Lessons in Biopharma Launch: Insights from Cathy Collis
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‘I really got my start on the payer side of the business,’Cathy Collisnotes. ‘And actually, I think the payers become such an important part of the equation.’
Cathy has enjoyed a varied career, with commercial roles in Big Pharma firmsMerckandNovartisprior to eight years atIronwood, where she led their US & Global Marketing Function. Now CCO atVibrant Gastro, she is building the firm’s commercial team and strategy. Joe Knight, our Life Sciences & Healthcare Commercial Lead, spoke to Cathy on the Venari Podcast recently, where she spoke about her experience launching and building commercial teams.
Cathy’s experience of brand building at Merck and Novartis served her well to move into more innovative and entrepreneurial functions. As her career progressed, this led her to medium-sized and – now, at Vibrant Gastro – smaller businesses ‘with the potential to build something that could be equal in size, in terms of revenue’, to larger organisations. Vibrant Gastro’s innovation for drug-free chronic constipation treatment is a case in point: ‘It really represents a trend in electronics jumpstarting innovation in the device space.’
The launch process for this treatment – which recently received FDA approval in the US – is currently underway, and Cathy has picked up plenty of wisdom about introducing new products over the course of her career.
For Cathy, innovative products and commercial models go hand-in-hand – but you must have the right talent on board. ‘You need to bring in people who have had experiences in the old pharma model, but you also have to sprinkle in people who are complete disruptors’ – a mix that can yield ‘some really interesting and innovative marketing ideas’. Cathy advocates bringing in commercial teams at the R&D stage: no matter where you introduce your product, ‘you must have something that is differentiated, and that has a unique value proposition [...] otherwise, you are not going to get payers to pay for you.’ In Cathy’s view, involving commercial voices early on ‘is an important part of the overall corporate strategy [...] it certainly has implications at every stage of development.’
Joe Knight spoke to Cathy Collis as part of our biopharma Chief Commercial Officer podcast series.
If you would like to discuss commercial strategy for your life sciences business,please reach out – we’d love to help.
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Cristian joined Venari Partners in 2019 and is a core member of the Life Sciences & Healthcare practice. He is hugely passionate about the Digital Health space, and the partner of choice to many emerging and high-growth HealthTech companies across the US & Europe. With over 6 years of experience headhunting global leaders within the Digital Health industry, Cristian helps organisations identify, attract, and retain the best Strategy, Business Development, Operations and Commercial talent around the world. Typical growth scenarios he supports include: - US GTM Expansion for European HealthTech companies - Commercial buildout, due to successful fundraising or product launch (US or EU) - CEO selection to replace a Founder who is looking to transition into a CTO/NED role. - Board level appointments Chairman, non-executive advisory etc. Retained executive recruitment is a core discipline, but the team is also equipped to provide expert Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) mapping solutions, Interim & Consulting solutions, Board Advisory, Market Mapping, Compensation Benchmarking, and Leadership & Organisational Assessment. Outside of Venari Partners, as a former chef, he has a tremendous passion for food and loves to experiment with cooking and eating as many different cuisines as possible.
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