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GSK E^3 Case Study Challenge
2020

“Unmasking the pharma strategies in the new normal”

It was a regular Monday morning and Ms. Lisa was ready to join an online meeting. It has been six months
since Ms. Lisa started working from home due to the CoViD-19 pandemic.

Working for GSK India, Lisa, a senior strategy manager has been a part of tremendous changes happening
in GSK. It was the final quarter and the planning process of 2021 was already in order.

The MD (Managing Director) of GSK India had an upcoming presentation to the board members, where
he wanted to discuss the plan for the next 2 years. The online meeting that Lisa attended was scheduled
for the same purpose and all the cross-functional heads were part of it. Lisa’s computer screen came to
life and she could see the familiar faces on her screen along with that of the MD. The meeting lasted for 2
hours, with all the leaders sharing their viewpoints.

While the objectives for the next two years were firmed up in Lisa’s mind, she was pondering over one
sentence that the MD had spoken in the meeting – “Is our strategy CoViD proof?”

Keeping this in mind she started planning for her presentation.

She knew that multiple interactions are happening in the pharma ecosystem. She drew the following
stakeholder interaction arrow diagram on her notepad:

She was reminded of an article she read recently:

“With the current covid-19 crisis, the private healthcare sector is faced with a twin predicament—while the
sector is investing additional manpower, equipment, consumables and other resources to ensure 100%
preparedness for safety in the hospital(s)... eventual treatment of patients, when needed... is also
experiencing a 90% drop in its revenue with sharp drops in out-patient footfalls, elective surgeries and
international patients," Chairman, CII Healthcare Council and managing director, Medanta hospitals.
(Quote-https://www.livemint.com/news/india/private-hospitals-stare-at-losses-amid-covid-outbreak-
11586889225780.html accessed in Oct 2020)

Case 1
GSK E^3 Case Study Challenge
2020

Although Lisa knew that the CoViD-19 has impacted the interaction between various stakeholders but for
creating an overall strategy for GSK, she realized that she needed a detailed set of insights about the
same.

Deliverables:

Help Lisa to formulate a strategy by completing the tasks mentioned below:

Q1. How interactions in the pharma ecosystem have changed, pre and post-CoViD-19?
Q2. Short-term (immediate) strategies to leverage the changing environment by meeting the needs of
the stakeholders
Q3. Long-term (till 2 years) strategies to provide offerings/services to the stakeholders to make GSK
as a company more aligned with the new normal

Guidance:

In the interaction between HCPs and MRs or HCPs and Pharma companies, the strategy can revolve
around how to ensure effective continuity of the interaction without any hindrance along with considering
how the business functions e.g., sales, marketing, multi-channel media team, etc., will execute the
strategy.

In the interaction between Patients and Pharmacists or the interaction between HCPs and patients, an
innovative strategy revolving around how a pharmaceutical company on a whole can leverage the impact
on these interactions can be considered. The strategy can be based on checking the global and local
(Indian) industry trends.

As Pharma is a regulated industry, the pharma companies interact directly with the HCPs while the
interaction with the patients is limited to disease awareness

For the strategies that you come up with assume that the CoViD-19 and the disruptions in the ways of
working are here to stay for the coming 2 years.

Appendix

Refer to following reports to get more information:

https://media-publications.bcg.com/Future-of-Work.pdf
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/virtual-health-a-look-at-
the-next-frontier-of-care-delivery?cid=other-eml-alt-mip-
mck&hlkid=daffb54408c1433c8de33b088f0acff8&hctky=10329219&hdpid=c61d8de7-79cc-469b-90f1-
b6c2612ada8f#

Case 2