Maximizing the Impact of CNS Analytics and Insights Teams across the Biopharma Organization

Industries Profiled:
Medical Device; Biotech; Biopharmaceutical; Pharmaceutical; Manufacturing; Consumer Products; Diagnostic; Research; Consulting; Health Care; Clinical Research; Laboratories


Companies Profiled:
Alcon; Alkermes; Amgen; Arena Pharmaceuticals; AstraZeneca; Atara Biotherapeutics; Bayer; Bio-Rad Laboratories; Inc.; Biotest AG; Biotronik; Boehringer Ingelheim; B.Braun; Dermira; Edwards Lifesciences; GlaxoSmithKline ; Grünenthal; Janssen; Klosterfrau Healthcare Group; LEO Pharma; Lonza Inc.; MEDiSTRAVA; Merck; Merck Sharp & Dohme; Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma; Momenta; Novartis; Pfizer; Qiagen; REGENXBIO Inc.; Sanofi; Santen; Scilex Pharmaceuticals; Seqirus; Servier; Sunovion; Takeda Pharmaceuticals; UCB Pharma; Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Study Snapshot

Best Practices, LLC engaged 44 Analytics and Insights professionals from 38 leading biopharma organizations in this research through a benchmark survey. Data is segmented by CNS vs. Non-CNS companies and mid vs. large pharma companies. Deep-dive interviews were conducted with selected benchmark participants to provide further insights. Over 85% of research participants serve at the director level or above.

Key topics covered in this report include:

• Core A&I responsibilities and clients supported by CNS A&I teams
• Valuable strategic practices, skills and expertise areas
• High-value analytics, methodologies, platforms and outsourcing approaches
• Streamlining market research via analytics
• Internal branding programs
• Innovation centers of excellence: Usage, staffing, services and alignment
• Top A&I obstacles, mistakes and lessons
• Innovative pilots, design thinking and patient engagement
• A&I support during COVID-19 and beyond

• Delivering Value: Providing interpretive understanding and leveraging experience to form organizational strategy are the top practices used by CNS A&I teams to improve the value of research projects.

• Effective Services: While proposing innovative strategies has shown limited success for CoEs supporting CNS, promoting new capabilities among internal groups and building centralized resources and tools have proven to be effective for CoEs supporting CNS.

• Percentage of time spent by Analytics & Insights groups in support of various internal teams – Total benchmark class
• Percentage of time spent by Analytics & Insights groups in support of various internal teams – CNS vs. non-CNS segment
• Percentage of time spent by Analytics & Insights groups in support of various internal teams – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Voices from the field: Building holistic view for improving business results
• Role played by Analytics & Insights groups in fulfilling the listed organizational capabilities – Total benchmark class
• Role played by Analytics & Insights groups in fulfilling the listed organizational capabilities – CNS vs. non-CNS segment
• Role played by Analytics & Insights groups in fulfilling the listed organizational capabilities – Large pharma and mid-pharma

• Effective practices used by Analytics & Insights groups to provide greater value to stakeholders – Total benchmark class
• Voices from the field: Making consensual and collaborative plans and recommendations to clients
• Strategic practices used by Analytics & Insights groups to provide greater value to stakeholders – CNS vs. non-CNS segment
• Effective practices used by Analytics & Insights groups to provide greater value to stakeholders – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Preferred professional experiences and soft skills for Analytics & Insights professionals to have in order to deliver the highest value to internal partners – Total benchmark class
• Interview narratives around staffing an analytics organization
• Preferred professional experiences and soft skills for Analytics & Insights professionals to have in order to deliver the highest value to internal partners – CNS vs. non-CNS segment
• Preferred professional experiences and soft skills for Analytics & Insights professionals to have in order to deliver the highest value to internal partners – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Most critical knowledge areas and technical skills for Analytics & Insights team members to have in order to provide maximum value as a strategy partner to internal partners – Total benchmark class
• Most critical knowledge areas and technical skills for Analytics & Insights team members to have in order to provide maximum value as a strategy partner to internal partners – CNS vs. non-CNS segment
• Most critical knowledge areas and technical skills for Analytics & Insights team members to have in order to provide maximum value as a strategy partner to internal partners – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Greatest challenges to the future success of the Analytics & Insights function – Total benchmark class
• Interview narratives around what can drive the approach to analytics capabilities
• Interview narrative around analytics and different therapeutic areas
• Top obstacles to the future success of the Analytics & Insights function – CNS vs. non-CNS segment
• Greatest obstacles to the future success of the Analytics & Insights function – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Common mistake areas for the Analytics & Insights function
• Innovative ways to foster ongoing innovation in providing greater value to stakeholders

• Analytic methodologies used by Analytics & Insights groups for different operational purposes – Total benchmark class
• Analytic methodologies used by Analytics & Insights groups for different operational purposes – Strategic A&I teams vs. total benchmark class
• Interview narrative around determining “Next Best Action” in promotional mix
• Analytic methodologies used by Analytics & Insights groups for different operational purposes – CNS vs. non-CNS segment
• Analytic methodologies used by Analytics & Insights groups for different operational purposes – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Interview narrative around predictive analytics in R&D
• Valuable analytics projects for informing brand, HEOR and other key internal partner teams and driving measurable results in the market – Total benchmark class
• Valuable analytics projects for informing brand, HEOR and other key internal partner teams and driving measurable results in the market – Strategic A&I teams
• Interview narratives around the outputs from new analytics platforms
• Interview narratives around data mining and usage with digitization
• Valuable analytics projects for informing brand, HEOR and other key internal partner teams and driving measurable results in the market – CNS vs. non-CNS segment
• Valuable analytics projects for informing brand, HEOR and other key internal partner teams and driving measurable results in the market – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Interview narrative around characterizing the activities that are enabling to connect the dots, in terms of analytic operations and methodologies performed
• Insource vs. outsource approach for analytics projects – Total benchmark class
• Insource vs. outsource approach for analytics projects – Strategic A&I teams
• Interview narrative around benefits of insourcing analytics
• Insource vs. outsource approach for analytics projects – CNS vs. non-CNS segment
• Insource vs. outsource approach for analytics projects – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Insource vs. outsource approach for specific methodologies and processes – Total benchmark class
• Insource vs. outsource approach for specific methodologies and processes – CNS vs. non-CNS segment
• Insource vs. outsource approach for specific methodologies and processes – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Use of analytics to replace listed market research study types – Total benchmark class
• Interview narratives around opportunities for more boutique research methodologies
• Interview narratives around approaches that tend to stifle innovation
• Use of analytics to replace listed market research study types – CNS vs. non-CNS segment
• Use of analytics to replace listed market research study types – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Platforms used by organizations for analytics
• Platforms used by organizations for reporting
• Benchmark peer assessments (pros and cons) of leading analytics platforms
• Preferred analytics platforms

• Internal branding campaign to change or influence the perception of the Analytics & Insights function and the types of work it conducts
• Important objectives for Analytics & Insights internal branding program – Total benchmark class
• Structural challenges, different data sources, and interview narrative around Analytics & Insights from medical perspective
• Important objectives for Analytics & Insights internal branding program – CNS vs. non-CNS segment
• Important objectives for Analytics & Insights internal branding program – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Vendor support and budget for internal branding efforts
• Measurement and overall impact of formal branding efforts

• Presence of an innovation center of excellence (CoE) to leverage expertise and drive new improvements – Total benchmark class
• Interview narrative around innovation centers of excellence
• Presence of an innovation CoE to leverage expertise and drive new improvements – Large pharma and mid-pharma
• Relationship between innovation CoE (or similar department) and Analytics & Insights groups
• Number of FTEs working in innovation CoE or similar departments
• Number of FTEs working in innovation CoE or similar departments – CNS vs. non-CNS segment
• Effective services delivered by innovation CoE (or similar groups) in supporting the overall organization
• Effective services delivered by innovation CoE (or similar groups) in supporting the overall organization – CNS vs. non-CNS segment
• Critical professional experiences for staff working in an innovation CoE or similar department
• Critical professional experiences for staff working in an innovation CoE or similar department – CNS vs. non-CNS segment

• Employment of a formal design thinking methodology to achieve better performance over time
• Engaging directly with patients to better understand and meet their lifestyle needs relative to the disease state treated by the company’s medicines
• Engaging directly with patients to better understand and meet their lifestyle needs relative to the disease state treated by the company’s medicines – CNS vs. non-CNS segment
• Examples of patient engagement programs of benchmark partners
• Disease areas in which benchmark organizations have made a positive impact using patient engagement programs to better meet patient needs – Primary care, specialty, and rare diseases
• Disease areas in which benchmark organizations have made a positive impact using patient engagement programs to better meet patient needs (Primary care, specialty, and rare diseases) – CNS vs. non-CNS segment
• Disease areas in which benchmark organizations have made a positive impact using patient engagement programs to better meet patient needs – Drug routes and drug types

• Support provided by Analytics & Insights groups to internal stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Key new opportunities and challenges that have emerged for Analytics & Insights groups as a result of COVID-19