The document presents findings from a study involving 21 leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies focused on improving the market research approval process to enhance competitiveness. It highlights key insights, best practices for operational excellence, and methods to manage cycle times effectively, while emphasizing the impact of expedited approvals on strategic decision-making. The report also features qualitative data from executive interviews, outlining recommendations for navigating regulatory and business needs in specialty and rare disease markets.

1. Page | 1
Enabling Marketing Insights and Superior
Competitiveness Through Faster Market
Research Approvals

2. Page | 2
Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary pgs. 3-7
 Research Overview pg. 4
 Participating Companies pg. 5
II. Key Findings & Insights pg. 8
III. Best Practices of High-Performing Companies pg. 16
IV. Managing Cycle Times & Fast Response pg. 36
V. Managing Roles & Responsibilities pg. 50
VI. Managing Honoraria Services pg. 57
VII. Managing Non-conforming Requests pg. 69
VIII. Approval Process Excellence pg. 72
IX. Best Practice Case Study: How One Company Evolved Fast & Efficient pg. 80
Approval Systems
X. Lessons Learned & Pitfalls to Avoid pg. 93
XI. Field Interviews & Executive Verbatims pg. 98
XII. Path Forward Recommendations pg. 104
XIII. Benchmark Class Demographics pg. 108
XIV. About Best Practices, LLC pg. 112

3. Page | 3
Key Operational & Management
Factors Examined
Benchmark
Methodology
Research
Objectives
Research Overview: Objectives & Methodology
 Twenty leading pharmaceutical and biotech
organizations participated in the study.
 Eight companies’ executives participated in
deep-dive operational interviews.
 Additional qualitative
 Balancing Business & Regulatory Risks:
Use external benchmarks to evaluate how
biopharma companies participating in
specialty and rare diseases balance
competing needs: Business (go fast, go
deep) and Regulatory (Be safe and
compliant)
 Evidence-Based Benchmark: This study
engaged companies focused on specialty
therapeutic areas and rare diseases;
research probed diverse factors enabling the
all-important Marketing Research and
Insights Approval Process.
Marketing Research Topics Probed:
 Managing Roles & Responsibilities
 Managing Cycle Times & Fast Response
 Managing Honoraria Requirements
 Managing Non-conforming Requests
 Approval Process Excellence Drivers
 Managing Vendors
Market research studies help biopharmaceutical companies gain critical insights they need to compete successfully in a
fast-changing market. Delays in launching and executing key market research projects can negatively impact or slow the
decision-making process, resulting in missed opportunities and increased costs. This report identifies practices for
expediting the corporate market research approval process for faster insights.

4. Page | 4
Benchmark Class
Universe of Learning: 21 Leading Companies Focused on
Specialty & Rare Diseases Contributed to this Research
This study engaged 22 executives from 21 leading pharmaceutical, biotech, and life sciences companies. Eleven
companies responded on behalf of rare disease markets. Forty percent of companies participated in deep-dive interviews
about the drivers of operational excellence. Three-fourths of respondents are directors or heads of market research.
= Company participated in deep-
diving qualitative interviews
= Company contributed lessons
learned & pitfall commentary

5. Page | 5
Market Research Project Approval Speed Can Help or Hinder
Competitiveness
(6) MARKET SHARE
When all is equal, speed navigating
markets drives share gains.
(7) GROWTH VS. DIVIDEND
Growth models need to grow faster & into
new adjacencies; dividend models can
grow slowly and pass cash to shareholders.
MR is most important to growth models.
(4) MARKET NICHES
Growth paths move into market niches,
making understanding the niche critical.
(5) LAUNCH CURVE
Launch curves are inflected up or down by
market understanding & positioning.
(2) NUMBER OF STUDIES
# of studies drives market understanding
& responsiveness.
(3) COMPETITIVE MARKETS
Rising market competition makes MR more
important & harder to conduct in specialty /
rare disease markets.
(8) MARKET CAP
Growth and profit disproportionally
drive market capitalization.
(1) MR APPROVALTIMES
Approval speed affects number of
studies & MR productivity.
Market Research
Speed to Insight
Drives
Competitiveness
in Growth
Companies

6. Page | 6
Key Findings: Process Excellence, 1
 Cycle Time Review Key Metric for Assessing MR Approval Process: Nearly three-quarters of participants use
review cycle time as a metric for determining if the market research approval process is functioning at an
acceptable level. Study cost and recruiting failure rates are metrics used by 43% of the benchmark class.
 Best Practice Checklists: Employ best practices, checklists and rules for high performance. Begin with
checklists in pinch points that are most problematic. Then extend to entire process and operations. Checklists
help control processes
 Process Simplification Commonly Used to Track and Manage MR Approval Process: All benchmark
respondents take at least one approach to tracking and managing the market research approval process. Process
simplification is the most common approach, always used by 75% and used “sometimes” by the remainder of
companies.
 Simplification: Employ multiple management processes and designs to simplify work flows. Simplifying
“pinch points” in the process seems a high-yield first-stage improvement. Simplification can be achieved
through process design, better rules, checklists and removal of unnecessary and redundant activities.
 Less Than 10% of Market Research Projects Have Exceptions at Benchmark Companies: Set exception &
niche market rules to address, document and move forward. High performers, for example, don’t require
honoraria reviews of proposals that use approved rates.
 Seventy-nine percent of benchmarked companies report less than 10% exception rates for market research
requests where honoraria requests don’t comply with the standards.
 Fifty percent of companies always specify what information should be included to prevent exception
reviews. Forty seven percent of companies develop forms to guide the compliant projects requests while
44% also specify the information to support a non-complying project request.

7. Page | 7
Employ Single-Leader Decision Maker Models When Speed Is
Essential to Competitiveness
“(The company) is clear about a single
decision maker. There is a single decision
maker concept. That allows you to move pretty
quickly. . . . At (my previous company) we
had multiple decision makers. You had one
person to say Yes and 11 people who could
say no. . . . At my (current company) the
single decision-maker is the SVP from the
business unit, getting counsel from brand,
legal, compliance or pharmacovigilance.”
-- Marketing Director, Rare Disease
Yes/
No
Review /
Advise
Review /
Advise
Review /
Advise
Review /
Advise
Review /
Advise
Review /
Advise
Yes/
No
Advise
+ Veto
Advise
+ Veto
Advise
+ Veto
Advise
+ Veto
Advise
+ Veto
Advise
+ Veto
Consensus Model = Slower & Less Decisive
Single Decision Maker = Fast & Decisive

8. Page | 8
Q. On average, how long does the Market Research project approval process take?
Many companies can move market research projects through the approval process in two weeks or less. Concerns about
adverse events does lengthen the time frame for some, but 90% have approval within a month.
On Average, Market Research Approvals Take 2 Weeks or Less
Time Market Research Approval Process Takes for Average Project
N=15-20
% Two
weeks or
Less
82%
79%
78%
80%
74%
65%
% Respondents
29%
26%
28%
27%
16%
15%
24%
21%
28%
27%
16%
25%
29%
32%
22%
27%
42%
25%
6%
5%
6%
13%
11%
25%
12%
16%
11%
7%
11%
5%
6%
5%
5%
Patients
Physicians
Payers
Specialty pharmacists
Concern about off-label messaging
Concern about adverse event reports
1-2 business days 3-5 business days 1-2 weeks 3-4 weeks
5-8 weeks 9-12 weeks More than 27 weeks

9. Page | 9
Q. Do you differentiate the honoraria rates paid to the following respondent types to incent them to participate in market research?
N=19
Rate Differentiation: Working In Rare Disease Markets
In rare diseases, physicians and rare disease specialists are the lone group where a majority uses differentiated
honoraria rates to incent participation in market research. Pharmacists are the research respondents least often
receiving differentiated rates.
Differentiated Rates Are Less Common in Rare Disease Market
68%
42%
32% 32%
26%
21%
32%
58%
68% 68%
74%
79%
Physicians or rare
disease
specialists
Payers (focused
on rare disease)
Nurses in rare
diseases
Advocacy Groups
for Rare Disease
Patients in rare
diseases
Pharmacists
serving rare
diseases
NO Differentiated Rate Paid for this Respondent Type YES Differentiated Rate Paid for this Respondent Type
%Respondents

10. Page | 10
75%
59%
50%
33%
31%
25%
41%
50%
67%
69%
We regularly try to simplify the process
We track approval times
We use process improvement techniques to
improve review speeds
We set goals for approval speed
We conduct analysis to understand slow
reviews
Always Sometimes
Q. What approach do you take to tracking and managing your Market Research approval process?
% Respondents
N=8-19
Use of Approaches for Tracking & Managing Approval Process
All benchmark respondents take at least one approach to tracking and managing the market research approval process.
Process simplification is the most common approach, always used by 75% and sometimes by the remainder of companies.
Process Simplification & Project Approval Time Tracking Are Most
Frequent Approaches to Managing Approval Process

11. Page | 11
Universe of Learning: Majority of Participants Are Directors
Q. What is your job title?
N=19
This research features data and insights from a wide range of leaders from the pharma industry. Fifty-five percent of
the participants hold director-level positions, 25% of the participants are managers, and 20% percent of participants
hold other positions.
Participant Job Titles
Director/
Associate
Director/ Deputy
Director/ Senior
Director, 55%
Head/ Lead, 20%
Manager/ Sr.
Manager, 25%

12. Page | 12
Companies Are Involved with Specialty Care, Primary Care &
Rare Disease Patient Populations
Q. Which of the following types of patient population does your company support?
N=20
Patient Populations Supported
Specialty care patient populations are the main focus of companies participating in the benchmark study, with 70%
supporting them. More than half the companies support both primary care and rare disease patients.
70%
55% 55%
Specialty Care Primary Care Rare Disease / Orphan Drug
Designation
%Respondents

13. Page | 13
Participants Do MR in U.S., Europe & High-Growth Markets
Q. Within which of the following countries do you actively perform market research?
% RespondentsN=20
Other:
Russia, Mexico,
Korea, Canada,
Australia, Brazil,
Turkey,
South Korea,
Netherlands,
All countries
worldwide within
top 20-30.
Geographic Scope
Benchmark participants actively perform market research across the globe, with 95% covering the United States and 60-
70% active in Western Europe. Half cover Japan and 45% do market research in China.
30%
15%
45%
50%
60%
60%
60%
65%
65%
70%
95%
Others
India
China
Japan
Italy
United Kingdom
Brazil
France
Spain
Germany
United States

14. Page | 14
About Best Practices LLC
About Best Practices, LLC

15. Page | 15
Best Practices®, LLC is an internationally recognized thought leader in the field of best practice
benchmarking®. We are a research, consulting, benchmark database, publishing and advisory firm that
conducts work based on the simple yet profound principle that organizations can chart a course to superior
economic performance by leveraging the best business practices, operating tactics and winning strategies of
world-class companies.
6350 Quadrangle Drive, Suite 200
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
(Phone): 919-403-0251
www.best-in-class.com