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Following a recent article on planning successful business events, a reader contacted me about New Product Development (npd) launches. They had a unique product - new and very different - and asked

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

for my thoughts on their overall marketing strategy generally.

Here was my reply:

You have an interesting challenge, or should I say "opportunity", here. To answer your question fully I could writ

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

a book. But, here are some broad tips:

Firstly, you have an unusual product but it is still a product. You might do well to look at how other people have launched other products in your marketplac

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

to see what lessons you can learn.

You will need to be clear about your answers to the following standard questions:

Into what market will the product be launched?

What customer segments will pu

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

rchase the product?

For what applications will the customer use the product?

Into what geographic segments will be sold?

What are the benefits for the customers?

What is the price/performance ra

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

io relative to the competition?

Who are the principle competitors?

What will make your product unique in the market?

What percentage market share is targeted at end of year 1 and year 3?

What pe

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

centage of the customer base currently uses this product?

From what distribution channels do customers purchase today, by percentage?

What influences the customer's decision to buy?

How will comp

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

etitors position themselves against this product?

What is your sales strategy?

What is your marketing strategy - and budget?

What Measurement of Performance will you use to track success?

I gues

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

you need to start with publicity. Articles in the media, especially coverage on radio and television, will reach huge audiences. Your product is unique so that will help but maybe get some celebrit

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

or academic endorsement for it. Publish some articles and distribute your press releases across the internet to raise your product profile.

Publicity & PR is much less costly, and can be more effe

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

tive than advertising. It can also create a situation where customers and distributors are looking for you rather than you have to find them!

If you have a budget for advertising then plan a year a

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

head but do leave some cash for some last minute bargains or an offer you cannot resist!

Your online presence needs to impress people to reinforce the brand, give technical information about the pr

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

duct, make your client easy to contact and maybe be a useful resource for educators and students.

Think about the brand name. Vacuum cleaners are still often referred to as "Hoovers". Promote your

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

rand name at every opportunity and guard it well. Think about your logo - how can you maximise its recognisability?

The bird flu aspect is interesting. Maybe, someone from the company could be be p

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

romoted within the media as some sort of expert on bird flu - and how their product is an answer for caterers etc.

If you have a trade association to which you belong, ask them if they have any sup

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

ort for members with new products to launch. I did some work some time ago with EEF South here in the UK (http://www.eefsouth.org.uk/) and they were offering consultancy and training for members and

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

non-members across a wide range of sectors from engineering to horticulture.

My final suggestion is to think about a launch event for the product. A carefully planned event can be the building bloc

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

k for success. My recent blog entry about planning business events attracted a number of responses which all had one theme - everyone agreed that a badly planned event creates huge problems for futu

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

e relationships with customers. Conversely, a well planned event leads to improved customer relationships and very positive media coverage.

As I say, these were random thoughts off the top of my he

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

d. To give a comprehensive answer would need a full consultancy session - or for me to write a book maybe!

I hope you found this interesting. Either way, please drop me an e-mail with your thoughts

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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