Launch Excellence

Summary of work

In 2015, Takeda was set to launch its biggest product innovation of the year, Entyvio® (vedolizumab), the world’s first gut-selective medicine for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). The launch followed 11 years of R&D and was hotly anticipated to change the treatment paradigm forever. While the product earned its rightful place on the 2016 Prix Galien awards shortlist, Takeda had its work cut out to achieve launch success, with no heritage or relationships in the gastroenterology (GI) community and fierce competition from Humira®, a Goliath among products. As if this wasn’t enough to contend with, Takeda had many hurdles to overcome, which threatened to derail the launch and delay access to patients who were crying out for an alternative to surgery. No amount of scenario planning could have anticipated the multitude of challenges faced, but success was achieved through total commitment to the strategy and a focus on building long-term customer relationships centred on improving patients’ lives.

Judges' comments

Taking a bold and brave strategy to delay promotion in order to enter the market graciously, this work achieved solid measures and a nod to real-world data, picking up some interesting lessons along the way.