced its own set of challenges. As a recent article in The Boston Globe described, our industry is facing “… mounting business and regulatory changes: a slowdown in funding, calls to rein in fast-tracked drug approvals, and a new law empowering Medicare, the federal agency that insures Americans over 65, to negotiate the price of some medicines for the first time.”

When it comes to team performance and adherence to “best practices,” what works on paper or in a teambuilding workshop and what actually occurs are often two very different things. Not for lack of trying (in most cases!), the practical constraints of time, resources, and human nature often get in the way.

When I moved to Boston over thirty years ago, I had never even heard of the Boston Marathon. I grew up in the Midwest and moved to the West Coast for a district sales manager role. Boston, let alone the Marathon, just wasn’t part of my world.

We just completed Rare Disease month. With that in mind, Sue has asked me to step in for today’s e-conversation, as this topic is very much a part of my focus and professional experience.

You might think it odd for me to begin this month’s e-conversation with a quote from a Supreme Court justice. However, this insight has stuck with me since Justice Sotomayor said it during her confirmation process in 2009.

Historically, biopharma companies developed drugs for patients with an illness — but the illness was the primary focus. In recent years, much has changed. As drug development has become more enlightened, understanding the experience of people living with health conditions — their needs, goals, and the practicalities of daily life — has become integral to the process of developing innovative medicines.