Medical Science Liaison Services Excellence in the Medical Device Sector: MSL Activities Across Key Customer Groups

STUDY OVERVIEW

Medical Science Liaisons are the bridge between a company's science and critical stakeholders in the marketplace. Recently, the responsibilities and services of MSLs have drawn more attention from executives due to the changing industry environment. This study offers powerful insights that medical device leaders can use in the organization and deployment of MSLs. Additionally, this research provides information on how MSLs are targeting different customer bases and the oversight different companies provide to monitor their activities.

Specifically, Best Practices, LLC conducted this study to identify valuable services MSLs provide to diverse customer groups – physicians, patients, payers, policy makers and advocates. Medical device executives can use this study to identify areas of internal weakness, as they try to globally standardized their organization of MSLs. In addition, this benchmarking research study also explores best practices in the management of MSLs and their work with KOLs pre- and post-approval, capturing information about the strategies, structures, activities, tools, and tactics currently being used for this purpose.

KEY TOPICS

• MSL Services and Payer Education and Support
• MSL Services and Hospital/Health Care Access
• MSL Services and Physician Education
• MSL Services and Patient Education and Advocacy Support
• MSL Activities Throughout Life Cycle

• Ranking of most valuable MSL services when serving Medical Affairs, Clinical Development, Health Outcomes and Brand Team customers
• Structures that work best to provide MSL services to Payer Services
• Future internal groups emerging as valuable users of MSL support or services
• MSL policy changes over the next 24 months
• MSL service / interaction trends with different types of healthcare systems that may increasingly be homes to KOLs
• Emerging educator groups within companies
• Services provided by specialized educators
• Frequency in which MSLs provide various KOL services prior to FDA approval of a drug
• Frequency in which MSLs provide various KOL services after FDA approval of a drug
• Ranking of most effective technologies serving KOLs

• MSLs Expected to Work More Regularly with Other Internal Groups: Sales Reps and New Product Planning are the two groups that will be served most regularly (50% and 38%, respectively from survey). Surprisingly, 50% of companies say they do not serve Payer Services, but a number of companies said they have specially trained MSLs to serve this role. Those companies tout it as an important service.
• Recognize Payers Groups Are Growing in Importance: The majority 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 25% of companies regularly support internal payer groups.
  

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.