In this module, the core idea is that a pharmaceutical company needs functions for inventing, producing, and selling innovative compounds that ideally improve patients’ lives. While reality is more complex, these three functions form the core of the pharmaceutical value chain. The module on “Marketing & Sales” focuses on the basic concepts, terminology, and methodologies for successfully marketing and selling pharmaceutical products in the 21st century. It follows the logic of creating and executing a marketing plan. Theoretical foundations are combined with real-world examples to strengthen understanding.
- Demonstrate fluency in pharmaceutical marketing and sales language and concepts to enable effective collaboration with commercial functions
- Define and analyze market opportunities for pharmaceutical products, including market sizing and demand forecasting using relevant tools and data
- Develop and assess commercial strategies, including brand positioning, pricing approaches, and sales force deployment
- Apply knowledge of organizational roles and interdependencies to contribute effectively to pharmaceutical commercial teams
- Evaluate key stakeholder influences in the German pharmaceutical market, including patients, HCPs, payers, regulators, and competitors, to support strategic decisions
- Understand how AI can be applied in pharmaceutical marketing and sales in real-world business contexts
- Interpret and assess profit and loss statements with a focus on marketing and sales components to inform business decisions
This course is part of the prestigious part-time Pharma MBA program, conducted in English on Fridays and Saturdays on Campus Westend. It offers a valuable opportunity to network and gain expertise without committing to a full degree program. As the number of seats is limited, we recommend to register early. If you're a GBS or Goethe University alumni, explore our attractive alumni discount options.
Duration
Location
Language
Course fee
Dr. Peter Greiner
Dr. Peter Greiner, former SVP, Global Head of the Fertility Franchise at Merck Healthcare, is the founder and CEO of dawn-bio, a biotech startup in the Fertility and stem cell technology space. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Goethe University and studied business administration at the University of Hagen. During his 15 years in the pharmaceutical industry, Peter gained extensive experience in strategy, marketing, sales, and R&D, holding roles ranging from consulting to local, regional, and global marketing and sales, to global R&D, and to heading the CEO’s office.
Dr. Claus Weichel
Dr. Claus Weichel is Managing Director of Medipolis Süd GmbH in Weinheim and Medipolis Produktion GmbH in Jena, operating across Germany in cancer treatment production, parenteral nutrition, and pharmaceuticals. He studied pharmacy at Christian-Albrecht-University Kiel, holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Medicine, and has over 25 years of global pharma experience. Claus is an entrepreneur (co-founder of Galantos Genetics and Ett-on Holding) and an expert in Marketing, Sales, and Market Access with a YMP background from INSEAD Fontainebleau.
Tomas Gorgodian
Tomas Gorgodian is the Head of Global Omnichannel Deployment and Customer Engagement at Viatris. With a degree in Economics, Tomas brings substantial business experience from top pharmaceutical and fast-moving consumer goods companies across Latin America, Europe, and around the world. He has worked with major firms such as L’Oreal, Novartis, Abbott, and Mylan in Sales, Sales Excellence, and Omnichannel across most product categories and all existing commercial channels.
Dr. Alexander Frenzel
Dr. Alexander Frenzel oversees Business Excellence for Merck’s Fertility division. He earned an MSc in Business Engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and a PhD from the Max Planck Institute of Economics. Before joining Merck Healthcare, he gained experience at IQVIA, Leo Pharma, and BearingPoint, consistently focusing on pharma marketing, customer excellence, and IT.
Candidates with an undergraduate degree (i.e., bachelor or equivalent) of 180 credit points (CP) based on the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) can apply for our Open Programs. The allocation of credit points for work experience will appear on the Academic Transcript of Records and be titled ‘Prior Learning Assessment’.
Open Program applicants must submit a recent proof of English language proficiency at the higher B2 level per the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The GBS Office of Admissions will accept test results of the following tests, taken no longer than two years ago upon the date of submission:
- TOEFL iBT®
- TOEFL iBT® Home Edition
- IELTS
- Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English
- English Language Level Test (ELLT) - Oxford International Digital Institute
Applicants may request a waiver of proof of proficiency in English in case one of the following conditions applies. The applicant
- is a native speaker of English;
- has graduated from an international baccalaureate program
- has completed their undergraduate or master-level studies in a program taught entirely in English;
- has worked in an English-speaking country for at least one year.
If the applicant has not taken any of the above tests when submitting the application, the applicant can upload a confirmation of the test registration to the online admissions portal.
Applicants who submit a language certificate older than two years but without an expiry date will be invited for an additional interview with a native speaker of English.
Proof of relevant post-undergraduate work experience of at least one year is to be submitted, e.g., a performance review, reference letter, or written confirmation from your employer.