There may not be uniform agreement on how best to train MSLs, as their managers may prefer they stay in the field as much as possible and the trainers brought in to work with them may not be focusing on the issues they want covered. Though MSLs naturally want to spend more time in the field, the value of practice should not be overlooked.
- Discuss compliance guidelines and procedures for approval of new materials
- Evaluate the usefulness of roleplay training sessions
- Calculate the ideal balance for training lengths, formats, and repetition
MSLs often struggle with fitting both medical and scientific collaborators into the corporate business plan, and in strategically linking their output and insights back to the business strategy itself. If team members mostly come from academic or hospital backgrounds, what new training is necessary to help them clearly spot and adapt to new business opportunities?
- Prioritize a collaborative mindset
- Emphasize to all team members that they are expected to clearly grasp business strategy
- Make a business-centric mindset more of a prized and developed skill set
Medical Information colleagues can closely support MSLs, with shared operating models and best practices. A highly integrated model with aligned skill sets is the ideal goal – but if not structured properly, both teams can face setbacks.
- Assign Medical Information scientists as integral members of product teams
- Accelerate your answers on obscure questions in the field
- Flag the warning signs of poorly-structured partnerships
The insights your team brings back to your organization can give direction on unmet needs, areas for growth, and the potential for new research trials. With proper training, your team can help elevate the value of insights and the rigor with which they are collected, archived, and studied.
- Debate the best ways to train MSLs for collecting insights
- Help new team members differentiate the usefulness of various insights and how to collect them
- Set new standards for scientific exchange
Your job is to provide an informational link between medical affairs and the outside world. Could your support role be replaced by a chatbot? Even if it really can’t, could management start to think otherwise?
- Spot situations where AI can help you modify your writing style for different audiences
- Emphasize a need for validating all AI output
MSLs starting with a clinical background may believe clinical value itself will naturally drive change – but senior team members must guide them towards being able to address the total cost of care and the more holistic positioning of the product.
- Define HEOR and key stakeholders in drug pricing / fulfillment
- Pinpoint the role of healthcare economics as the primary driver for key decisions
- Clarify the MSL role in HEOR integration
MSLs should get involved with products at least 2 years pre-launch. Broadening their involvement with clinical development and trials can help them more fully understand data as it comes in, with far more exposure to patient knowledge and concerns.
- Develop relationships with those who use these drugs the most
- Prepare to answer peer-to-peer questions around product launches, not only about science but also about what HCPs will experience when administering the product
- Support ongoing disease education to prep the market for your new entity
Some companies have MSLs heavily involved with clinical trials, others not at all. Depending on your product life cycle, you may find MSL involvement to be a great asset, but it will need to be planned in detail ahead of time.
- Analyze the benefits of MSL when identifying and initiating sites and answering queries
- Acknowledge the potential downsides of having too many teams involved
- Ensure there is no question around who owns the relationship
Without a thorough grasp of corporate priorities, MSLs might fail to notice opportunities for potential collaboration and overlap. Taking the time to raise awareness and learn from executive leadership staff can help make sure you don’t let a key performance opportunity slip by.
- Internalize that companies are not 'plug and play' and that each has its own culture
- Raise awareness through listening to earnings calls
- Become familiar enough with corporate strategy to quickly highlight the areas that are a best match with your insights
Medical Affairs continues to struggle with demonstrating the value of MSLs, both to internal partners (including Upper Management) and key external stakeholders that are part of the patient healthcare ecosystem. Despite advancements in new measures to demonstrate MSL impact and value, this principal gap still exists.
- Gain a deeper understanding of the key differences between measuring MSL outcomes vs impact
- Determine the right measures for MSL activities to assess impact
- Successfully navigate internal expectations to ensure alignment with patient-centric strategic corporate goals
The need to balance remote and in-person meetings is even more important when working in international markets. What are the different skill sets required when establishing and maintaining an informational relationship with KOLs on the other side of the world?
- Strictly prioritize your country outreach
- Adapt goals around the real capacities of your company and staff – especially at small pharma
- Reach a deep understanding of marketplace and regulatory differences
Both MSLs and TLLs have vital roles to play in disease state awareness campaigns revolving around product launches. You must work hand-in-hand to prep the market for a new product – especially if this disease area has never had a therapeutic before and there are no competitors.
- Tailor education around crucial titles
- Determine whether commercial teams responsible for disease state education have all the knowledge they require
- Balance conveying needed information to both internal team members and external stakeholders
Switching disease areas can involve a major learning curve, requiring flexible learning. This is all the more obvious when moving into psychiatric medicine, where symptoms can be subjective and difficult to measure and treatments are less tangible and straightforward.
- Review how psychiatric HCPs differ in treatment methods
- Spot the warning signs of an emphatically black-and-white training background
- Compare and contrast with other challenges of changing disease indications
How can you prioritize the many scientific congresses in your community? Is biggest always best? Congresses at the national, regional, and community level all have their advantages and drawbacks, and require different networking strategies.
- Highlight the potential benefits of smaller events
- Grasp that many CME-driven congresses still remain on a virtual or hybrid model
- Map the KOLs who are the most difficult to reach due to community size and scheduling issues
Many companies use Thought Leader Liaisons for disseminating high-level scientific concepts. Often with different backgrounds, degrees, and skills, TLL involvement can be seen as competition by some MSLs – so how can you make sure your team benefits from both while not being derailed by a perceived job threat?
- Set up TLL involvement that complements, rather than conflicts with, MSLs
- Clearly distinguish between outreach methods so no one feels like there is repetition or internal competition
- Emphasize the need for mingling technical and human skills
