Pharma Launch Excellence Summit Conference Day 1: Wednesday September 30
7:30 am - 8:15 am
Breakfast & Registration
8:15 am - 8:30 am
Chairs Opening Remarks - Aligning the Enterprise & De-Risking Launch
Sabrina McGuigan -
Director, Franchise Operations, Global Rare Diseases,
Sanofi
Day 1: Aligning the Enterprise & De-Risking Launch
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Opening Panel Discussion: Where Do Launches Actually Fail, and Why? Fixing the Gaps Between Strategy, Access, Insight and Execution
Janine Shea -
Vice President Market Access Strategy and Marketing,
Alkermes
Geula Jaffe - Chief Commercial Officer & US Country Head, Orion Pharma
Launch strategies are more sophisticated than ever, yet outcomes remain inconsistent. Some organizations point to execution gaps, others to strategy, alignment, or external market dynamics. So where do launches really break down? Attend this session to delve into:
• Exploring where launches fail across strategy, execution and alignment
• Understanding the role of cross-functional coordination in outcomes
• Identifying the biggest drivers of successful vs underperforming launches
9:00 am - 9:30 am
Presentation - Within-3
Erin Mistry -
CEO,
Within3
9:30 am - 10:00 am
Morning Panel Discussion: AI in Launch - Where Can It Actually Create Value?
Yin-Yin W. Wang -
Director, Medical Strategic Planning and Performance,
Pfizer
German Guerrero - Executive Medical Director & Launch Lead, Vera Therapeutics
Erin Mistry - CEO, Within3
AI is rapidly entering launch planning, but many teams are still working out where it meaningfully improves speed, quality and decision-making. Across medical, commercial, access, analytics and field teams, the opportunity is not just automation, it is using AI to improve insight generation, content development, stakeholder engagement and launch execution without losing rigour, compliance or human judgment. Attend this session to delve into a range of perspectives on:
• Identifying where AI can reduce launch workload and accelerate readiness
• Applying AI to insight synthesis, content development and customer engagement
• Balancing speed, compliance and quality in AI-enabled launch workflows
• Supporting leaner teams while maintaining launch performance and impact
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Morning Coffee Break & Networking
10:30 am - 11:00 am
Panel Discussion: Demystifying AI to Maximize Commercial Launch Impact
Gregory Lief -
Founder and Managing Director,
Asymmetry Group
Cory Varney - Vice President, Commercial Operations, Ionis Pharmaceuticals
Liz Cashman - Vice President, Commercial Operations, Xenon Pharma
Paolo De Marino - Managing Director & Head of the Danforth Health AI Center of Excellence, Asymmetry Group
- Identify where AI can most effectively improve launch efficiency, insights, and decision-making
- Understand how AI strategy, enablement and adoption differs between emerging launch organizations and established commercial teams
- Learn a practical AI framework for characterizing AI opportunities and overcoming common barriers to implementation
Paolo De Marino
Managing Director & Head of the Danforth Health AI Center of ExcellenceAsymmetry Group
11:00 am - 11:30 am
Panel Discussion: Who Owns Launch Excellence? Building the Operating Model, Governance and Tools for Cross-Functional Execution
Siddharth Jain -
Head (SD), Global Medical Unit for Growth & Launch Brands in Rare Diseases,
Takeda
Harry Georgiades - Managing Director of Life Sciences, IPM
Annie Curti - Director, Product Strategy & Launch Excellence (Hematology), Novartis
As the role evolves, definitions and responsibilities vary widely. Without clarity, ownership and accountability can quickly break down. This roundtable session will cover:
Siddharth Jain
Head (SD), Global Medical Unit for Growth & Launch Brands in Rare DiseasesTakeda
11:30 am - 12:00 pm
Roundtable Discussion: Medical Earlier, Not Later: How Pre-Approval Strategy Shapes Launch Outcomes
German Guerrero -
Executive Medical Director & Launch Lead,
Vera Therapeutics
Medical Affairs is too often brought into launch as a supporting function, rather than a strategic partner shaping evidence, education and market readiness from the start. For first-in-class therapies in high-unmet-need diseases, earlier medical involvement can reduce downstream friction, strengthen scientific positioning and prepare the field before commercial execution begins. Drawing on a multitude of launch experience, as well as the current pre-launch strategy including current experience bringing a first-in-class therapy to market in a competitive rare disease landscape, German will explore how medical can establish scientific presence, build KOL engagement, align evidence generation and partner cross-functionally with commercial, market access, clinical development and regulatory before launch.
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Lunch & Learn Hosted by Within3
1:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Presentation/Case Study: From Performative to Performance: Overcoming Pervasive Barriers to Drive Successful Launch
Komal Gurnani -
Principal, Global Launch Strategy Lead,
ZS Associates
Bill Coyle - Principal, EU Regional Managing Principal, ZS Associates
With $200B+ in revenue at risk from loss of exclusivity by 2030, the margin for launch error has never been thinner. The data suggests the industry is systematically over-investing in the factors that matter least and under-investing in the ones that determine outcomes. Combined with a performative process orientation and common organizational dynamics leading up to launch, key internal barriers to success are not addressed, and external barriers to uptake are missed. This session presents the evidence and the path forward.
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Panel Discussion: Defining Launch Success - Speed, Access or Impact?
Jason Noto -
SVP, US Market Access & Alliance Management,
AVEO Oncology
Sabrina McGuigan - Director, Franchise Operations, Global Rare Diseases, Sanofi
Ashley Stanley - Managing Director, Product Launch, Inizio Ignite
With competing priorities across functions, defining success is increasingly complex.
This session will delve into how a range of pharma companies are redefining launch success through:
• Balancing speed, access, engagement and revenue
• Aligning KPIs across teams
• Measuring short and long-term success
2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Presentation / Case Study: Ready Isn't Ready: How Mock Launch Exposes the Gaps Before Go-Live
Teena Rehani -
Former Launch Excellence Capability Lead,
Former Boehringer Ingelheim
Most launch teams have plans, playbooks and checklists, but many still discover too late that assumptions have not been pressure-tested, roles are unclear, decision rights are missing, or critical handoffs are weaker than expected.
This session will explore the common launch readiness mistakes companies make before going to market, and how mock launch exercises can expose gaps early, strengthen cross-functional alignment and turn launch planning into real operational readiness.
• Identifying hidden gaps in launch readiness before they become launch risks
• Using mock launch to pressure-test assumptions, roles and decision-making
• Aligning commercial, medical, access, supply and field teams around execution
• Turning rehearsal insights into practical launch improvements
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Roundtable Discussion Groups
Julie Cosgrove -
Head of Strategy & Operations US Market Access,
Sanofi
Michelle Estonilo - Senior Biopharma Account Manager, Lundbeck
Sabrina McGuigan - Director, Franchise Operations, Global Rare Diseases, Sanofi
Dicla Veliz Salce - Global Brand Lead for Women's Cancers, AstraZeneca
Lynn Sullivan - Chief Business Officer, Rose Pharma
Small groups. No slides. No spectators.
Each table is built around a problem teams are actively trying to solve:
• Fixing weak uptake in the first 90 days post-launch
• Getting Medical, Access and Commercial aligned before approval
• What to cut when launch budgets tighten
• Where AI is actually saving time in launch execution
• Dealing with payer pushback on high-cost therapies
You'll leave with:
• How others are approaching it
• What's working vs failing
• Practical ideas you can take straight back
Rountables Include:
- AI in Launch: Turning Experimentation into Measurable Impact
- Access, Pricing and Affordability as Launch Strategy]
- Medical Affairs, Evidence and Scientific Engagement Before Launch
- Turning Launch Strategy into Launch Performance
- Field Execution, Commercial Ops and Launch Infrastructure
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Afternoon Refreshment Break
3:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Presentation/Case Study: Precision Launch: Winning the Moments That Matter Most
Melissa Dagless -
Head of Growth,
Prescient
Maxine Smith - Senior Vice President – Co-Lead Commercial, Prescient
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Panel Discussion: Rare Disease & Specialty Launch: Solving the Access, Patient Identification and Engagement Challenge
Jason Noto -
SVP, US Market Access & Alliance Management,
AVEO Oncology
Suraj Moorthy - Senior Vice President and Head of Global Strategic Insights, EMD Serono
Rare disease launches require fundamentally different approaches, with smaller populations, higher costs and more complex access pathways. Join this session to delve into a range of perspectives on:
• Designing strategies for highly targeted patient populations
• Navigating pricing, access and reimbursement challenges
• Engaging patients, advocacy groups and specialist clinicians
4:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Panel Discussion: Inside Medical Affairs: Aligning Evidence, Data, Field Medical, HEOR and Engagement for Launch
Jay Jackson -
Vice President HEOR,
Vera Therapeutics
Lisa Khosla - Executive Director, Medical Information, Vera Therapeutics
German Guerrero - Executive Medical Director & Launch Lead, Vera Therapeutics
Donald Mallet - VP Field Medical, Vera Therapeutics
Medical Affairs is not one function, it is a connected ecosystem of teams shaping evidence, stakeholder engagement, field readiness, medical intelligence and scientific credibility before, during and after launch. As products become more complex, launch success depends on aligning Medical Strategy, Field Medical, HEOR, Medical Information, Scientific Communications, Medical Operations and data-driven insight earlier and more deliberately.
• Aligning medical strategy, field medical and scientific communications
• Connecting HEOR, RWE and evidence generation to access needs
• Using data and medical intelligence to guide launch decisions
• Preparing Medical Information and field teams before approval
