Citeline logo in white.
Contact Us

Introducing the Pipeline-to-Patient Productivity Index (P3i)

This is the first-of-its type benchmarking process that measures productivity across the entire drug development lifecycle, from pipeline to patient.

Unlock Smarter Pipeline to Patient Decisions

The P3i is the first benchmark to follow drug performance across the entire development and commercialization lifecycle. It is made possible by Norstella’s unique position across the pharma value chain. The index is designed to support capital allocation and portfolio decisions across biopharma.

The report spans the top 25 publicly listed biopharmaceutical companies and provides performance benchmarks across eight key indicators. These include early pipeline creation, through clinical development and risk, into market access, and commercial return.

Citeline may contact you about relevant products, services, and content. To opt out of these communications or to manage what you receive, please visit our Preference Center.

Your information will be used in accordance with our Privacy notice.

サイトラインより、関連する製品・サービス・コンテンツに関する情報をお届けする場合があります。配信停止や受信内容の管理をご希望の場合は、プリファレンスセンターをご利用ください。

ご提供いただいた情報は、当社のプライバシー通知に基づき適切に取り扱います。


Key Findings from the Inaugural P3i

Eli Lilly tops the inaugural ranking, having risen from what would have been 16th place against the 2020 benchmarks. The report attributes this trajectory to operational improvements across its pipeline, not solely to the success of its GLP-1 franchise. UCB has similarly risen sharply, while several companies have dropped out of the top ten.
  • R&D costs and development timelines are both rising: Pipeline creation has slowed by 32% over the last five years, even as R&D spend increased by 45% across the cohort. The median development timeline has extended from 8.4 to 9.3 years within the same period.
  • Companies are responding through stricter portfolio discipline: Overall success rates have fallen to 8.2% due to a higher Phase I barrier. 38% of clinical failures are now taking place at this early stage, reflecting tighter criteria for advancing into costly late-stage development.
  • Access to new launches is tightening but their commercial impact is rising: One-year coverage stands at 68.3%, in line with the 2020 benchmark, but annual data for 2024 and 2025 suggest a downward trend coinciding with more active payer utilization management such as restrictive prior authorization criteria.
  • Launch performance is improving, but unevenly: Average revenues at seven years post-launch have risen to $1.6bn, driven substantially by GLP-1 therapies. Excluding Wegovy and Mounjaro, the current cohort average falls to $1.3bn – on par with five years ago.
  • Greater scale of launches is required to rejuvenate portfolio mixes: Newly launched products account for 25.7% of total prescription revenues, down from 28.9% in 2020. On current projections, that figure falls to 18% by 2030, pointing to a growing need for deal-making to grow beyond the patent cliff.

2025 R&D vs Commercial Performance within the P3i

Our expert

Headshot of Daniel Chancellor

Daniel Chancellor

VP of Thought Leadership

View profile

2025 Pipeline-to-Patient Productivity Index Benchmarks

R&D Benchmarks

Category Benchmark Timeframe
Pipeline Creation $108m per new drug 2021–25
Development Timeline 9.3 years from Phase I to approval 2016–25
PTRS 8.2% for drugs entering Phase I 2016–25
Early Failures 37.8% of discontinuations at Phase I 2016–25
Source: Norstella

Commercial Benchmarks

Category Benchmark Timeframe
Launch Coverage 68.3% coverage at 1 year 2021–25
Quality of Coverage 91.3% with appropriate PA 2021–25
Launch Performance $1,619m revenues after 7 years 2025
Portfolio Replacement 25.7% of revenues from products launched within prior 7 years 2025

Frequently Asked Questions

P3i stands for Pipeline to Patient Productivity Index. It is the first benchmarking index that ranks the top 25 pharmaceutical companies on their productivity across the full drug development lifecycle, from R&D performance through to commercial patient outcomes.
P3i is a Norstella index, built on proprietary data from Citeline, Evaluate, and MMIT. Citeline provides the pipeline and clinical development intelligence that underpins the R&D benchmarks.
P3i ranks the top 25 global pharmaceutical companies. Companies were selected based on the scale of their drug development activity and patient reach, using data from across the Norstella group.
P3i measures pharmaceutical productivity across two areas: R&D performance and commercial patient outcomes. It then links these two areas through a single pipeline-to-patient measure, giving each company an overall productivity index score.
Most benchmarking reports cover either R&D or commercial performance, but not both. P3i is the only index that spans the full drug development lifecycle and connects R&D performance directly to patient outcomes in a single measure.
A gap between a company’s R&D rank and its commercial rank shows that the company is stronger at one stage of the lifecycle than the other. For example, a company that ranks highly for R&D but lower for commercial outcomes may not be converting its pipeline into patient access as effectively as its peers.

P3i is built on proprietary data from three Norstella companies: Citeline, Evaluate, and MMIT. Full methodology details are available in the report.

Yes. P3i shows what best-in-class performance looks like across the industry. Companies outside the top 25 can use the index as a benchmark to understand where they sit relative to the market leaders.
You can download the full P3i report on this page. For a detailed briefing on your company’s results or methodology, contact the Citeline team.