Asked who owns commercial launch excellence, experts at the recent Pharmaceutical Launch Summit Excellence Summit (PHLEX) agreed, “Everyone.” Medical affairs, commercial, market access, regulatory, supply chain, and operations are all responsible.
Yet they also agreed that there is one pivotal role required for success: a strategy-minded, cross-functional integrator.
As part of this year’s PHLEX program, Harry Georgiades, Managing Director of IPM’s Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Practice, moderated the panel discussion, “Who Owns Launch Excellence? Building the Operating Model, Governance and Tools for Cross-Functional Execution.” Panelists Annie Curti, Director of Product Strategy & Launch Excellence (Hematology) at Novartis, and Siddharth Jain, Senior Director, Global Medical Lead, HAE at Takeda, shared hard-won insights and experiences.
The discussion explored the integrator role, concluding that it should be aligned primarily around patient needs and delivering the intended outcomes for the organization—whether it’s a single-asset startup or large portfolio company. They drive successful launches through structured governance, explicit handoffs, consistent information flow, and clear decision-making rights and rationale.
The Pharmaceutical Launch Excellence Summit US (PHLEX) took place Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, 2026, in Boston. The event brought together pharmaceutical leaders to discuss the strategies, capabilities, and operating models needed to successfully launch and commercialize therapies in an increasingly complex market.