Working in the pharmaceutical space, I’ve witnessed firsthand how biosimilars have shifted from a theoretical disruption to a real force reshaping market dynamics. Whether you’re on the innovator side trying to protect share or part of a biosimilar team plotting market entry, one thing has become crystal clear to me: you can’t compete in biosimilars without competitive intelligence (CI) baked into your strategy.

Biosimilars aren’t generics. The science is more complex, the regulatory path is more nuanced, and the market dynamics are more layered. Add to that the high stakes involved—billions in biologic sales potentially up for grabs—and you’ve got a game where every strategic decision must be informed by deep, real-time intelligence.

The Complexity is the Strategy

Unlike small-molecule generics, biosimilar competition doesn’t follow a predictable playbook. Patent thickets, interchangeability rulings, buy-and-bill incentives, provider behavior, and payer dynamics create a competitive minefield that requires constant navigation.

When I’m helping teams build biosimilar launch or defense strategies, we’re constantly asking:

• What is the latest on patent litigation and settlements?
• Which competitors are furthest along in their FDA review?
• Who’s locking in provider networks or GPO contracts early?
• What signals are from large payers and health systems around formulary preference?

That’s where CI earns its keep. Biosimilars have long timelines, but the windows for action can be narrow. Intelligence helps us move out of reaction mode and into proactive positioning.

For Innovators: CI as a Defensive Shield

If you’re an originator brand, competitive intelligence helps you protect your franchise. Period. It enables you to anticipate which biosimilar players are approaching launch readiness and their commercialization models. Are they going directly to hospitals? Are they playing in Medicare Part B? What pricing or contracting strategies are they testing?

I’ve seen teams use CI to:

• Time their authorized biologic (ABx) or unbranded biologic entries more effectively.
• Reinforce value-based messaging with KOLs before biosimilars can gain traction.
• Adjust contracting models based on intel about competitor access strategies.

More importantly, it helps leadership understand where the real risk is—and where it isn’t—so resources can be deployed accordingly.

For Biosimilar Entrants: CI as a Launch Compass

If you’re the challenger, CI helps you enter the market with precision. Knowing who you’re up against is step one. But it goes deeper than that. You need to know how HCPs react to prior biosimilar launches, what hurdles providers face when switching therapies, and what price points drive uptake across payer segments.

Competitive intelligence helps me and my clients:

• Identify white space in the market—segments the originator hasn’t locked down.
• Benchmark launch tactics from successful biosimilars in adjacent categories.
• Track provider adoption trends and sentiment shifts in near-real time.

One client I worked with used CI to preemptively engage with large IDNs (integrated delivery networks) based on signals that the originator’s contracting model was creating friction. That intel helped them win early uptake and first—mover advantage.

Beyond the Data: CI Fuels Strategic Conversations

What I love most about competitive intelligence in the biosimilar world is that it’s not just about collecting data—it’s about sparking strategic conversations. Should we pursue interchangeability status? Should we co-promote with a partner to gain scale? Should we focus on oncology clinics or academic centers first?

These are business-critical decisions that need to be made months—sometimes years—ahead of launch. The only way to make them with confidence is to have the right competitive intelligence at the right time, in the right context.

The Bottom Line

Biosimilars represent one of the most dynamic and high-stakes fronts in pharma right now. The science is real, the policies are evolving, and the commercial models are still taking shape. That’s what makes it exciting. But it’s also what makes it risky.

Whether you’re defending a blockbuster or trying to capture market share as a biosimilar entrant, competitive intelligence isn’t a luxury—it’s your GPS.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this space, it’s that the teams who win are the ones who don’t just watch the competition. They understand them—and act before they move.