The Bottleneck Nobody Talks About
In oncology marketing, we talk endlessly about market access barriers, competitive dynamics, and launch sequencing. But the most persistent bottleneck I've encountered is far more fundamental: the translation layer between clinical insight and technical execution.
When a brand team needs a competitive response to an ODAC ruling, the chain is: clinical interpretation, strategic recommendation, brief creation, agency development, MLR review, deployment. Each handoff introduces latency, and latency in oncology is measured in lost prescriptions.
The Pharmacist's Advantage
A PharmD doesn't just understand the science — they understand the workflow. We've stood at the bedside, managed the formulary, and watched the disconnect between what clinicians need and what systems deliver.
This perspective is irreplaceable when building clinical decision-support tools, designing competitive intelligence systems, or running marketing campaigns that need to resonate with HCPs who operate in 12-hour cognitive marathons.
AI as a Development Tool
The second piece of this thesis is AI-assisted development — not as a replacement for domain expertise, but as a way to compress timelines. When I built RNCalc in a 24-hour sprint, the AI tools didn't know pharmacology. I did. They handled syntax, testing, and deployment. I handled clinical validation, safety parameters, and workflow design.
This is the model: domain expert as architect, AI as execution tool.
What This Means for Pharma
The implication for biotech and pharma is significant. Teams that can close the gap between clinical insight and technical execution — without the traditional 6-month agency cycle — will move faster. Not recklessly, but with the kind of informed speed that comes from having the domain expert directly in the build loop.
The constraint is no longer technical feasibility. It's whether your team has the translational talent to bridge the gap.
Daniel Tran is a Hematology/Oncology Product Marketing Manager at Pfizer and a UCSD-trained PharmD specializing in launch strategy, competitive intelligence, and market access.