Introduction: when strong science is not enough
Biotech companies rarely design their life science product portfolios through one intentional, planned exercise. Instead, portfolios often grow over time through internal R&D, responding to research trends, or adopting new technologies. Although this organic growth can lead to a scientifically credible catalogue, it doesn’t always result in a strategically aligned one.
In this guide, we highlight recurring themes we have observed when reviewing clients’ product catalogues as part of their business plan reviews. We share key insights from companies that offer strong products but have not always taken the time to consider their strategic direction or fully understand their customers’ needs.
Product breadth can create complexity without strategy
Many life science companies assume that a broad product range automatically creates resilience. In practice, without a clear strategic vision, expanding the catalogue simply for the sake of breadth often adds unnecessary complexity.
Many companies offer brilliant, highly specialised science that has resulted in hundreds of products, antibodies, antigens, and assay kits, all of which clearly address genuine research needs. These products are scientifically robust, supported by numerous citations, validation data, and SDS documentation.
But, we observe that these large portfolios often:
- Spread marketing and commercial efforts too thinly
- Make it difficult for customers to understand where their company truly specialises
- Increase operational, quality, and technical support burdens
What is often missing is the strategic logic connecting the portfolio, both in terms of market positioning and long‑term growth ambitions. This challenge becomes even more pronounced when the portfolio spans both research‑use products and those intended for regulated environments, such as IVD or clinical applications.
Recommendation
The most successful organisations don’t simply expand their product lists. Instead, they anchor their portfolios around clearly defined application areas, such as oncology workflows, gene therapy development, metabolic research, or diagnostic pathways, and then build depth within those areas. This clarity makes go‑to‑market execution far more effective and leads directly to the importance of having a structured, well‑considered approach to new product development.
Structuring new product development for market success
Although a large product catalogue must be actively managed for the reasons outlined above, this does not mean that R&D should stop. Every product eventually moves through a life cycle. Some mature and plateau, while others decline as competitors enter the market or research foci change. Certain products accelerate rapidly when funding and research priorities shift, as we saw during the COVID‑19 pandemic. If interest is not sustained, these can also decline just as quickly, again as observed with SARS-Cov-19 products.
Innovation remains central to the life science industry, but what sets companies apart is how they respond to product life cycles. Too often, new product development is driven by internal scientific interest rather than clear market needs. When development aligns with a defined portfolio strategy, companies achieve not only portfolio expansion but expansion via a more commercially successful portfolio.
Recommendation
Let’s take the fictitious antibody px1z as an example. If sales of this antibody perform well, the manufacturer can review the data and think strategically about their next steps. Do they want to specialise by developing additional antibodies for related research areas? Or should they stay focused on px1z and expand into related antigens, kits, and other products that support that research into that specific target?
Conducting a gap analysis and reviewing competitor portfolios can provide valuable insights to support informed decision‑making. It is also essential to analyse customer enquiries and examine published literature e.g. are researchers using complementary products? Are there reagents they need that are missing from your catalogue?
A structured life science product portfolio strategy requires regular reassessment:
- Does this product still align with where we want to compete?
- Is it core to our positioning?
- Does it strengthen relationships with priority customer segments?
- Are we investing in the areas where the market is demonstrably growing?
Quality as a strategic lever — not just compliance
It is widely agreed across the life science sector that product quality expectations have shifted. In today’s market, product validation, detailed datasheets, and strong citations are no longer differentiators. They are hygiene factors. These elements form the baseline requirements for presenting a product to the market and demonstrating to customers that your reagents are reliable, widely used, and scientifically credible. Certification has become a commercial asset and must be included in marketing materials to effectively communicate quality to customers.
Recommendation
Increasingly, we are recommending that formal quality certification should form part of a company’s strategic positioning. Organisations aiming to work more closely with biotech, pharma, or CRO customers should hold at least ISO 9001:2015, while ISO 13485:2016 is essential for companies supplying into diagnostic or regulated environments. Quality strategy is therefore not purely an operational concern; it is a key element of market positioning.
Services Strategy – growth opportunity or commercial distraction?
Many life science reagent manufacturers consider expanding into custom product development or service provision. In principle, this can strengthen customer relationships and open doors to biotech and pharma clients. However, in practice, the services market is highly competitive and operationally demanding. It requires dedicated infrastructure, rapid turnaround times, and strict quality standards, often including GMP and ISO 13485:2016 compliance.
Recommendation
If services are introduced, they should be positioned to support catalogue growth, for example, by using custom development projects to generate new products for which you retain the rights, rather than becoming a side business that competes for the same internal resources. The strategic question is not “can we offer services?” but rather, “should services form part of our long‑term positioning?”
Without clear differentiation and the right infrastructure, service offerings risk becoming a distraction from the core product catalogue.
Concluding Remarks — what your life science product portfolio communicates
Portfolios tell a story about your business. When that story becomes muddled, customers (as well as potential partners) struggle to understand what the company stands for. A lack of portfolio focus makes go‑to‑market execution harder, leads to inconsistent pricing decisions, and weakens the impact of your marketing messages and brand positioning.
By making deliberate choices to emphasise a smaller number of strategic areas (particularly those reflected in sales data), companies gain clarity, increase the effectiveness of commercial investment, and protect the parts of the business that create the most value.
A life science product catalogue is not simply a list of SKUs. It communicates:
- Where the company chooses to compete
- Where it believes its expertise lies
- Which customer segments does it prioritise
- How it intends to grow
How PSL Helps Life Science Companies Build Strategic Product Portfolio
PSL’s role is to help leadership make those decisions: mapping product usage to customer needs, prioritising investment, defining the certification pathways required for new markets, and shaping the go‑to‑market narrative so that your brilliant science reaches the customers who need it most.