If you work in commercial operations, marketing, or sales at a life sciences company, you’ve probably heard all about platforms promising to “transform” your go-to-market (GTM) strategy. Let’s be real: you don’t need hype. You need tools that fit your team, your regulatory headaches, your data, and your customers (who, frankly, don’t care what CRM you use).
This guide cuts through the noise and directly compares Veeva — the gorilla in the room — with other top B2B GTM software options for life sciences. Whether you’re evaluating a new stack or just want to sanity-check your current setup, you’ll find practical, honest takes here.
Who This Is For
- Commercial leaders (sales, marketing, ops) at pharma, biotech, med device, or diagnostics companies
- Folks doing due diligence for a new CRM, MDM, or marketing automation platform
- Anyone tired of reading press releases and wanting the real scoop
If you’re at a five-person startup, this might feel like overkill. For everyone else, let’s get into it.
What Counts as “B2B GTM Software” in Life Sciences?
Let’s clear up the jargon:
- GTM (Go-To-Market) software means tools for managing your relationships with customers (CRM), running sales and marketing campaigns, tracking engagement, keeping data clean (MDM), and staying compliant.
- In life sciences, this stack has to handle:
- Complicated account hierarchies (think: hospitals, IDNs, group practices)
- Strict rules on who you can market to and how
- Heavy reporting requirements for compliance
In this article, we’re looking at: - Veeva - Salesforce (with Life Sciences add-ons) - Microsoft Dynamics 365 (with industry customizations) - IQVIA Orchestrated Customer Engagement (OCE) - A few upstart “modular” or “composable” platforms
Let’s break them down.
Veeva: The Industry Standard (and Its Trade-Offs)
Veeva has become the default for life sciences GTM. Most big pharma and many mid-sized companies use it, especially for CRM (Veeva CRM), content management (Vault), and MDM (Network).
Why it’s dominant:
- Built for pharma/biotech/device, not “customized general CRM”
- Out-of-the-box compliance with FDA, EMA, Sunshine Act, etc.
- Deep integrations with third-party data (HCP databases, formulary, etc.)
- Features for field sales, medical affairs, sample tracking, and more
Where it shines:
- Compliance and audit trails are baked in — less headache for IT and legal
- Mobile app (Veeva CRM Mobile) is solid, and reps actually use it
- Event management, approved email, and sample tracking work out of the box
But…
- Customization is expensive and slow. You usually need a certified Veeva partner, and every little tweak adds cost.
- The interface feels stuck in 2015. It works, but don’t expect “consumer-grade” polish.
- You’re buying into an ecosystem. Integrating Veeva with non-Veeva tools can be a pain. Expect some vendor lock-in.
- Not cheap. Pricing isn’t public, but it’s expensive — both for licenses and for the consultants you’ll need.
Pro tip: If you’re a small or mid-sized company without a huge MLR (medical/legal/regulatory) burden, you might be over-buying with Veeva.
Salesforce (with Life Sciences Add-Ons): The Flexible Giant
Salesforce dominates generic B2B sales, and with the right add-ons (Salesforce Health Cloud, Veeva competitor overlays, or ISV partners like IQVIA or ZS), it can play in life sciences, too.
Strengths:
- Flexibility. You can customize almost anything (if you have budget and skilled admins).
- Ecosystem. Tons of third-party apps, analytics, and integrations.
- Modern UI/UX. Users generally prefer the interface over Veeva’s.
Weaknesses:
- Regulatory compliance isn’t automatic. You’re responsible for configuring it correctly (with help from consultants or partners).
- Life sciences features are bolt-ons, not native. Think: speaker program tracking, sample management, field medical — these need extra work.
- Costs spiral quickly as you add modules and customizations.
- IT overhead. You’ll need a real admin/dev team.
When to consider it: If you have unique workflows or want to own your stack, Salesforce is the “build your own” option. If you want plug-and-play for pharma, look elsewhere.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 (with Industry Customizations)
Dynamics 365 is the dark horse. It’s less common in pharma, but some large organizations use it, especially those already running Microsoft back-office systems.
Pros:
- Strong integration with Microsoft tools (Teams, Outlook, Power BI)
- Customizable (with partners who know the industry)
- Lower licensing costs (usually) than Veeva or Salesforce
Cons:
- Fewer out-of-the-box pharma features. You’ll need to build or buy add-ons for compliance, HCP management, etc.
- Smaller talent pool (harder to hire admins with pharma experience)
- Ecosystem is less robust than Salesforce
The honest take: Only go this route if your IT is already all-in on Microsoft and you have the appetite to build. Otherwise, you’ll spend a lot of time reinventing the wheel.
IQVIA Orchestrated Customer Engagement (OCE): For Data-Driven Behemoths
IQVIA is famous for its healthcare data. With OCE, it’s selling a CRM/engagement platform built for life sciences.
What’s different:
- Native integration with IQVIA data. If you’re buying a lot of IQVIA datasets, OCE can make that smoother.
- AI/analytics for territory planning, KOL mapping, and next-best-action.
- Field force tools (call planning, sampling, etc.) rival Veeva.
Downsides:
- Feels like a data company built a CRM. The interface is functional, not beautiful.
- Customization is tricky — you’re tied to IQVIA’s roadmap.
- Opaque pricing. You’ll negotiate everything.
Best for: Large companies already deep in the IQVIA ecosystem. Not worth it if you’re not using their data extensively.
The Upstarts: Modular/Composable GTM Platforms
There’s a new crop of “composable” GTM tools pitching themselves as alternatives to the big platforms. Think: modern CRMs (HubSpot, Freshsales), modular engagement tools, or even open-source CRM stacks.
Why you might consider them:
- Modern interfaces. Easier to use, less training required.
- Lower cost. Pay for what you use.
- Quick setup (in theory).
But...
- Risk of compliance gaps. Most aren’t built for pharma. You’ll need to bolt on compliance features or run them outside regulated workflows.
- Integration headaches. Piecing together best-of-breed tools sounds great until your data is a mess.
- Unproven for scale. Few big pharma companies have gone this route.
When it works: Small biotech, diagnostics, or digital health startups with simple needs and a willingness to accept some manual compliance workarounds.
What Actually Matters? (Ignore the Hype)
Before you get dazzled by AI-powered dashboards or “customer 360” buzzwords, focus on these basics:
- Compliance: Can the platform support audits, sample tracking, and regulated content distribution without manual workarounds?
- User adoption: Will your field team actually use it, or will they curse at it and keep a spreadsheet on the side?
- Integration: Will this play nice with your data vendors, ERP, and marketing tools?
- Total cost of ownership: Not just licenses — think admin, consultants, and the cost of change management.
- Vendor lock-in: How hard is it to switch later, or to add third-party tools?
- Reporting: Can you get the reports you need for compliance, management, and field feedback without a data engineering degree?
Pro tip: Demo the actual field rep workflow, not just the dashboards. If it takes 10 clicks to log a call, nobody will do it.
Quick Comparison Table
| Platform | Compliance | Customization | Integration | Cost | UX | Best For | |------------------|------------|---------------|-------------|-------------|------------|------------------------| | Veeva | A+ | C | B- | $$$$ | C+ | Large, regulated orgs | | Salesforce | B | A | A | $$$ | B+ | Flexible, unique needs | | Dynamics 365 | B- | B | B+ | $$ | C+ | MS shop, custom builds | | IQVIA OCE | A- | C | B | $$$$ | C | Data-centric orgs | | Upstarts | C | B+ | C | $-$$ | A | Small, agile teams |
So, What Should You Do?
- Keep it simple: Don’t buy more platform than you need.
- Start with must-haves: Compliance, usability, integration with your critical data sources.
- Test with your actual users: Bring in a skeptical field rep, not just IT or sales ops.
- Plan for change: Switching platforms later is painful, but not the end of the world. Don’t let fear drive you.
- Iterate: No system is perfect out of the box. Plan for tweaks as you go.
There’s no silver bullet, and no “best” platform for everyone. Stay skeptical, get real user feedback, and remember: a tool is only as good as the team using it. Good luck.