Winner
COPAXONE - reigniting the spark
Summary of work
In 2012 Copaxone was heading towards trouble. Steadily-declining sales growth paired with a wave of new, more efficacious competitors looked to signal the end for a daily MS injection most commonly seen as a soft-but-safe back-up option.
After 16 years of injectable therapies, 2011 saw the first oral treatments approved for MS, ushering in a new, exciting era where efficacy and administration convenience were key.
Unfortunately these new therapies also posed a huge threat to Copaxone. It became apparent that sweeping changes would be needed simply to stabilise sales and minimise the expected decline as new competitors began to take market share. We would have to fundamentally alter the way Copaxone was marketed across Europe – uniting previously disconnected markets, build lasting relationships from scratch with local market teams and find a way to make the brand relevant again in an increasingly competitive marketplace heavily focused on efficacy.
With a clear, insight-led re-positioning of the brand and a comprehensive programme of internal engagement and cooperation, Teva was able to not only hold off the decline but achieve significant positive and sustained growth, beating all expectations.
Judges’ comments
The team turned an inconsistent message across Europe into a unified message that resulted in a significant increase in sales. They fundamentally re-evaluated what they could do with a brand, backed by data. This was a thorough approach to revitalising a mature brand in the highly competitive MS market – they did a really good job of reversing decline.
