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Make or break: Commercial hires critical for success. July 23, 2026 | With the stakes for successful launches high, and demand for commercial roles increasing, biopharmas must thoughtfully approach not only hiring but also retention. During a BioSpace webinar, experienced commercial leaders and a recruiter discussed the challenges employers face and how to tackle them. As more companies prepare to launch drug candidates, roles that support those launches are in greater demand, based on BioSpace job posting data. Last month, there was a 38% year-over-year increase in sales, marketing and medical affairs jobs live on the website. However, it's not always easy to find the right commercial talent, as discussed during a BioSpace webinar Wednesday. One reason it can be challenging to find the right talent is that given high demand, candidates can be selective, said Margaret Blackwell, global head of talent acquisition and recruiting services at Amplity. Amplity partnered with BioSpace on the "From Clinical to Commercial: Talent Strategies for Biopharma Growth" webinar. "Candidates are evaluating employers as much as employers are evaluating the candidates," Blackwell said. "The employers we see that really win are considerate of the candidate's time." She added that these companies don't delay the hiring process, which is important because that could drive job seekers to decline offers. Kerry Need, a seasoned commercial and clinical development leader formerly of Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Seagen, said another reason commercial roles can be tough to fill is the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way people, especially earlier-career professionals, work. That talent has matured, come into leadership roles and isn't as willing to move to larger cities, he explained. As to when companies should start thinking about building a commercial team, Need said that can depend on multiple factors such as organization size, whether the business is scaling globally or doing a U.S. launch and if it needs to work with payers early on. Michael Campbell, chief commercial officer at Eyepoint, agreed that company dynamics influence when - and how - to build out a team. He noted that for a small to medium-sized biopharma like his that hasn't commercialized in several years and is working toward a launch, it's important to get hiring right early in the process. "I don't have the luxury to not have everything in place at launch to be successful," Campbell said. "It's less about what can I wait to hire and more about what can I flex to address the marketplace?" For example, he said, for another launch he thought he had enough field reimbursement managers. However, three to four months into that launch, Campbell needed to reallocate headcount to put more managers in the market. Once companies decide they're ready to build out their commercial teams, they're looking for hard and soft skills in their candidates, according to the panelists. For example, Campbell noted the importance of prospective employees being able to work in complex environments from a marketplace standpoint and being collaborative, while Need highlighted wanting people who demonstrate initiative. "I want fire in the belly, that intrinsic motivation," Need said. "I don't want somebody to say, 'Tell me how to do this' and 'What do I need to do?'" In oncology, Blackwell noted a need for candidates who not only demonstrate clinical acumen and understand the science but who also have integrity. In addition, she considers how people might perform if they move to an organization that's larger or smaller than their most recent employer. People who need a lot of handholding, for example, might not do well going to a small company, while those who aren't used to a lot of structure might not comfortably make the jump to a large pharma. When it comes to selecting the right candidate for a company's specific culture, Campbell had a simple suggestion for employers: Slow down. "The only way to reduce your risk around this area is to slow down and spend more time with your candidates," he said. Making the right hire isn't always the end of the story for those building commercial teams. Blackwell noted that retention can be an issue, with competitors poaching each other's employees. She said she's seen an uptick in that activity in the oncology and rare disease spaces. Campbell, who agreed that poaching is a reality, offered advice for offsetting it. "The best you can do, I think, is create an environment where people feel developed, where they feel trusted, where they feel empowered, where they feel wanted," he said. "It's not that you're not going to have turnover, but you do reduce your retention risk for sure." Need echoed that sentiment. "People are our most valuable asset, and they're going to determine if a launch is going to be successful or not," he said. "Invest in your people like you do in the rest of your business." Job market trends, layoffs and career advice to manage your life sciences career Angela Gabriel is content manager, life sciences careers, at BioSpace. She covers the biopharma job market, job trends and career advice, and produces client content. You can reach her at [email protected] and follow her on LinkedIn.

Amplity presents 2 real-world evidence posters at ISPOR 2026. Amplity presented 2 ISPOR 2026 posters on how AnswerY(TM) applies AI and NLP to HCP transcripts to generate real-world evidence insights in healthcare Amplity is uniquely positioned to support HEOR teams in generating more meaningful real-world evidence. Its insights uncover the context behind treatment decisions." - Christina DiBiase, Chief Executive Officer, Amplity LANGHORNE, PA, UNITED STATES, May 20, 2026 / EINPresswire.com / - Today Amplity completed its presentation of 2 real-world evidence posters at ISPOR 2026, highlighting how its proprietary AnswerY (TM) platform uses AI and natural language processing to turn unstructured healthcare provider (HCP)-medical transcriptions into actionable insights for life sciences and other healthcare organizations. The first study explores treatment patterns in over 17,000 patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) from 2020-2025. AnswerY found that chemotherapy usage is still a highly utilized first-line treatment option for patients with mNSCLC. Furthermore, although epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapies became more prevalent in the presence of an EGFR mutation, 39.7% of patients with an EGFR mutation still did not receive an EGFR-targeted therapy - despite guideline recommendations. The study also showed that short durations of first-line treatments and frequent switching were driven primarily by disease progression and adverse events. Amplity's second study delves into healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and the associated drivers in over 2,500 patients with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) from 2017-2025. AnswerY found substantial HCRU, with hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits driven primarily by fractures, deformity correction, infections, postoperative or hardware difficulties, and respiratory complications. The research also identified 2 distinct severity subgroups, with the higher-severity subgroup showing markedly greater rates of OI-associated ED visits and hospitalizations. "These studies demonstrate AnswerY's differentiated value as a real-world intelligence platform for life sciences leaders," said Michele Graham, President, Intel at Amplity. Next-Gen AnswerY, arriving June 2026, will unite more than 90 million unstructured prescriber transcription records with more than 1 billion structured electronic health records, claims, prescriptions, and laboratory records to deliver HIPAA-compliant answers to complex commercial, medical, health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), and real-world data questions. Designed for a new era of evidence generation, the platform helps teams connect physician intent and patient behavior, strengthen study designs, and drive clearer, more impactful next best actions and decisions. "Amplity is uniquely positioned to support HEOR teams in generating more meaningful real-world evidence," said Christina DiBiase, Chief Executive Officer of Amplity. "Our insights uncover the context behind treatment decisions, allowing the industry to truly understand how care is delivered, where clinical evidence gaps remain, rationale for prescriber hesitations, and HCP preferences for one treatment versus another. This unique visibility supports sharper strategies, stronger engagement, and more informed decision-making to improve patient outcomes." About Amplity Amplity is a full-service partner to life sciences companies, delivering specialized medical and commercial solutions that help bring therapies to patients. With a people-driven, insights-enabled approach, Amplity supports clients across the lifecycle - from clinical development and strategy to launch and ongoing execution - through flexible, scalable teams and proven expertise. Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. Healthcareindustrytoday do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.