A conversation with Thai-Hoa Pham, President B.I Pharma Laboratoires
Within the Global Alliance Pharma Solutions network, each partner brings specific expertise across the pharmaceutical value chain. While some focus on digital engagement or commercial transformation, BI Pharma brings a distinct perspective: combining the capabilities of an outsourced promotion provider (CSO Contract Sales Organisation) with the full responsibility of a pharmaceutical company, including regulatory oversight and distribution as the holder and/or operator of a Marketing Authorisation (MA) in France.
In this interview, Thai-Hoa Pham, President of BI Pharma, explains why unpromoted products are often underestimated, how outsourcing operations and distribution becomes a strategic lever for sustainable growth, and what it really means to add years of sales to a pharmaceutical product.
For me, the objective is very clear: how can we help our clients maximize their product portfolios and add years of sales to their products?
In many organizations, products lose attention over time. Strategic priorities shift. Budgets move elsewhere. But that does not automatically mean that the product has lost its market relevance. Often, the potential is still there while it just requires a different approach.
Promoted products are usually well managed internally. If additional support is needed, companies can rely on classic outsourcing services through CSO partners within the Global Alliance network.
But the more interesting and often overlooked category is non-promoted products. These are products that are no longer actively supported with promotion. And that is where we see real opportunity.
There are two main situations. First, mature products. These are established products that have been on the market for years. Promotion may have stopped, but demand still exists. Second, products that were promoted until recently – sometimes within the last few years – but for strategic reasons, the company decided to stop investing resources. Both scenarios require a different mindset from traditional commercial thinking.
For mature products, one structured option is a licence-out model. In such a model, BI Pharma can take operational responsibility for the product. That includes distribution, regulatory follow-up, promotional activities where appropriate, pharmaceutical obligations and advertising approvals. Importantly, the client can remain the owner of the product while we manage the operational lifecycle. In some situations, companies may also consider selling the product entirely. What matters is that there are alternatives beyond simply letting performance decline
In these cases, we often talk about “nursing” the product. This does not necessarily mean a full transfer of responsibility. It can be modular. The client chooses what services are needed.
That may include regulatory support, content and promotional management, outsourced sales force, or hybrid engagement models combining remote activities, congress presence and face-to-face visits. Multichannel approaches can also play a role. The goal is to stabilize the commercial trajectory and prevent a sharp decline.
Because distribution is not just logistics. It is structured access to the market.
BI Pharma manages the full distribution chain from logistics coordination to invoicing and reliable access to hospital and retail markets. At the same time, we are authorized to act as Marketing Authorization Holder in France, with in-house regulatory expertise and defined compliance processes. This combination allows us to take responsibility beyond classical CSO services. It enables continuity. Even when promotional intensity changes, the product remains structurally present and compliant in the market.
Within the Global Alliance, this complements the commercial and digital capabilities of other partners. Together, it creates a more integrated model.
With our background as a CSO and pharmaceutical company, we are experienced in both face-to-face and remote promotion. Hybrid models have become increasingly relevant.
In addition, particularly for non-prescription products, we have developed e-retail capabilities through digital platforms. This allows commercialization even when maintaining a large field force would not be economically viable. Again, it is about choosing the right level of intensity for the right product lifecycle stage.
For us, sustained growth means extending and stabilizing the commercial performance of products. It means slowing down or even stopping the natural decline of mature products. It means optimizing return on investment without heavy additional financial or human resources. And ultimately, it means maintaining product value and relevance beyond what might traditionally be considered its expected lifecycle.
It should ask whether decline is truly inevitable. In many cases, there are structured solutions to add years of sales to products. Especially when responsibility is reconsidered and distribution, regulatory and commercial capabilities are aligned. Sometimes, growth does not come from launching something new. It comes from managing what already exists in a smarter, more integrated way.
With 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, in operational and management roles, Thaï-Hoa now heads up the B.I Pharma laboratory, which he founded. A pharmacist by training, he has solid expertise in marketing/sales of medicines and medical devices, as well as in regulatory affairs and pharmaceutical liability.
Together with Medhouse, Medipartner, icon Group AVANZIA PHARMA and the good healthcare group BI Pharma is part of the Global Alliance Pharma Solutions.
As Global Alliance Pharma Solutions we unite specialized partners across Europe and Latin America with deep local expertise and international ambition to create solutions that truly work.
As Global Alliance Pharma Solutions we unite specialized partners across Europe and Latin America with deep local expertise and international ambition to create solutions that truly work. Our mission is to deliver best-in-class, tailormade and professional go-to-market expertise. This is always in close collaboration with the healthcare community, the Life Science sector, patients and their caregivers.
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