Top 20 Drug Companies Employ an Average 136 MSLs

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The largest pharmaceutical companies employ an average 136 medical science liaisons (MSLs) around the world, according to a new study published this month by Cutting Edge Information. MSL operations at these companies span multiple continents; the largest MSL teams, however, typically reside in the United States.

“Managing MSLs in a Global Medical Organization: Budget, Staffing and Compensation Benchmarks”

Data analysis from “Managing MSLs in a Global Medical Organization: Budget, Staffing and Compensation Benchmarks” found that surveyed Top 20 pharmaceutical companies employ between 50 and 203 MSLs worldwide. Large pharmaceutical companies employ bigger teams to support more robust pipelines. Additionally, Top 20 drug companies have greater resources to staff larger liaison teams.

“Companies need to consider a number of factors when determining their MSL team size,” said Elio Evangelista, Cutting Edge Information’s Director of Operations. “The team’s geographic location, its therapeutic area of focus and the company’s resources all play a role in the number of MSLs a company employs.”

Cutting Edge Information’s latest research found that, on average, pharmaceutical medical affairs organizations employ 48 MSLs in the United States, nearly twice as many liaisons as they staff in Europe. The data show that European MSL teams have 25 full-time equivalents (FTEs) on staff. Lastly, companies have an average 11 MSLs on staff throughout Asia. Prior to publishing its latest research, Cutting Edge Information last studied MSL team sizes in 2010. In both Europe and Asia, the latest study found that MSL teams are growing rapidly compared to similar data from 2010.

“Managing MSLs in a Global Medical Organization: Budget, Staffing and Compensation Benchmarks” (http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/research/medical-affairs/msl-benchmarks/) includes detailed data on budgets, staffing, structures and compensation packages for MSL teams located in the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America. The study is designed to help MSL managers and medical affairs organizations:

Expand MSL teams into strategic territories
Examine country-level MSL headcounts
Benchmark education, experience and training requirements to develop skilled MSLs
Adjust compensation commensurate with geography and liaison experience
Overcome globalization challenges by implementing time-tested structural models

Contact Elio Evangelista at 919-403-6583 for more details about Cutting Edge Information’s latest research on MSL teams.