Traditional Pharma Consulting vs Independent Specialists: Which is Better?

Whether you work on behalf of a large pharmaceutical or biotech business or are in charge of resourcing for smaller company, you’re likely to run up against the same problem at some point: resourcing. If you lack the internal resources or specialized experience (especially in new or complex areas of business), you “ like many others – might have decided that it’s the right time to call upon the services of a consultant.

But, as well as balancing factors such as budgetary constraints and finding someone who has the necessary expertise for your requirement, you also need to choose what ‘style’ of consultant you’re going to recruit. This might be a specialist independent consultant with particularly strong knowledge of your field, or it could be a traditional pharmaceutical consulting firm who can assemble a team to assist you with matters from product regulation, business development and compliance. Here’s an overview of the benefits of each, as well as some direction as to who you should choose to work with.

Working with a traditional pharmaceutical consulting firm means you’re likely to receive the kind of intellectual rigour and academic calibre you’d expect to see from a team of professionals. They’ll know a great deal about a breadth of subject matters, including commercialisation, product development and business development. They’ll know how to walk the walk and talk the talk “ even with matters as complex as regulatory compliance – and they’ll have a very strong knowledge of the market (and your competition) too.

On the other hand, independent specialists bring about other significant benefits. For example, independent specialists tend to come to consulting after many, many years operating in the industry. This gives them a special edge, as their deep-domain experience and working knowledge of the industry means they’re perfectly equipped to support you with challenges they’re already familiar with. They’ll ‘get’ your industry, as well as immediately understand the need for commercial pragmatism, and they’ll instantly show their flexibility, experience and first-hand knowledge from working on ‘your’ side of the fence.

So, the answer to ‘which is better’ depends entirely on what your needs and preferences are. Both traditional pharmaceutical consulting and a model comprising of independent specialists bring about significant benefits, and in fact it’s possible to combine the styles together to achieve the best of both worlds “ something that Alacrita Consulting does, for instance.

Whatever you want, think carefully about what you value in a consultant, and be sure to choose a company or individual with a good reputation. Look for case studies and seek reviews from existing clients, so you can feel confident that you’re making a good choice, and have some idea of how you’re going to work with a pharmaceutical consultant; they’re a brilliant (albeit sometimes expensive) resource at your disposal, which means you’re likelier to earn a strong return on your consulting investment if you have a very clear plan in mind for working together.