Lane Wilson
Associate Vice President, Brand Head Dupilumab Respiratory
Sanofi-Genzyme
The Instinctual Strategist
“Lane Wilson’s unique instincts have enabled him to achieve standout success,” according to Jeff Meehan, CEO, iCAN (Cancer Action Now), “because few people possess instincts like Lane Wilson.” Lane’s rise to success, however, was not without its potholes. But mistakes are only mistakes if nothing is learned from them. Lane embraced the early bumps in his career as a way to constantly expand his knowledge. As a result, Lane is now always willing to take on the challenging “train wreck” projects as a way to learn, adapt, and exceed expectations.
One of his biggest challenges came with the problematic launch of the Arcapta Neohaler, a treatment for COPD. The product didn’t receive the desired label, but was still forced to launch by global leaders. Despite the lack of belief in the product by senior management, Lane jumpstarted the product back to life. He developed a collection of simple, credible product messages supported by treatment guidelines; he inspired an extended team of people to enroll in the brand cause, and take it up as a special project; he maximized marketing mix through a virtual field force; he rallied disease specialists and thought leaders behind the drug; reframed the objectives of the launch from profitability to a portfolio pathway; and he leveraged a loss of exclusivity (LOE) situation with another brand to engage payers to reframe the goal of access to tier 3/LIS lives. As a result of challenging industry dogmas, Lane surpassed expectations—market access jumped from 19% to 64%.
Another example of his success: The repositioning of the Exelon Patch. Lane challenged the industry again through the application of the first live webcast with a celebrity spokesperson, KOLs, and caregivers as a way to leverage branded and unbranded assets. He also applied a patient services hub model to support caregivers and patients. He grew the brand 8% at a time when the market leader was becoming a generic product.
“There is absolutely no doubt that Lane will find a way to succeed in his current and future endeavors,” Meehan adds. “It’s a part of him, part of his drive, his sixth-sense instinct to bring effective products to market and positively impact patients’ lives.”
