Marketing and the prog development process

Conditions in today's highly competitive health care arena are driving research-oriented pharmaceutical companies to invest considerable time and resources into the development of new and innovative compounds. In many organizations pharmaceutical marketing and clinical development groups exist as separate entities. Closer relations between these groups need to be established since the development of new chemical entities into successful commercial products is paramount for pharmaceutical firms to attain their overall corporate goals. Marketing (product management) can be a vital contributor to the pharmaceutical product development process. By working with various other drug development "team members," most notably clinical research, this group can significantly assist with the development of agents that will not only satisfy FDA requirements for safety and efficacy, but also will fulfill clinician needs and stand up to clinical/scientific scrutiny when marketed. Through various "In House" and "Out of House" activities, product management can work with various integral drug development functional groups to bring to market products that will enter with a competitive edge and perform well commercially. With the involvement of product management, the development of effective clinical research/drug development objectives and strategies, along with the coordination of efforts to attain these goals, can lead to the successful product ventures. As a result, the contributions of the marketing department to the drug development process can lead to the strengthening and attainment of overall corporate research and commercial strategic objectives.