The day a generic arrives is not the day to start defending a brand.
By then, most of the useful decisions have already been made, or missed.
In markets I have worked in, I have seen two kinds of response.
The panic response starts the month the generic reaches pharmacies. The distributor gets loaded to show one more strong quarter. Somebody hints to doctors that the generic is not as good. The whole team stays on the brand until the numbers fall, and then everything moves at once.
The planned defence starts a year earlier, with the expiry date written into the plan.
The trade is managed on sell-out and distributor stock, with agreed bonus goods where it makes sense and no loading.
With doctors, the message stays on approved, balanced claims, focused on those who already value the brand. Talking down a generic is not honest, and doctors see through it.
And people and budget move to the next brands in time, fairly, with the team told early rather than surprised later.
The measure matters too. Judging the defence on sell-in only tells you how much stock sits in the channel, not how many patients are still on the brand.
“You cannot defend a brand in the month you lose it. You defend it the year before.”
Lesson 4 of 4 in Step 2: Launches and the portfolio, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.