Optimizing go-to-market strategy for post-generic profitability

Beverly Smet | SVP, Global Accounts, Precision AQ | October 2025

When brands approach the end of their exclusivity, it’s often assumed that profitability will inevitably decline. But with the right strategy, data, and planning, pharmaceutical companies can continue to generate value – even in the face of generic competition.

That was the ambition behind a recent cross-market initiative to help affiliates design evidence-based go-to-market (GTM) strategies tailored to pre-, during-, and post-generic entry stages. The goal: to empower affiliates to make confident, data-driven decisions on how to allocate promotional resources, optimise omnichannel investments, and protect profitability throughout the brand lifecycle.

A Structured, Three-Phase Approach

To achieve this, the project followed a clear and collaborative three-phase methodology that combined local market knowledge with robust financial and operational modelling.

1. Insight Gathering

Each affiliate began by contributing detailed local insights – from expected dates of generic entry and five-year P&L baselines, to market growth projections, customer segmentation, and current engagement infrastructure. This comprehensive dataset served as the foundation for everything that followed, ensuring that strategic decisions would be grounded in the local reality rather than global assumptions.

2. Scenario Development

Next, we co-created five distinct GTM scenarios, ranging from a traditional hybrid model (with significant in-field presence) to a lean, fully digital model. Each scenario came with a clearly defined cost structure spanning sales, marketing, and medical activities, expressed as a percentage of forecasted revenue. This enabled affiliates to weigh the pros and cons of each path not just strategically, but financially.

3. Financial & Operational Modelling

For each country’s preferred scenario, we built detailed models to simulate operational and financial performance. This included:

• Estimating required interaction volumes based on field capacity and digital maturity
• Projecting investments across personal and non-personal promotion
• Identifying critical enablers for success (such as digital capabilities or field team structure)

Each affiliate was also presented with scenario variants, demonstrating what volume increase would be needed to break even on additional investments — and what impact under- or over-performance would have on the P&L. These insights helped translate strategic options into concrete commercial decisions.

A Clear Path Forward

The outcome was not just a set of recommendations, but a shared decision-making framework. Each affiliate left the process with:

• A tailored GTM strategy aligned to their specific market conditions
• A robust financial case underpinning their chosen scenario
• Clarity on the investments, activities, and capabilities required to maintain profitability in the post-LOE environment.

This project demonstrates how thoughtful scenario planning, combined with local insight and robust modelling, can transform the traditional approach to post-generic lifecycle management. Instead of retreating, companies can act decisively – and continue to deliver value.

Interested in building a future-proof GTM strategy for your mature brands? Get in touch to discover how Precision AQ can help you identify the right touchpoints, channels, and content to sustain profitability across the brand lifecycle.