This Brief defines competitive intelligence (CI) as a tool for making investment decisions within the pharmaceutical industry. It provides an overview of processes that the regulatory affairs professional must take into account when evaluating data impacting product-based risk evaluations. These apply particularly to evaluations that focus on outputs such as regulatory approval, or the commercial impact of product labeling on the sales forecast over a limited timeframe. The Brief also provides an overview of intellectual property assessment that can impact a product's lifespan on the market due to patent protection itself (or loss of patent protection) or via regulatory exclusivity. Case examples are discussed to illustrate