Medical Science Liaison Services Excellence: Exploring Future Services for Diverse Customer Groups

STUDY OVERVIEW

Charged with being the chief connection between a company's science and critical stakeholders in the marketplace, Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) are attracting more attention from pharmaceutical executives. However, both their policy direction and manner in which MSLs interface with key stakeholders are evolving.

Best Practices, LLC conducted this study to investigate the changing role of MSLs in serving their key constituents. This research presents benchmarks around key MSL services within payer education and support, hospital/ health care access, physician education and patient education. Biopharmaceutical and medical device executives can use this study to assess resource allocation of MSLs and key strategies used in MSL interfacing as it evolves in the future.

Note: Data are presented in two segments: The total benchmark class and a U.S. only segment.

KEY TOPICS

• Relations of Payer Affairs with MSLs
• Future High Value Activities for MSLs
• Evolving Policies and Procedures for MSL activities
• Role of MSLs in Serving Medical Systems

• Structures that work best to provide MSL services in coordination with Payer Affairs
• Internal groups emerging as valuable users of MSL support or services in the next 12-24 months
• Policy directions for different activities in the next 24 months
• Types of healthcare systems that may increasingly be homes to KOLs
• FTE resources spent on Internal and External Quality Audit Activities
• Services new or specialized educators provide to customers
• How MSLs interface with Professional Organizations
• MSLs' support of internal customers

• Recognize Payers Groups Are Growing in Importance: Sixty percent of respondents believe that managed care groups will be valuable users of MSL support services in the next two years. MSLs will need to understand how payer groups work and how best to serve internal constituents working with them. At present only about 30% of companies regularly support internal payer groups.
  
• Limited Fear of Losing Access to KOLs: A little more than one-third of companies say the see a high risk of KOL’s home institutions curtailing MSL access to such opinion leaders. Some did point out that some MSLs are becoming “too commercial” in their touch points and that could negatively impact access if it continues.
  

Industries Profiled:
Biotech; Pharmaceutical; Manufacturing; Consumer Products; Diagnostic; Medical Device; Health Care


Companies Profiled:
Advanced Biohealing; Allergan; Amylin; AstraZeneca; Bayer; Boehringer Ingelheim; Boston Scientific; Cephalon; EndoPharma; Eisai; Gambro; G.E. Healthcare; Genetech; GlaxoSmithKline; Ironwood Pharma; Kadmon Pharma; Laboratorios Esteve; Lantheus Medical Imaging; Metronic; Merck Sharp and Dohme; Novartis; Novo Nordisk; Onyx Pharma; Pfizer; QLT; Quidel; Shire; Takeda; Theravance; UCB

If you purchase Best Practice Database document(s), you will have 30 days from the date of purchase to apply some or all of the cost of the document(s) toward the cost of a Full Access Individual, Pharma, Group or University Membership. Write us at DatabaseTeam@bestpracticesllc.com or call David Guinn at 919-767-9179 if you have any questions.