APAC MSL excellence: Optimizing resources for field medical operations in Asia-Pacific

STUDY OVERVIEW

The regulatory and cultural dynamics of countries within the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region shape how pharmaceutical companies utilize their medical science liaisons (MSLs) in thought leader interactions in those countries. Likewise, organizations should consider the regional differences within each of the APAC markets while coordinating and staffing their MSL functions.

Best Practices, LLC conducted this benchmarking research to examine how leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies allocate critical resources (including MSL staffing levels and travel & entertainment budgets) across core markets in the APAC region. The study also assesses the utilization of MSLs during each stage of the product lifecycle.

Insights in this research are presented into following segments to illuminate field medical trends at region and country level: Europe Segment (N=58), APAC Segment (N=30), Americas Segment (N=27), MENA Segment (N=9).

KEY TOPICS

• MSL staffing and resource levels in core global markets in APAC region
• Travel & entertainment budgets in core global markets in the Asia-Pacific region
• MSL new product launches support within APAC countries

• How many brands (including both in-line and pre-launch products) does each MSL support on average in each of the listed countries?
• How many MSLs do you have on staff in each country per therapeutic area supported?
• What is the approximate annual total travel and entertainment (T&E) budget allocated to an MSL on average in each of the listed countries?
• How many total staff are allocated to each of the listed MSL management and support roles in your region?
• On average, what percentage of “peak MSL team size” are assigned to support a product at each phase of the typical product lifecycle?
• In APAC, how effective is it to bring an MSL on board to support a product in each phase of the product lifecycle?

• Travel & Entertainment Budget: Average annual budgets range from ~$9,500 in India and Japan, to $11,300 in China, up to nearly $19,000 in Australia. One Medical Director explained that by shrinking the territories of Australian MSLs and cross-training staff to support multiple TAs, the field team was able to efficiently engage a high number of KOLs and reduce travel costs.

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