Facing a Critical Forecasting Challenge

In a world of frequent biopharma mergers and divestitures, the optimal size and structure for a pharma company’s contract operations department is a moving target. Whether you’re setting up a new department or adjusting an existing one, meeting these shifting expectations is a challenge. There is typically no single way to determine your company’s unique best fit – one that balances management...

In the life sciences industry, gross to net (GTN) is the management process at the heart of the pricing and contracting lifecycle. Within this process, manufacturers forecast demand and accrue for rebates, chargebacks, and any other adjustments to the price charged for a product’s sale.

HighPoint is currently conducting a Gross to Net Benchmarking Survey. Early, initial results from the survey have yielded some useful insights into industry trends around the following GTN organizational size and structure questions:

A recurring issue observed when we conduct assessments of manufacturer “Gross to Net” operations is the apparent disconnect among multiple stakeholders on the role and responsibilities of the forecasting group. Similar to organizational and project charters, most disconnects can be resolved through the exercise of creating a forecasting charter.

Commercial contracting within the pharmaceutical industry has undergone a dramatic transformation over the last decade. Payers have become more sophisticated and are applying additional pressure on manufacturers to “put their money where their mouth is.” But there is still a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about the different contract types, objectives, and associated risks. In this...

Risk-sharing agreements have emerged as a popular mechanism to balance increased payer focus on managing costs and the manufacturer’s need to gain market access for new products.  In Europe, variations of these agreements are common and in the U.S., they are gaining more prominence. However, a lot of confusion exists among payers and manufacturers on terminology. This article aims to clarify...

The goal of a public company and the fiduciary responsibility of company executives is to maximize shareholder value. In simple terms, maximize profit, which drives long-term shareholder value. Pharmaceutical companies are no exceptions.

However, when commercial strategy is scrutinized, an interesting trend emerges. Let us assume that an executive goal is to maximize profit over the life of...

On January 21, 2016, CMS released an advance-print copy of the long-awaited final rule on the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program (MDRP). The final rule implements various statutory amendments, revises the calculation of Average Manufacturer Price (AMP), makes certain changes to the determination of Best Price and addresses other issues relating to Medicaid price reporting and reimbursement. The...