Hey there, and welcome to edition three of The Beghou Biopharma Review by Marc Iskowitz.
I’ve spent the last languid moments of July largely indoors, due to the steamy conditions. The life sciences industry, too, has been feeling the heat, as we’ll discuss a bit later. Let’s start with two major internal updates:
First, as of July 1, Adrienne Lovink stepped into the role of CEO, succeeding founder Beth Beghou, who continues in an advisory capacity after more than three decades at the helm. This month, both the outgoing chief and her successor reflected on the transition, announced in April, in an interview with Consulting Magazine.
Second, Beghou scored a coveted “major contender” rating on a third-party assessment of its commercial AI capabilities, Everest Group’s PEAK Matrix. It’s the latest evidence that Beghou is becoming a go-to partner for life science companies who want AI that works and scales. More on that here.
As to what's shaping pharma this summer, we’re watching two storylines unfold. At the policy level, pharma marketers face growing uncertainty around Trump’s tariff regime. And on the commercial front, cell and gene therapy (CGT) products continue to test what it means to launch in a world of high price tags, low adoption curves and complex access hurdles.
Let’s unpack both...
This past spring, President Donald Trump pledged to levy pharma-specific import tariffs. They could be announced as soon as August 1.
But major details continue to be hammered out. For instance, on Monday we learned that tariffs on pharmaceuticals coming from the E.U. will be set at 15% as part of a trade pact reached over the weekend. That’s much lower than the 200% duties Trump proposed earlier this month.
And other details, like those concerning implementation, remain unknown. The White House said tariffs won’t go into effect until a national security investigation the administration is preparing has a chance to wrap up, likely in two or three weeks. Even then, Trump said this month that he may give drugmakers a 12-to-18-month grace period to move their manufacturing to the U.S.
Meanwhile, stock markets aren’t panicking, and neither should pharma marketers. That said, the current situation isn’t exactly a straightforward one for brands.
“Uncertainty is what creates the problem,” health economist Jane Sarasohn-Kahn told me as part of an update and planning piece I compiled. “Because they don't know where to place a bet in a rational way.”
Pharma’s caught between conflicting signals: the promise of a one- to two-year runway before tariffs take hold—and the reality that onshoring drug manufacturing takes five to 10. Supply disruptions, price increases and regulatory gaps could land squarely on commercial teams’ plates in the interim.
PhRMA warns that tariffs could spike U.S. drug prices by up to 13% and disrupt patient access. Wall Street analysts forecast the E.U. tariff deal, for instance, may add between $13 billion and $19 billion to pharma’s costs. And with trust in the industry already low, the communication stakes are high.
Many non-pharma brands may hit the pause button. A recent IAB survey found 94% of all advertisers are concerned about tariffs, with nearly half planning to cut spend. But that may be shortsighted.
“In moments of uncertainty, brands have a choice: go quiet or go human,” said veteran pharma marketer Maria Verastegui.
Tariff threats aren’t the only thing keeping marketers on edge. Another comes from within the industry, as CGT makers work to overcome early launch hurdles and chart a more sustainable path forward.
Gene therapies launched with high expectations. But, as many companies found, the commercial ramp was slower than hoped.
“Much of the initial excitement around gene therapy has been tempered by reality,” said Robert Rouse, partner at Beghou Consulting and a former launch lead for one of the earliest entrants in this nascent category.
That reality has manifested itself in several ways, mostly involving market access. Questions surrounding the durability of efficacy have made some payers cautious about covering CGTs, and the reimbursement ambiguity has left some providers nervous.
Speaking at a recent cell and gene therapy commercialization forum, Robert outlined a structured framework for addressing those hurdles. Below is a slide with four considerations that he believes can guide the next wave of CGT launches, and click here for his recent essay on this timely topic.
Last time out, I teased a video series on agentic AI. That series kicked off this month with my colleague Nicole Ventrone, a partner at Beghou, explaining all about the technology, how it differs from generative AI, and how AI agents can support life sciences teams without replacing them.
An expert in AI strategy and organizational culture, she also speaks about measuring success, avoiding “AI letdown” and keeping human teammates happy. You can watch the videos on Beghou Consulting or Nicole’s LinkedIn page.
I had a great time working with her on this, and I’ll be teaming up with more Beghou colleagues soon to go deeper on agentic AI implementation and what the road ahead looks like for commercial operations.
For emerging biopharma teams, the pre-launch clock starts ticking long before the arrival of Phase III data. Even when the commercial infrastructure is still bare bones, decisions made on data, systems and teams will determine whether you're sprinting or scrambling at approval.
To help teams prioritize the right work at the right time, three of our partners—Melissa McDevitt, Yair Markovits and Todd Foster—assembled a resource that’s a checklist, timing guide and launch roadmap all in one. It breaks down the most critical data and analytics activities to invest in, whether you’re far from or close to approval:
Timing, according to the authors, requires an “elegant balance of investment and readiness.” This resource can help teams achieve it. Download the resource, or for more context, see the full reference, Emerging Biopharma Data and Analytics Roadmap.
Our consultants have been out in the field speaking, listening and connecting at conferences. Here’s a roundup of some of their recent engagements.
At this year’s Orphan Drug Summit on July 16, Vishal Singal, a Beghou partner, contributed to two panel discussions focused on key barriers and enablers:
At this event on June 25, some of the aforementioned partners—namely, Nicole and Todd —conducted a workshop on “Make AI Work for You: From Experiment to Essential Coworker.”
At recent conferences like this one, and in conversations with clients, it’s become clear that many pharma companies are ready to move beyond the pilot stage with AI. But scaling it responsibly and effectively is another matter. A recurring theme has emerged: Trust, or lack thereof, is the greatest determinant of adoption.
We see that progress continues to be stalled due to suboptimal data quality and siloed implementations, both of which erode organizational trust. That lack of trust, in turn, prompts stricter oversight from risk and compliance functions, further slowing innovation.
As the industry invests further in advanced analytics, the need for technology experts to guide its implementation continues apace.
That’s it for now! If you’re looking for more information on any of the stories in this newsletter or have a question related to commercial ops, drop me a line at marc.iskowitz@beghouconsulting.com. I’m happy to run it by our consultants or send other resources your way.
Cheers,
Editorial Director, Beghou Consulting
P.S. Thank you for reading and to my Beghou colleague Sravya Narayanaswamy for helping me put this together.