Comparator: constructive competitor analysis
Most competitive intelligence is defensive: it tracks pipelines and warns of threats. Comparator is constructive. We identify what competitors, adjacent markets and other countries have already proved in product design, clinical evidence, claims, pricing and commercial model; test each lesson for evidence, fit, legality and speed; and deliver a transfer plan with a measured pilot.
Typical questions
- Which competitors or adjacent-market leaders have already solved the problem we are about to spend money on, and what exactly did they prove?
- Which of their practices can we adopt with the assets we already own, lawfully in our markets, within twelve months?
- What should we deliberately not copy, and why?
- How will we know, within a year, that the adopted practice worked?
What you receive
- 1A benchmark pack: competitors and adjacent leaders read line by line on product, evidence, claims, pricing and channel, with every fact sourced
- 2A gap matrix and a transfer plan: eight to ten moves with owners, measures, legal checks and a twelve-month roadmap with board gates
- 3A pilot protocol with pre-registered measures, a read-out at the gate and, where wanted, a published outcome
Well suited to
Pharmaceutical and biotech companies from start-up to large, diagnostics manufacturers, laboratory networks, medtech and digital-health companies, and the boards and investors who oversee them.
We use public and lawfully obtained sources only, do not contact competitors on prices, and do not advise on patents or regulatory submissions. Comparator is expert analysis and research design, not medical care, regulatory representation or legal advice, and it does not guarantee commercial or study outcomes.
Who it is for
Three sizes of company, two sectors, one method.
Start-ups
Comparator Snapshot: a fixed-scope, ten-day landscape for one target, indication or test. Who is ahead and with what evidence; what the leaders have proved that you can adopt in trial design, evidence plan or go-to-market; what an investor's diligence team will ask. A twelve-page brief, an investor-grade slide set, a borrow list and a working session with the professor.
Small and medium companies
Comparator Benchmark: four to six weeks. Ten to twenty competitors and adjacent-market leaders read line by line; a gap matrix against your own position; eight to ten moves tested for evidence, fit, legality and speed; a twelve-month roadmap with board gates; a draft claims register for your counsel.
Large companies
Comparator Programme: three to twelve months. The benchmark kept live across markets, a transfer plan tied to your launch or growth plan, a pilot with pre-registered measures, read-outs at agreed gates, a published outcome where you want one, and a quarterly brief for the board or launch committee. Your competitive-intelligence team keeps the monitoring; we supply the constructive reading and the implementation design.
How it works
Seven steps from question to measured result.
- 1
Frame
The decision you have to take, the lines it affects, the markets and competitors in scope.
- 2
Map
Who has solved the problem: direct competitors, adjacent markets such as consumer health, insurers and digital brands, and other countries.
- 3
Read
An evidence-graded reading of trials, labels, assays, claims, prices and channels, from primary and public sources, cited so your team can check it.
- 4
Test
Four transfer tests on every candidate practice: evidence, fit with what you already own, legality in your markets, speed to live.
- 5
Plan
Moves with owners, measures and gates, and a clear list of what not to copy.
- 6
Pilot and measure
Pre-registered measures, a read-out at the gate, and a decision on roll-out.
- 7
Publish
Where you want the credibility of a published result, we design the study so it can be.
Why it matters
Most launches miss because the market was misread.
2 in 3
new drugs fail to meet prelaunch consensus sales expectations in their first year on the market, and those that fall short typically continue to underdeliver for the next two years.
McKinsey & Company, The secret of successful drug launches (2014) (opens in a new tab)1 in 3
of 284 new drugs launched in the United States between 2012 and 2021 missed analyst expectations; inadequate understanding of the market and poor product differentiation were among the most frequent reasons, more often so at large companies.
Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, Drug launch success (opens in a new tab)88%
of people who rely on competitive intelligence want regular updates on the competition rather than ad hoc reports, yet most teams still gather that intelligence by hand.
Crayon and SCIP, State of Competitive Intelligence 2023 (opens in a new tab)
Third-party published figures, not Veritas results.
What makes it different
Constructive, clinical, measured.
Constructive, not defensive
The output is a list of things to adopt, with the evidence, not a list of threats.
Read by clinicians and scientists
Trials, labels and assays are read as a physician-scientist reads them, and the analysis cites what it rests on.
Transfer tests before enthusiasm
Evidence, fit, legality, speed. A practice that fails a test is reported with the reason.
Measured
A pilot with pre-registered measures is part of the design, and you may publish the result.
Independent
We sell no platform, data product or CRO service and have no stake in which practice you adopt.
Fast
AI-assisted research under expert review compresses weeks of desk work into days; the experts, not the tools, sign the conclusions.
Public and lawfully obtained sources only. No pretexting, no trade secrets, no contact with competitors on prices. Expert analysis and research design, not legal, regulatory or medical advice.