Coffee Break

back to Coffee Break Index

A FICTITIOUS (BUT REALISTIC)
COFFEE BREAK CASE HISTORY

May 2002

Recently we made a routine follow-up call to a client and heard a tale of woe……..

Her name is Joan. She is the Licensing Director at a West Coast pharmaceutical company that was approached by a small company that offered a promising in-licensing opportunity. Unfortunately a go/no go decision had to be made in time for a top level meeting scheduled in slightly under two weeks. Joan had contacted her Internet market research company to get the research underway quickly and had received an equivocal response: a sample of 200 general surgeons could be fielded and analyzed within her time line, but the transplant surgeons and intensivists, who were critical components of the study, would probably not be reached in time. Rood’s routine call was a really lucky coincidence.

We recommended a Twin-Track study, using our Internet survey partner MM/Cozint to ensure a single integrated and analyzed study. MM/Cozint would survey the 200 general surgeons, while Rood Research would conduct qualitative and highly elucidated telephone interviews with 20 targeted
transplant surgeons and 20 targeted intensivists -- (targeted = tightly screened for relevance). The Internet study results would be delivered to Rood for integration into the Twin-Track qual/quant report. Joan really liked the idea.

The telephone and Internet tracks were fielded simultaneously. Within ten days the results for both were in. The qual segment showed that, overwhelmingly, the transplant surgeons and intensivists were highly skeptical of the new agent and required far more supporting data than were available before they would even consider using it; if, however, the agent’s claims were corroborated, they would enthusiastically welcome it. In the quant segment, the general surgeons were less skeptical; 47% were prepared to try the drug based on its available data because its promise was so great, 31% required more data and the remaining 22% were noncommittal.

The qual and quant data were analyzed and integrated. We recommended that the licensing opportunity should be further explored, but with caution. Joan received the final report within her deadline – and told us that she “breathed a sigh of relief.”