Life Sciences Consulting
From the development and manufacture of medicines and devices to their use in patient care, we turn procurement, cost, compliance and supply pressure into lasting competitiveness across pharma, biotech, medtech and healthcare providers.
REVENUE ERODES EVERY LEVER COUNTS
The life sciences playbook is being rewritten. Margins face patent cliffs and capped prices in pharma, MDR and IVDR evidence demands in medtech, high COGS in biotech, and budget and staffing pressure in healthcare. Winners defend margin across the whole value chain, through smart sourcing, cost discipline, resilient supply, digital operations and the right organisation, not by standing still.
Strategic paths:
Patrik Soltendieck
Partner
In life sciences, margin is defended across the whole value chain, in sourcing, cost and operations, not in the pipeline alone.
THE SHIFT IN FOUR PRESSURES
Each one alone is manageable. Together, they reset the playbook across pharma, medtech, biotech and healthcare.
Pricing & reimbursement
- Patent cliffs and IRA and JCA cap pharma prices
- Tighter reimbursement across medtech and care
- Margin must be defended on cost
Regulatory intensity
- EU-MDR and IVDR raise the evidence bar
- GMP and FDA scrutiny keeps growing
- Compliance cost and time-to-market rise
Fragile supply
- Single-source APIs, components and materials
- Geopolitics and shortages disrupt flows
- Resilience beats pure efficiency
Capacity & demand
- Cell, gene and GLP-1 strain capacity
- Ageing populations lift healthcare demand
- Digital and AI reshape operations
DELIVERING MEASURABLE RESULTS
CLIENT IMPACT THAT MATTERS
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We have worked with the H&Z team on a wide range of clinical and non-clinical procurement savings initiatives over the last three years. They have seamlessly worked with our business, and consistently delivered against plan.
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I was able to see a glimpse of the detailed work that was undertaken from H&Z to support this exercise and I thought it was amazing. In fact, I was so impressed that I am convinced there are learnings for everyone in a leadership position in our organization.
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What really stood out was how H&Z partnered with us—not just as consultants, but as true co-creators. They worked hand in hand with our teams across functions, countries, and levels to make this transformation real.
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SHAPING LIFE SCIENCES ACROSS FOUR CORE AREAS
One value chain, four points of pressure: medicines and devices are developed, manufactured and ultimately used in patient care. We combine deep sector knowledge with hands-on execution at every stage, tailored to the regulatory and cost realities of each segment.
Biotech & CDMO
New modalities such as cell, gene and mRNA with high COGS and outsourcing, where sourcing, tech transfer and partner strategy decide what reaches commercial scale.
Pharma & Biopharma
Small molecule and biologics networks under patent-cliff and pricing pressure, where sourcing, COGS and supply resilience decide the margin on medicines that reach patients.
MedTech & Diagnostics
Devices, IVD and diagnostic imaging navigating EU-MDR and IVDR, complex global supply and the need for flexible, IT-enabled operations to equip care delivery.
Healthcare Providers
Hospitals, clinics and care networks under budget, staffing and demand pressure, where the medicines and devices above are ultimately deployed, and procurement, supply reliability and operational efficiency protect both cost and patient care.
HOW WE IMPROVE YOUR PERFORMANCE
Our services turn cost, compliance and supply pressure into competitiveness across procurement, supply chains, cost, operations and the organisation.
Procurement & Sourcing
Direct and indirect spend is the fastest lever when prices are capped.
- Category strategy across direct and indirect
- GMP, MDR and procurement-compliant supplier moves
- Spend reduced by 5 to 15% to re-invest in R&D
Supply Chain Resilience & Planning
Single-source APIs, components and critical supplies put continuity and service at risk.
- Supplier diversification and dual sourcing
- S&OP and integrated business planning
- Resilient supply with stable service and cost
Cost, Value Engineering & COGS
New modalities and legacy designs carry cost the market will not pay for.
- Cost Value Engineering and design-to-cost
- 10 to 25% product cost taken out
- Margin defended without losing quality or compliance
Operational & Manufacturing Excellence
Yield loss, deviations and slow throughput erode margin, on the production line and on the ward.
- Lean, OEE and end-to-end process redesign
- Faster batch release and testing lead times
- Performance lifted by up to 20% without new capex
Quality, Compliance & Regulatory
MDR, IVDR, GMP and FDA raise the cost and risk of getting it wrong.
- MDR and IVDR readiness and QMS modernisation
- Post-market surveillance and audit readiness
- Lower quality cost with faster time-to-market
Digital, Data & AI
Most digital and AI initiatives create cost but never scale.
- AI in R&D, quality and manufacturing
- Faster, data-driven decisions and double-digit productivity
- Digital embedded into operations and people
REAL WORK REAL OUTCOMES
Impact does not come from slide decks. It comes from working side by side with your teams, from the boardroom to the shop floor.
OUR LATEST INSIGHTS ON LIFE SCIENCES
GET IN TOUCH WITH OUR EXPERTS
Whether the lever sits in development, manufacture or patient care, the same disciplines apply: sourcing, cost, compliance and supply.
For tailored advice on your life sciences agenda, our expert is ready to support you, from strategy to implementation.
With head, heart and hand.
