Most people see the final campaign, the brand on pharmacy shelves, the press release. The launch is the visible part. It is not where launches are won.
I have led product launches across pharma and MedTech for 25 years. At Novartis, I built a global marketing organization from the ground up and launched seven brands and indication extensions in under two years, several in under six months. At Sanofi, I led the commercial function for the US device business, where I led the commercial strategy for IBGStar after launch and built MyDoseCoach's MedTech go-to-market from scratch. Digital health was still being defined. The brands that performed were not better because of what happened on launch day. They were better because of what was built in the 12 to 18 months before it.
The work that actually determines launch performance
1. Cross-functional alignment must be earned, not assumed
Every partner carrying a different risk lens needs a reason to move at the same speed. I built that alignment through shared KPIs and early commercial readiness milestones, not launch-week urgency.
2. Market reality must be tested before the plan is set
I led market landscape assessments that surfaced competitive dynamics, customer belief barriers, and prescribing behavior patterns while there was still time to change the strategy. That is not a market research exercise. It is a decision-making input.
3. Field teams must be equipped for behavior change, not just trained on product information
There is a difference. I designed field readiness programs built around the clinical conversation the customer was actually having.
How AI Compresses the Pre-Launch Timeline
AI has changed how fast this pre-launch work can move. I use AI to simulate customer responses to messages before they go to market, to pressure test positioning against competitive scenarios, and to identify the belief gaps that field training has to close. What used to take weeks of qualitative research now takes days.
The unseen work is not a phase before launch. It is the launch.
If you are 12 to 18 months from a launch date and want to stress-test your commercial readiness, that is exactly where I start. See how I work with pharma and MedTech teams →