Revitalizing Pharma Collaborations: The Reblozyl Case Study
Mon Dec 22 2025
In this episode of IDEA Collider, hosts Mike and Rick revisit a pivotal project from over a decade ago, the Reblozyl project, undertaken in collaboration with Acceleron and Celgene. Rick, the head of Growth and Innovation at IDEA, reminisces about the early days leading to the successful positioning and market shaping of luspatercept across different hematological indications. The episode features insightful contributions from Robin, Jane, and Tracy, key players from Acceleron and Celgene, who share their experiences and the collaborative efforts that enabled them to redefine the market. The discussion covers the strategic approach to overcoming competitive benchmarking, the importance of a unified messaging strategy, and the critical role of internal and external collaboration. They also reflect on the impact of their efforts on the lives of many patients and offer advice for future teams working on complex drug development projects. The episode concludes with a recognition of the rare and valuable collaborative human elements that drove the success of the Reblozyl project.
Episode Timestamps;
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:27 Rick's Background and Project Overview
02:31 Client Team Introductions
05:32 Collaboration and Challenges
13:29 Defining the Mechanism and Market Positioning
23:52 Communication and Alignment
27:48 Navigating Internal and External Communication
33:15 Launch, Reflections, and Lessons Learned
41:14 Final Thoughts and Acknowledgements
Keep up with the guests;
Robyn Blackburn - Director Global Commercial Strategy CAR-T at Kite Pharmahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/robyn-blackburn-805b8b13/Jayne Butler - Director of Strategic Initiatives at Fingerpaint Brandinghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynebutler/Tracey Sacco - Former SVP Global Strategic Marketing at Acceleronhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-sacco-53 2a034/Rick Ritacco - Head of Growth and Innovationhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rritacco/
Follow Mike Rea On;
Website: https://ideacollider.simplecast.com/
X: https://x.com/ideapharma
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bigidea/
Listen to more fantastic podcast episodes: https://ideacollider.simplecast.com/
More
In this episode of IDEA Collider, hosts Mike and Rick revisit a pivotal project from over a decade ago, the Reblozyl project, undertaken in collaboration with Acceleron and Celgene. Rick, the head of Growth and Innovation at IDEA, reminisces about the early days leading to the successful positioning and market shaping of luspatercept across different hematological indications. The episode features insightful contributions from Robin, Jane, and Tracy, key players from Acceleron and Celgene, who share their experiences and the collaborative efforts that enabled them to redefine the market. The discussion covers the strategic approach to overcoming competitive benchmarking, the importance of a unified messaging strategy, and the critical role of internal and external collaboration. They also reflect on the impact of their efforts on the lives of many patients and offer advice for future teams working on complex drug development projects. The episode concludes with a recognition of the rare and valuable collaborative human elements that drove the success of the Reblozyl project. Episode Timestamps; 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:27 Rick's Background and Project Overview 02:31 Client Team Introductions 05:32 Collaboration and Challenges 13:29 Defining the Mechanism and Market Positioning 23:52 Communication and Alignment 27:48 Navigating Internal and External Communication 33:15 Launch, Reflections, and Lessons Learned 41:14 Final Thoughts and Acknowledgements Keep up with the guests; Robyn Blackburn - Director Global Commercial Strategy CAR-T at Kite Pharmahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/robyn-blackburn-805b8b13/Jayne Butler - Director of Strategic Initiatives at Fingerpaint Brandinghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynebutler/Tracey Sacco - Former SVP Global Strategic Marketing at Acceleronhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-sacco-53 2a034/Rick Ritacco - Head of Growth and Innovationhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rritacco/ Follow Mike Rea On; Website: https://ideacollider.simplecast.com/ X: https://x.com/ideapharma LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bigidea/ Listen to more fantastic podcast episodes: https://ideacollider.simplecast.com/