Cost of a failed launch – BCE Consulting's network responses

Why most MedTech launches miss the mark — and how to improve the odds

Across BCE's network of MedTech executives, it is evident that many product launches do not deliver on their KPIs. While innovation pipelines remain strong, commercialization outcomes frequently miss objectives.

Based on client interviews, only approximately 50% of launches meet pre-launch expectations, and fewer than 10–15% exceed them, even under reasonable assumptions. When initial expectations are set by executive leadership without accurate and current market grounding, perceived success rates drop sharply, with some leaders estimating that fewer than 15% of launches meet expectations at all. Fully realizing innovation opportunity requires strong alignment to market, competitive, and internal dynamics.

The problem: expectations, not products, are often misaligned

A recurring theme across BCE client interviews is that launch success depends less on the product itself and more on the definition of success.

Several leaders highlighted that formal pre-launch expectation resets almost never happen. As a result, commercial teams abide by outdated targets that fail to reflect updates in product performance, competitive dynamics, or market readiness. Even differentiated products struggle when reimbursement pathways lag, competitive responses are miscalculated, or commercial incentives are misaligned.

The outcome is predictably disappointing — launches are labeled as underperforming, teams lose focus, and customer confidence and willingness to adopt erodes.

Barriers to successful launches

When asked about the biggest barriers to getting launches right, BCE clients consistently identified four challenges:

1. Defining success clearly and realistically. Organizations often lack a shared definition of what "good" looks like. Revenue, share, and ASP metrics do not align with market dynamics and product positioning.
2. Timing and market readiness. Commercialization delays, reimbursement uncertainty, and insufficient market development erode momentum. These factors are not properly reflected in launch expectations and result in misalignment across business and commercial realities.
3. Internal and commercial alignment. The most common reason for failure is treating launch as a marketing exercise rather than an enterprise-wide commitment. Leaders repeatedly emphasized the importance of being "marketing-led, not marketing alone," with accountability extending from sales through operations and accounts receivable.
4. Competitive response and adaptability. Many teams underinvest in wargaming competitive reactions. Knowing when to stay the course versus pivot to a contingency plan emerged as a critical but underdeveloped priority.

What successful launches do differently

Successful launches shared several defining characteristics:

• Expectation discipline: Targets were grounded in real market conditions and adjusted as realities changed.
• Shared accountability: Commercial operations functioned as a single system, not a series of handoffs.
• Clear priorities and focus: Teams knew exactly which accounts, actions, and decisions would drive success.
• Phased execution: Successful launches were treated as learning processes. Teams used limited market release tactics to test and refine their approach in order to maximize impact. Winning launches often paired an initial market entry with a deliberate second phase focused on utilization expansion, guideline alignment, or workflow penetration.

In short, these organizations treated launch as an ongoing capability, not a singular event.

Going forward

For MedTech companies, improving launch outcomes does not require more innovation — it requires better alignment between strategy, market reality, and commercial execution. Organizations that regularly reset expectations, align the full commercial engine, and proactively prepare for competitive and reimbursement dynamics will consistently improve their launch success.

In a market where fewer than one in ten launches truly exceed expectations, even modest improvements in launch discipline can become a durable competitive advantage.