Medical Science Liaisons Now Contribute to Discussions with Managed Care Organizations

More companies are beginning to leverage their MSL teams’ advanced scientific understanding of brands to move market access discussions forward.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The percentage of medical science liaison (MSL) teams contributing to reimbursement discussions and formulary committee presentations has increased from less than 10% of surveyed life sciences companies in 2010 to 42% in 2012, according to a new study published by Cutting Edge Information.

“Even companies that have hired health outcomes liaisons (HOLs) often organize them within the MSL team structure to benefit from the knowledge located that liaisons have.”

The study, “MSL Activities and Performance Measurement: Harnessing KOL Relationships for Optimal Clinical Support,” found that although less than half of surveyed companies report using MSLs in payer presentations, the significant percentage that do marks a growing trend among MSL teams. As managed care organizations become more interested in the science behind brands, market access departments turn to expert communicators within the company to help maximize the impact of their conversations with payer groups.

“No team within the company is better positioned to understand and communicate the science behind developing and launching products as well as an MSL group,” said Elio Evangelista, director of operations at Cutting Edge Information. “Even companies that have hired health outcomes liaisons (HOLs) often organize them within the MSL team structure to benefit from the knowledge located that liaisons have.”

In the last decade, the importance of delivering health economics and outcomes research to payer groups has altered the pharmaceutical industry’s competitive landscape. Where companies once focused on regulatory approval as the critical success factor for their products, today’s brand teams face greater challenges gaining reimbursement. Drug companies have started to rely on MSLs to communicate the scientific and economic benefits behind their companies’ brands to managed care organizations and other payers.

“MSL Activities and Performance Measurement: Harnessing KOL Relationships for Optimal Clinical Support” (http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/research/medical-affairs/msl-medical-science-liaisons/) examines top-performing MSL teams at companies in the US, Europe, Canada and Asia Pacific. This report is designed to help medical affairs departments and MSL teams:

• Cultivate and nurture productive key opinion leader relationships
• Explore best practices for assigning responsibility for communicating health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) data
• Showcase MSL performance measurements to upper management and other internal stakeholders

For more information about medical science liaisons and medical affairs, contact Elio Evangelista at 919-403-6583.