One-third of all new launches in the US fail to meet expectations.1 Not because the science isn’t strong, but because medical affairs and commercial teams aren’t aligned.
When these functions work in parallel instead of together, the result is fractured messaging, diluted credibility, and a launch story that never fully takes hold. The market moves fast, and if you’re not moving in sync, you’re already behind.
The fix is deceptively simple: one scientific foundation, one story, one credible voice. Here’s how to make that real.
Credibility Is a Team Sport
A launch needs more than compelling data or slick creative. It needs the full equation:
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Logos: evidence that stands up to the sharpest scrutiny
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Pathos: emotional relevance that makes the story matter
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Ethos: the trust earned when both arrive in lockstep
Miss one, and you risk either failing to connect or losing confidence entirely. Imagine a congress presentation packed with groundbreaking trial results but commercial messaging doesn’t land until six months later. By then, the emotional window has closed, and competitors have moved in.
Now flip it: a bold, emotive campaign without strong data at the core. It might get attention, but it won’t hold it. Credibility is a fragile currency, and it’s earned only when the science and the story arrive together.
Move in One Rhythm
Alignment isn’t a calendar invite. It’s choreography. The shared rhythm that starts in early planning and carries through post-launch momentum.
That rhythm means:
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Setting shared goals early so every asset, slide, and conversation maps to the same North Star
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Holding joint checkpoints so both teams know what’s changing in real time
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Showing up as one voice in every channel, from peer-to-peer engagement to digital campaigns
Without that, the launch soundtrack falls apart. Messages drift, timelines slip, and suddenly you’re reacting to the market instead of leading it. Competitors who move in sync will always look sharper, faster, and more credible, even if their science isn’t stronger.
Insights That Change the Game
HCP conversations, congress floor chatter, post-launch feedback. These are more than anecdotes, they’re market signals. But too often, they die in silos.
Medical might hear from a KOL that a dosing protocol is causing hesitation. Commercial might notice sales reps facing objections around patient eligibility. Without a shared process, those two insights never meet, and the opportunity to fix the issue early is lost.
Winning teams build a joint, compliant insight loop:
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Capture insights from both sides in real time
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Distill what truly matters from the noise
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Prioritize against launch objectives
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Act immediately, adjusting messaging, resources, or targeting
That’s how a single comment at a medical meeting can shape the next week’s field conversations, and why the most successful launches are the most agile.
Speed Without Sacrificing Trust
Every launch lives in tension. Move too slowly and you lose momentum; move too fast and you risk accuracy, compliance, or credibility. The trick is defining “ready” up front — and agreeing on it together.
Picture this: your data package is airtight, your messaging is aligned, and you’ve rehearsed every scenario, but you’re still waiting for the “perfect” alignment meeting. Meanwhile, a competitor has already seized the conversation.
Sometimes the right call is to launch with confidence when the essentials are solid, knowing you can adapt in flight. Perfect is tempting. But in a launch environment, perfect is often the enemy of momentum.
From Alignment to Advantage
When medical and commercial operate as one, the difference is obvious:
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Science and story reinforce each other
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Credibility compounds across every channel
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Adoption accelerates — not just at launch, but in the critical months after
This isn’t theoretical. We’ve seen launches where early, deep alignment led to faster uptake, better HCP engagement, and fewer midstream course corrections. And we’ve seen the opposite—where months of lost ground had to be clawed back, often unsuccessfully.
A great launch isn’t just great science or great storytelling — it’s both, working together to shift the tectonic plates of the treatment paradigm.
If half or more of launches are destined to miss their mark, the advantage is clear: close the gap between science and story, and you change the odds.
Let’s talk about how to make your next launch your strongest yet. Contact us for the frameworks, tools, and support to get you there.
Sources:
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Ford J, et al. Key factors for successful drug launch. Deloitte Insights. 2023. Available from: https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/health-care/key-factors-for-successful-drug-launch.html (last accessed Aug 2025)