In 20+ years handling and advising pharma brands across India and select overseas markets, the highest-ROI work I’ve done is turning around mature, declining brands.
Brands are invaluable assets to pharmaceutical companies. Mature brands specifically, often contribute disproportionate margin and cash flow versus newer launches. And, invariably, many mature brands stagnate or start declining.
When decline shows up in monthly audits, cross-functional pressure spikes—sales, finance, and leadership all demand action.
The sales team is losing a stable source of revenue. The company is likely losing profits as well. There is pressure from senior management to “do something”.
However, the reasons for the decline are not always immediately visible. This is because, in most cases, brands do not suddenly start declining. The drop happens gradually, over a period of time.
Exceptions exist - a new guideline, a disruptive entrant, or a regulatory shift—but most declines are slower and internal. This article focuses on the gradual, often internal, decline.
So, in such a scenario,
What does a Business Unit do?
Here is how we approach such situations.
1. First, understand why the brand is declining
The obvious temptation is to assume that the brand has simply become old or that competitors have become stronger. The reality is often more complicated.
The decline could be because the business unit has gradually stopped giving the brand enough attention.
Portfolio priorities could have changed. Newer products are receiving more management attention. The organisation has been restructured. Resources have moved elsewhere.
Or perhaps the reason is external - the market around the brand has changed.
Other product categories may be getting more traction with customers. New categories may have been launched. Competitors may have generated new clinical data. A major player may have started aggressively focusing on the same class.
These are very different situations.
So the first task is to understand what has actually changed and what can be addressed.
2. Next – decide whether you should turn around the declining pharma brand
Not every declining brand deserves the same level of investment. The business needs to ask whether there is still a meaningful opportunity to rebuild the brand.
In our experience, the answer is often yes for mature pharmaceutical brands.
Why do we say this?
The reason is because a successful mature brand has something that a new brand does not have: history.
It has customers who know it. Doctors who have prescribed it. Sales teams who understand it. Distribution relationships. Brand recognition. And, most importantly, accumulated reasons for choosing it.
That’s where we come to the core of the matter, which is discussed in the next point.
3. Revisit “What made the brand successful” — and what is still working?
This is where I believe most teams often go wrong. When a brand is declining, the pressure and noise naturally make us focus on what is not working.
But this does not always help us find the best turnaround strategy.
Instead, we should ask: What made this brand successful in the first place? This is the most important part, the core of the turnaround strategy.
Examples of original success drivers could be faster onset, better tolerability in elderly, strong chemist push in Tier 2–3.
If a brand has been successful for many years, there is a reason for that success. Here is where actionable insights are found—a clue to how the turnaround can be built. It’s important to understand these and identify which factors are still working positively for the brand.
4. Use the brand's heritage
Mature brands have heritage. Apart from the reasons that made the brand successful—which are integral to address—it is the heritage, the history of a successful brand, that is very important.
There will be loyal users who still prefer the brand, even if they are using it less frequently today. There will also be other HCPs (Health Care Professionals) who were once loyal users but have gradually stopped prescribing or using it. And there will usually be clear reasons why they preferred the brand in the first place.
Remind loyal users, including those who have reduced or stopped using this brand, why they have always preferred it. It is far easier for us to return to our preferred brands, if we are reminded about why it mattered in the first place. And also remind them of how important the brand was in their practice.
Heritage is a strong advantage – no new brand or competitor can ever claim it!
Almost without exception, all turnaround programs, activities and communication should be based on the powerful history that the brand once had.
5. Talk to the internal customer - the sales team
The internal sales organisation is a valuable source of insight. If the brand was successful, there were successful sales teams behind it. Conduct structured interviews with them.
There are two things we particularly want to understand.
First, why do they think the brand has declined? Some of the reasons will be things that cannot realistically be changed. Filter those out.
But once you do that, there are often some real nuggets of insight — things happening in the market that may not be visible in the standard business reviews.
Second, look for pockets of success.
Which teams were once number one with the brand? Which territories have consistently performed well? Where is the brand still growing?
These pockets can tell us something very important: What could the brand look like if we got things right?
The next 2 points are around focus. Focus is critical in a turnaround.
6. Focus on the TA that matters
A turnaround is not the time to try to win everyone.
One of the most important things we look for is the loyal and previously loyal target audience. These HCPs already have some familiarity with the brand. They have used it before. Some may still prefer it. Others may simply need a reason to come back.
This can often be identified through internal data, supported by short and focused field-level surveys. The objective is to find the customers where the brand has the greatest chance of winning again.
7. Focus on the point in the customer journey that matters
This is another area where turnaround strategies can become unnecessarily complicated.
For many mature brands, the most important issue is not creating awareness of the therapy. Nor is it in helping in conversations, providing tools for diagnosis and so on. There is one main area for marketing to focus on.
It is Brand Choice.
The HCP already knows the therapy. They already know the category. They already understand the clinical need.
The question is: Why should they choose this brand?
This is where you use the points that matter to the focused audience, the benefits that made the brand memorable. Incorporate the work from Step 3—the benefits that made the brand successful in the first place.
A significant part of the turnaround should therefore focus on reinforcing the reasons for brand choice. If necessary, comparative studies and other evidence on the category can help reinforce the overall proposition. However, it should all focus on creating brand choice.
The primary objective should be crystal clear: do not work in too many areas; be precise in ensuring that the once-loyal user prefers the brand again.
8. The communication has to work internally as well as externally
In a normal brand-building programme, the external customer — usually the prescriber — is naturally the primary focus.
A turnaround is different.
The internal customer — the sales team — plays a vital role.
The team already knows this brand can be successful. They know the science and the customers who made this brand successful. The marketing plan now needs to tell them that the focus is back and what the new path is.
Once the team understands this and believes in it, the effects will be manifold.
In healthcare, the fastest growth often lies not in new launches, but in the mature brands you already own. Diagnose clearly, focus on loyal and previously loyal HCPs, and build the revival around two anchors: the original success drivers and the brand’s heritage—years of widespread use that no new brand can claim. Surprisingly, most companies still don’t treat mature brands this way. The ones that do are the ones that have a clear advantage.
Aovantage helps pharmaceutical and healthcare businesses identify growth opportunities, strengthen brands and build practical pathways to sustainable growth.