Conference Surveillance Whitepaper Fall 2016

Conference
Surveillance
ACTIONABLE competitive intelligence
(CI) is a critical asset for
pharmaceutical companies, but with
more than 7,000 agents in develop-
ment globally¹, the act of collecting,
analyzing and gleaning actionable
steps from CI can be a daunting task
for commercial teams.
The importance of competitive
information cannot be overstated – it
not only helps commercial teams
acquire an in-depth knowledge of the
market, the competitive landscape, and
changes in the marketplace, but
perhaps more importantly, CI provides
the basis for teams to identify new
opportunities and threats, to position
and counter-position agents in
development, and to construct
preemptive strategies early to remain
competitive at launch.
Fall 2016
Conference Surveillance
© Artisan Healthcare Consulting, Inc.
1

Facts. Insights. Actions.
Conferences provide attendees unparalleled access to a broad scope of
scientific and clinical development in a therapeutic area. However, it is
precisely this enormous scope of content that often overwhelms attendees
and leads to CI that is incomplete, non-standardized, and of little strategic
or tactical value. Take, for example, the annual American Society of
Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting.
There are more than 1,800 oncology agents in development globally¹; in
the United States alone, there are more than 800 oncology medicines and
vaccines in either clinical trials or in under review by the US Food and
Drug Administration (FDA).² Of the four major oncology conferences
hosted annually, ASCO stands out as the preeminent venue for the
presentation of clinical oncology data.
As such, ASCO 2016 had over 38,000 attendees, 5,817 submitted
abstracts, 2,463 presented abstracts, 1,995 abstracts that reported clinical
trial results, 241 live conference sessions, and hundreds of presented
posters—and attendees had only five days to access all of the
information³. (Figure 1) When faced with such a magnitude of information,
it is no surprise that many teams fall short of their CI goals for conference
surveillance.
Introduction
Industry conferences are one of the most important
sources of information for CI
Conference Surveillance2
>38,000 attendees
5,817 submitted abstracts
2,463 abstracts presented live
1,995 abstracts with clinical trial data
241 live conference sessions
5 Days
FIGURE 1
The ‘Sizable’ Challenge with Conference
Surveillance: ASCO 2016 by the Numbers³
1
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). 2015 Profile, Biopharmaceutical Research Industry. http://www.phrma.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2015_phrma_profile.pdf.
Accessed August 2016.
2
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). Medicines in Development For Cancer. http://phrma.org/sites/default/files/pdf/oncology-report-2015.pdf. Published 2015.
Accessed August 2016.
³ ASCO 2016 Website. https://am.asco.org/2016-abstract-submission-and-session-statistics and http://iplanner.asco.org/am2016/#/. Accessed August 2016.

þ How can we utilize market information to best position
our product or portfolio?
þ What are the key opportunities and challenges to
accelerate our compound to proof-of-concept and
registration?
þ What are competitors doing today that will block or
limit the commercial opportunity for our therapies in
development?
þ Have our competitors presented any preclinical or
clinical data that demonstrates proof of mechanism or
combination rationale for one of our assets?
þ Are any of our competitors employing novel trial
designs or development strategies that we can learn
from?
FIGURE 2
Examples of strategic and tactical questions
answered by conference surveillance
While many organizations have teams that specialize in capturing CI,
these teams are typically tasked to focus on branded or marketed products
during major conferences, rather than new and emerging products. In
order to adapt to changing trends in the market, commercial teams require
detailed, in-depth coverage of agents in development and would benefit
from conference surveillance that focuses on early-stage compounds.
To fill the CI gaps, some commercial teams turn to “off-the-shelf”
conference surveillance reports. While “off-the-shelf” surveillance reports
do provide an overview of major themes from a conference, these reports
typically lack the specificity of intelligence required to confidently craft
strategic or tactical plans for a targeted molecule or development portfolio.
In our work with commercial clients, we’ve developed a framework for
“Conference Surveillance Best Practices”. Our framework can help
pharmaceutical and biotech teams effectively prioritize and manage
conference surveillance activities with the goal of bringing surveillance CI
that is actionable and that can be used to strengthen both strategic and
tactical plans back to their organizations (Figure 2). Obtaining meaningful
conference CI comes down to having an organized approach with the right
resources, processes, and tools in place.
Conference Surveillance 3

Conference surveillance activities are divided into three groups based on
when the activities are completed: pre-conference, during the conference,
and post-conference. A high-level timeline of activities and a full check-list
of surveillance activities are presented in Figures 3 and 4, respectively;
each activity group is discussed in detail in the subsequent sections.
1. Pre-conference
Pre-conference activities are crucial to successful conference surveillance
and are largely exercises in organization and prioritization, with the
planning process typically beginning six weeks before the start of the
conference. Teams initiate surveillance activities by constructing a pre-
conference market landscape of compounds, indications, or topics of
interest, ideally segmented by a more granular variable (e.g., by
mechanism of action). This initial list acts as a high-level reference for
determining the priority of conference abstracts and sessions during the
abstract review.
The final list of abstracts typically becomes available two to three weeks
before the start of the conference. Upon posting, the surveillance team
performs the following tasks:
1. Download the comprehensive list of abstract titles. The total list of
abstracts may total in the thousands for large conferences. In the case
of ASCO 2016, there were 2,463 presented abstracts (Figure 1).
2. Remove any obviously out-of-scope titles.
3. With the remaining list, team members divide and read the abstract
titles to determine if the content in the title is sufficient to understand
the content of the abstract. For those titles that are not descriptive
enough, the team member reads the body of the abstract to get a
sense of whether or not that presentation is in scope.
4. Once the team has created a list of relevant presentations, team
members begin to categorize and group abstracts (e.g. by MoA, tumor
type) to streamline coverage and report writing.
5. The team then rates these abstracts based on relevance and interest
using a standardized scale (e.g., 1 as highest priority to 5 as lowest
priority). In the example of a 1 to 5 scale, any abstract that is not rated
in the top three will be removed.
Often, the use of this standardized process for pre-conference
abstract review will reveal the core themes emerging from a
conference before the conference begins, and these themes may hint
at emerging competitive threats.
6. In order to ensure thoroughness, we advise teams to utilize the
conference website search function to find abstracts with key terms of
interest, such as specific mechanisms or therapies. Add any high
priority abstracts discovered from these searches to the final abstract
list, if they are not already included.
7. Finally, team members compile all of this information and align on the
final list of posters and presentations that must be covered in person
at the conference.
4
Best Practices
Conference Surveillance4
Repeat the search process several times for indications,
mechanisms of interest, or emerging themes that may
identify new competitive entrants. Additional searches are
a critical contingency step that protect teams from being
blindsided by missing important posters, topics, or trends.
Insider
Best
Practice
C

Abstract Review Resourcing
Pre-conference Post-conference
Conference
- 1Weeks - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 0- 6 + 1 + 5+ 4+ 3+ 2 + 6
Create
Pre-conference
Market Landscape
Finalize
Master
Schedule
Abstracts
Published,
Download
Finalize
Abstract
List
Team
Kick-off
Daily Info
Capture
Design Data
Template
Daily team
Re-group
Distribute Short
Executive
Summary
Distribute Final Report with
Full ES, Strategic / Tactical
Recommendations and
Detailed Session Info
FIGURE 3
Timeline of Conference Surveillance Activities
5Conference Surveillance

A. Pre-conference
Develop a master list of posters / presentations to
attend.
þ Six weeks prior: Create a Pre-Conference Market Landscape of
high priority compounds, indications, or topics, ideally
segmented for granularity (e.g., by MOA).
þ 2–3 weeks prior: Download final list of abstracts.
þ Remove out-of-scope abstracts based on metrics defined in Pre-
Conference Market Landscape; read remaining abstracts to
further refine list.
þ Rate remaining abstracts based on priority or interest using a
standardized method (e.g., 1 to 5 scale); remove any low-
priority/low-interest abstracts.
þ Repeat search for additional topics, trends, or indications of
interest.
þ Meet with Team to align on final list of posters / presentations to
attend. If necessary, review the plan with the broader team,
including management.
Resource the master list of posters / presentations to
attend.
þ 1 week prior: Download conference center map to reference
during resourcing decisions.
þ Create Master Schedule that includes date, time, and location.
þ Overlay the final list of posters / presentations onto the Master
Schedule. Include arrival / departure time windows, discussion
time, and travel time for each event.
þ Assign team member(s) to each event based on topic or general
theme.
Design the conference surveillance template.
þ Define data metrics to capture during surveillance (e.g., trial
endpoints, trial cohorts, SOC changes, etc.).
þ Create standard template to capture data metrics during posters
/ presentations / Q&A. Consistency in data capture is critical to
allow for post-conference analysis.
þ Distribute template to team before the start of the conference.
B. Conference
þ Day 1: Team Kick-off meeting to review and reinforce topics of
interest.
þ Daily: Capture pictures of slides and posters, key presenter
points, Q&A topics, etc.
þ Daily: Re-group with team at the end of every day to share
learnings and adapt / re-prioritize schedules for the next day.
C. Post-conference
þ Post-week 1: Distribute short Executive Summary highlighting 5-
7 key themes. Include near-term data that will impact prescribing
or launch plans, longer-term emerging agents with promising
data, and key competitors that directly impact development
strategy.
þ Post-week 4 to 6: Distribute full conference report. Report
includes an Executive Summary with up to 15 key findings and
strategic / tactical recommendations. Body of report includes
detail on sessions of high strategic or tactical importance.
66Conference Surveillance6
FIGURE 4
Conference Surveillance Activity Check-list

With a final list in hand, the team can begin the detailed task of resourcing
the various events. Resourcing begins by first determining whether an
abstract or presentation should be attended in person or whether the
content in the abstract is sufficient. Keep in mind that efficacy and safety
data are often updated between abstract submission and the conference
session, especially for ongoing trials. Because of this, avoid relying solely
on the content of the abstract for high priority presentations. Once this
determination is made, create a Master Schedule of date, time, and
location and then overlay the presentations and posters to be covered.
Constructing a realistic schedule is a tripping point for many teams; it
requires a surprising micro-level of detail to be achievable in practice.
For example, an oral session from 12pm to 2pm, with the abstract of
interest scheduled from 12:45-12:55, should include an arrival window
(e.g., 12:35 – 12:40) as well as post-session travel time (e.g., 2:05 – 2:15),
assuming the attendee stays to listen to the Q&A portion. For an oral
presentation, consider adding additional time to hear the discussant of the
abstract, as the discussion and ensuing Q&A provides contextual
information as well as reality checks not included in the abstract.
Omitting buffer windows for arrival, departure, or discussant presentations
will result in over-booking team members and missing important
conference CI. Certain sessions will also be filled to capacity without
overflow – if team members don’t arrive early they will end up standing the
entire time or missing the presentation completely.
Once the full list of abstracts is in the Master Schedule, team members are
assigned specific abstracts to cover on each day. It is helpful for the same
team member to cover abstracts with similar themes (e.g. the same
mechanisms or tumor types) in order to streamline the process of
comparing and providing context for similar presentations.
The final pre-conference activity is to construct a template to ensure that
information is collected in a consistent format across team members and
abstracts. Outline special topics of interest for each abstract or general
themes for each team member. Then create and distribute a template that
uses consistent feedback metrics for capturing the salient points from
posters, presentations, and Q&A. Consistency in data capture is critical to
allow for post-conference analysis. As an example for Q&A, we advise
teams to capture each question raised by the audience, together with the
response by the presenter / panel member. We also recommend that team
members add their own perspective on whether the questions raised were
adequately addressed, or whether the question remains open. These
qualitative comments are helpful to refer to when considering the
implications to strategy.
When creating a Master Schedule, the team must evaluate the distance
between sessions to ensure schedule feasibility, as some venues are
large enough where travel time between sessions can take fifteen
minutes if located on opposite ends of the conference center. We
recommend downloading a conference center map to help with
planning. Considering proximity of different presentations is essential to
maximizing team coverage.
Insider Best PracticeC
Include data metrics around clinical trial design (e.g., trends in trial end-
points, sample cohorts, etc.) in your template. Clinical trials serve a
multitude of purposes, from the most basic need to support regulatory
approval, to product positioning or differentiation, for reimbursement or
value/cost-effectiveness, and increasingly as a competitive means for
companies to outmaneuver their competition. Understanding the clinical
development strategy of a competitor is essential information to counter
the claims of a competitive trial, to accelerate your own clinical strategy,
or to develop tactics to expand your product’s market opportunity in the
face of competitive market entrants. By consistently capturing clinical
trial read-outs you can answer the question, “Do we need to modify our
development program to remain competitive at launch?”
7Conference Surveillance

B. During the conference
Effective surveillance during the conference is largely centered on
enacting a well-constructed pre-conference plan. Without substantial pre-
conference preparation, beginning weeks before the conference, the act of
surveillance becomes ad-hoc and the end product is of limited value.
Start the conference with a team kick-off meeting to review and reinforce
the topics of interest and the key points to listen for in oral presentations.
At sessions and abstracts, instruct team members to capture pictures of
slides or posters as necessary, key presenter points, and Q&A topics of
interest. At the end of every day, meet with the team to align on key
learnings and discuss additional topics to cover for the next day.
This wrap-up meeting at the end of each day is critical to allow the team to
adapt and re-prioritize schedules based on what they’re hearing in
discussions or seeing in the presented data, and functions as a
contingency step to avoid missing important data.
8Conference Surveillance8
Packed days of conference surveillance are hectic and can feel
disorganized if team members are not prepared. Ensure team members
have a bag with the following materials each day of the conference:
1) a print out of the conference center floor plan, especially for large
conferences such as ASCO and the American Association for Cancer
Research (AACR). Alternatively, some conferences have apps that
team members can download with interactive conference center maps,
2) a printed list of presentation details including abstract title, date, time,
and room number as well as the team member assigned to cover each,
3) a digital camera and charger to capture pictures of the presentations
and posters,
4) a phone and phone charger to communicate last minute schedule
changes to fellow team members, and
5) a computer with the saved note-taking templates so team members
can take notes during each session.
Be sure to make a note of how ‘full’ a session is, as this will give you a
quick indication of topic importance. Also be sure to monitor social media
and notable pharma blogs in the weeks leading up to the conference to
determine the sessions that will likely be well-attended. Keep in mind that
these sessions will often fill up early, so if a session is of high importance to
the team’s CI, send a team member to the session early to ensure a seat
before the room reaches capacity.

C. Post-conference
Post-conference activities include summarizing and reporting the findings
and turning these findings into actionable recommendations for the
organization. CI that delivers predictive information that helps companies
anticipate market disruptions, and that can be acted upon to develop
counter strategies and tactics, is the most useful to commercial teams.
This information should be delivered in a timely manner, as the insights
may become quickly outdated, especially in dynamic markets.
Within one week, assemble a short Executive Summary of five to seven
key insights from the conference. In the insights, include near-term data
that will impact prescribing or launch plans, longer-term emerging targets
with promising data (include clinical endpoints and design that may impact
ongoing programs), and key competitors that directly impact company
strategy. Within four weeks of the conference, distribute a full report of the
conference with detail on sessions of high strategic or tactical importance.
The final deliverable is the full conference report that includes an
expanded Executive Summary and detailed coverage of high-impact
individual sessions. The Executive Summary is designed for key
leadership positions and includes up to fifteen key points (segmented by
near versus long-term competition), as well as the strategic and tactical
recommendations.
For each key finding, note the implications of the data and
recommendations for how the organization / department can consider
reacting to the trends. The body of final deliverable includes short write-
ups of each covered session to share with the organization. This detailed
information is especially helpful when drug development teams are
interested in efficacy and safety data or trial design information for select
compounds or mechanisms.
We advise that the full, comprehensive report be finalized no later
than 6 weeks after the end of the conference to ensure the findings
are still relevant.
Conclusion
IT is increasingly difficult for established agents to maintain their
competitive advantage in the face of a raft of new market entrants, and for
emerging agents to demonstrate a competitive advantage in already
saturated markets. In the current environment, organizations cannot risk
skipping conference surveillance because the magnitude of the task is
significant, because they are under-resourced, or because they lack the
standardization to effectively turn conference findings into actionable
recommendations.
Conference surveillance is an important form of commercial CI that, when
done well, delivers predictive information to help companies anticipate
new opportunities and threats and—most importantly—provides
organizations actionable information to develop winning strategies and
tactics for launch and beyond.
Conference surveillance requires meaningful time commitment,
before, during, and after conference completion. However, it is a
workflow crucial to a market leading, up-to-date strategy for
products in development.
Artisan has helped numerous franchise and disease teams conduct
conference surveillance using the techniques and tips outlined
above. The findings, insights, and strategic recommendations that
Artisan has developed using conference CI have helped drive the
commercial success of several products and portfolios.
For all key findings, it is especially important to capture and integrate
comments from the discussant and Q&A portion of the sessions—this
information is not publically available and is of high value.
9

We invite you to contact us to discuss how Artisan's insights
can help your business succeed.
950 Winter Street, Suite 4250, Waltham, MA 02451
Telephone: +1.781.221.5656
Email: info@artisan-consulting.com
ARTISAN provides strategic and quantitative analysis that helps our clients'
leadership act decisively. We recognize that even the most quantitative
analysis involves interpretation. Let our experienced leadership guide your
strategic decisions and help you make the most of your business
opportunities
BRAD Payne is a Vice President for Artisan
Healthcare Consulting. Brad focuses on new
product development, and advising clients on
how to optimize commercial outcomes for their
own pipeline. This includes new product
planning, product differentiation, go-to-launch
planning, and crafting strategic
recommendations from conference surveillance.
He has lead and delivered >100 consulting
engagements with established and emerging
pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device
companies, with projects spanning multiple
therapeutic areas, including oncology, rare
diseases, cardio-vascular, and vaccines.
Brad’s areas of expertise include:
n Building cross-functional alignment in new
product development, allowing teams to
prioritize their portfolio and move forward in
development quickly and decisively
n Providing up-to-date insights to key
questions that drive development decisions,
supported by secondary and surveillance
insights
n Clearly outlining the development pathway
needed to ensure products are effectively
differentiated at launch
Brad holds a BA (cum laude) in Economics from
Harvard University and an MBA from Arizona
State University.
bpayne@artisan-consulting.com
Office: 781-996-7338
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