Vaccine Marketing - Innovation and Marketing in the Pharmaceutical Industry - page 359

Chapter 13
Vaccine Marketing
Reinhard Angelmar and Pierre A. Morgon
Abstract Long perceived as an unattractive segment of the pharmaceutical industry,
most of the leading fi rms have stepped up vaccine investments in recent years. Unlike
mainstream pharmaceuticals, vaccines generally treat healthy individuals, most are
administered only once or very infrequently during a life time, and they engender
positive externalities, because vaccinated individuals reduce the risk of transmission
to unvaccinated persons, leading authorities to mandate some vaccinations. Resistance
to vaccination may lead to immunization failure and disease resurgence.
The public and private market each account for about one-half of the global vaccine
market in value. Bringing new vaccines to market requires carefully orchestrated
programs targeting the multiple types of customers. For example, in parallel with
the clinical development program designed to obtain FDA approval for its HPV vac-
cine Gardasil, Merck developed health-economic evidence to obtain a positive
recommendation for vaccination and public fi nancing. Physician educational pro-
grams and unbranded DTC campaigns were started many months prior to launch.
Following FDA approval and positive vaccination and public fi nancing recommen-
dations, Merck developed market access programs targeted at states and private
insurers, and launched branded physician and DTC campaigns.
Successful global diffusion of a vaccine generally requires the development of a
tiered pricing policy which takes country differences in per capita income into account.
A successful launch often creates new problems for vaccine marketers. They must
maintain the motivation to engage in and pay for vaccination despite the
quasi-disappearance of the disease. And they must combat anti-vaccination infor-
mation claiming that the vaccine is the cause of serious side effects.
R. Angelmar ( * )
Emeritus Professor of Marketing, INSEAD , Fontainebleau , France
e-mail: [e-mail]
P. A. Morgon
Vice President, Franchise & Global Marketing Strategy, Sanofi Pasteur , Lyon , France
e-mail: [e-mail]