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Pharmaceuticals & Medical Products

McKinsey Quarterly

The McKinsey Quarterly, our business journal, includes many articles on healthcare-related topics.

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article | McKinsey Quarterly

The ‘social’ side of Chinese health care

June 2013—Most Chinese physicians participate actively in social media, and many hospitals have picked up on the trend—but drug manufacturers are just beginning to do so.more

restoring value to pharmaceutical r&d
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Restoring value to biopharmaceutical R&D

August 2012—After years of seeing value destroyed by R&D excesses, biopharmaceutical companies can gain healthier returns—but only if they recognize several new imperatives.more

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Pharma manufacturing for a new era

August 2012—The sector can restore lost value by focusing intently on manufacturing innovation.more

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Capturing the Brazilian pharma opportunity

April 2012—Global pharma companies are missing a chance to serve Brazil’s increasingly prosperous and growing middle class.more

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A wake-up call for Big Pharma

December 2011—Lower profit margins suggest a need for new business models.more

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Spurring the market for high-tech home health care

September 2011—A daunting array of financial and operational barriers is holding back growth. What can be done?more

How the best labs manage talent
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How the best labs manage talent

May 2011—The highest-performing labs use the best talent-management practices. That’s no coincidence.more

Perspectives

The PMP practice has published several compendia—compilations of insights on important trends and issues.

Beyond the storm
compendium

Beyond the storm: Launch in the new normal

Only a third of launches meet or exceed analysts’ expectations. What should pharma companies do to deliver excellence at launch?

Personalized medicine
compendium

Personalized medicine: The path forward

Personalized medicine is now poised for rapid growth because of recent scientific advances. With the right strategies, pharmacos, biotechs, and diagnostic companies could capture many new opportunities in this surging field.

Developing capabilities in supply chain, Marketing, R&D
compendium

Unlocking pharma growth : Navigating the intricacies of emerging markets

Emerging markets offer attractive opportunities for growth, but pharma companies need to navigate the intricacies of individual markets and develop tailored capabilities and commercial models to tackle the challenges.

Healthcare challenges in China
compendium | McKinsey Greater China

Healthcare in China: Entering uncharted waters

China’s healthcare sector continues to develop at an astonishing rate, but challenges remain. McKinsey’s Healthcare Practice in China has published a new report which offers a diversity of perspectives on this substantial, complex and important domain. A selection of articles are published on the McKinsey China Healthcare page.

Operations for the executive suite
compendium

Operations for the executive suite

Highlights specific opportunities for operations to create significant value upside for pharmacos and emphasizes the role of the executive suite in enabling this value creation

Death of a sales model, or not
compendium

Death of a sales model, or not

Discusses how pharmaceutical companies will need to adjust their traditional sales models to suit the evolving healthcare landscape

Escaping the sword of Damocles
compendium

Evolution or Revolution: McKinsey perspective on drug and device R&D

Recent years have seen a collapse in the industry’s R&D productivity. Regaining trust by delivering life-changing new drugs is still an achievable goal, but it will require discipline, creativity, and luck in equal measure.

Outpacing change
compendium

Outpacing change in pharma operations

Reviews our major recommendations for improving pharmaceutical operations and increasing client capabilities.

White papers

Our white papers examine a single issue in depth, providing clients with a rigorous fact base, objective perspectives, and new insights into pressing industry issues.

Pharma Medical Affairs 2020 and beyond
report

Pharma Medical Affairs 2020 and beyond

Beginning in 2007, medical leaders from across the industry have assembled to discuss a future vision for Medical Affairs. This report details their goals and ambitions for the year 2020.

Managing Medical Affairs talent
report

Managing talent in the Medical Affairs function

Medical Affairs is playing an increasingly important role at many companies. This report describes strategies for identifying, attracting, and developing first-rate Medical Affairs talent.

generating value in generics
report

Generating value in generics

Though confronted by a tough capital market outlook and a multitude of challenges, generics companies can still generate substantial value and capitalize on abundant growth opportunities. To emerge as winners, they need to make clear judgments about products and markets, forge partnerships and join forces, and invest in building new capabilities.

Biosimilars seven years on
report

Biosimilars seven years on

Although the future of biosimilars is still uncertain, several developments give reason to believe that they are here to stay and that some companies will eventually make reasonable returns on their biosimilar programs. However, the range of outcomes is still wide, and depends heavily on which stakeholders make the first moves.

Interacting with physicians virtually
report

Making sense of e-detailing in Japan's pharmaceutical sector

The branded pharmaceutical industry is performing at a level of productivity that is lower than what modern technology would allow it. Now Japan is at the leading edge of what may be a better way: e-detailing. 

global standards
report

Strength in unity

October 2012—The promise of global standards in healthcare and an opportunity for innovation.

Strategies in oncology
report

Strategies in oncology: Spotlight on clinical pathways

Clinical pathways will have a long term effect on the practice of oncology. Pharmaceutical companies can realize value if they understand how pathway solutions are developed and use these insights as an input to their own R&D and commercialization strategies. 

How can pharmacos take advantage of the real-world data opportunity in healthcare?
report

How can pharmacos take advantage of the real-world data opportunity in healthcare?

Real-world data, collected at the point of care, is beginning to create new opportunities throughout the healthcare business system. 

design to value in medical devices
report

Design to value in medical devices

As price pressures increase, medical device makers can use Design to Value to control costs and deliver value.

us healthcare reform
report

US healthcare reform: A legislative pathway for biosimilars will spur growth—and present new challenges

The US government recently updated legislation related to biosimilars. Payors, originators, and biosimilar companies must be aware of its implications, as well as areas that remain ambiguous. 

The moment is now: Successful pharmaceutical alliances in Japan
report

The moment is now: Successful pharmaceutical alliances in Japan

Multinational corporations have traditionally had little success when entering in-bound alliances with Japanese pharmaceutical companies. But new circumstances make it the ideal time to pursue such deals. 

Value driven drug development
report

Value driven drug development: Unlocking the value of your pipeline

New reimbursement guidelines make it difficult for pharmaceutical companies to earn profits on recently approved products. A cross-functional strategy, involving both R&D and commercial functions, can help them maximize value. 

Optimizing clinical strategy to drive lifetime brand value
report

Optimizing clinical strategy to drive lifetime brand value

By developing robust clinical strategies early in a drug's lifecycle, pharmaceutical companies can generate data that will build the clinical profile of the brand over its lifetime.

The journey to entrepreneurship
report

The journey to entrepreneurship: Key account management in pharma

By drawing on examples from other industries, pharmaceutical companies can take an entrepreneurial approach that helps key account managers create innovative solutions. 

India Pharma 2020
report

India Pharma 2020: Propelling access and acceptance, realizing true potential

The Indian pharmaceutical market is growing rapidly. Businesses that are aware of trends and the changing nature of opportunities will be well positioned to capture value. 

External publications

We publish selected articles in industry magazines including In Vivo, The RPM Report, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical Executive, PharmaVoice, and others.

Growth opportunities in emerging markets
article | In Vivo

Medical device growth in emerging markets: Lessons from other industries

June 2012—Device companies are trying to figure out successful formulas to sell in emerging markets. Instead of reinventing the wheel, they can leverage several approaches that have worked well in other industries.

Healthcare and social media: A winning combination
article | PharmaVoice

Healthcare and social media: A winning formula

January 2012—This article describes why various healthcare stakeholders are using social media and provides a perspective on how pharmaceutical companies can make the most of it.

Comparative effectiveness
article | In Vivo

Comparative effectiveness hits medical devices

March 2010—Providers, payors, and regulators are placing new emphasis on comparative efficacy when evaluating medical devices. To succeed in the new environment, companies will need to focus on products that have value over existing therapies.

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PMP Compendia

Request a copy of one of our compendia with industry-specific insights in key functional areas or geographies.

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