Internal sales representatives and their managers responsible for creating awareness among, and educating and selling to, healthcare practitioners (PCPs, Pain Specialists, Nurse Practitioners) about the:

• prevalence of opioid-induced constipation (OIC),

• serious impact OIC has on chronic non-cancer pain patients,

• and unique Mechanism of Action of Movantik.

Every aspect of the launch was submitted through a rigorous internal legal and compliance review in order to comply with FDA regulations and USA law. Our strategy was to demonstrate the patient burden firsthand. This disease-state awareness initiative was designed to be consistent with the approved Movantik product labeling.

The success of Movantik was about so much more than “sales.” Our audience would need to become experts across a number of ‘subjects’ to change the conversation, outlook and behavior of prescribers.

The Big Creative Idea was to take the audience through a “higher learning” experience that we branded “MU” (Movantik University...plus how the drug acts on the body’s “MU” receptors.)

The Bigger Idea was to completely flip the typical launch experience and save the actual launch of the drug until midway through the meeting.

The first 1.5 days of the launch meeting, attendees engaged in a non-branded curriculum that consisted of subjects such as "Humanities" – where reps "became" the patient, "Chemistry" – a deep dive into the science, and "Communications" – reasons patients and physicians weren't discussing OIC.

Then, we launched the product, and classes focused on launch readiness and preparation, such as “Marketing” and “Sales.”

• Timeline: Three-day live event, ~ 1.5 days to load in/build/tech/rehearse.

• Placement: MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas, NV.

• Scale: Attendees included ~ 1200 sales representatives, and 250 home office.

• Execution:

-Design, construction and production of main stage/screens/bleacher seating.

-Construction of four separate "deconstructed experience” stages.

-Installation/rigging of all A/V, lighting.

-Numerous training environments for 1,200 attendees.

-Production and installation of four life-size cow mascots.

-Live talent, including 40-piece Marching band, jugglers, tap dancers, and hip-hop artists.

-Scripting of videos, live performances, executive presentations and “deconstructed learning experiences.”

-Production of all presentation graphics/videos.

-Facilitation of panels with prominent pain specialists/thought leaders.

-Full strategy, content development and design of all education and learning experiences.

-Facilitation of “reverse town hall” concept that closed the Launch Meeting with a symbolic passing of the baton, from the executives on stage to those in the audience.

• Human Impact

Patient-centric launch approach has helped the sales force become advocates for chronic pain patients struggling with OIC.

Sales force has been effective in educating HCPs about the patient burden and distinct science of OIC. This has changed the way HCPs think about OIC and its impact on their chronic pain patients.

(see also Confidential Information for the Jury)

• Reach

(see Confidential Information for the Jury)

• Engagement

Post-meeting surveys rated the launch meeting as the “best sales meeting” that over 90% of the sales representatives ever attended. Qualitative feedback reinforced that they where highly engaged in the format and felt confident and motivated to launch this product on behalf of patients living with chronic pain.

• Sales

(see Confidential Information for the Jury)

• Achievement against business targets

The brand is exceeding analysts’ expectations and outpacing recent launch analogues.

This live event involved launching a product to an internal sales force, as opposed to direct to consumer. It is a highly innovative example of launching a new brand by embedding the content within the brand. We engaged the sales force, caused a shift in perception, and fostered a strong commitment to the product using a blend of immersive experiences and branded content that built empathy for the end-user (the patient), engendered a deep understanding of the mindset of the customer (physicians/prescribers), and prepared and educated our audience to change prescribing habits and challenge the marketplace with this new drug.

• Data gathering:

-Patient Insight: Our team interviewed actual patients, gaining insight into the ways that OIC impacts people physically, personally, professionally, and emotionally. This was essential in helping our audience experience these challenges firsthand.

-Scientific Insight: OIC is caused when opioids attach to MU receptors in the body. This informed the decision to brand the “higher learning” Launch Meeting MU: Movantik University.

• Strategic Approach:

We developed a strategy based on the idea of “deconstructed” learning centered on “21st Century Storytelling.” This was education that did not take place in traditional classroom settings, rather in a series of interactive, immersive experiences that included role-play, entertainment, pharmacy recreations, verbalization exercises, and more. The strategy was to treat “higher learning” as an active, participatory experience that kept people on their feet, rotating through diverse and purposeful experiences that led to high levels of engagement and retention.

• Situation: AstraZeneca (AZ) needed not only to launch a unique new product, but also to establish the Rx market for the condition of OIC.

• Brief: Movantik's unique mechanism of action (MOA) had the potential to deliver life-changing medicine to millions of patients suffering from OIC. But while up to 81% of patients taking opioids for chronic pain experience constipation, only 1 in 3 discuss it with their prescriber. Patients are embarrassed to discuss it; physicians tend to not fully understand the impact or the science of OIC, and therefore tend to ignore or dismiss it.

• Objectives: Sales representatives needed to develop a deep understanding of the patient experience, as well as a strong knowledge of the unique science of Movantik, so that they could provide insight to HCPs that changed how they thought about and treated patients with chronic pain and OIC.