Medical Affairs teams have always played a critical role within pharma. Yet now, with the recent spotlight on healthcare during the pandemic and associated rapid communication of disease, treatments and vaccine breakthroughs, Medical Affairs has become more important than ever to maintain and build upon trust and credibility.
The latest research from Ipsos’ Global Trustworthiness Monitor shows that the pharmaceutical sector’s response to COVID-19 has had a positive effect. Across 23 countries, trustworthiness of pharmaceutical companies among the public increased from 1 in 4 (25%) in 2018 to 3 in 10 (31%) in 2021. Untrustworthiness has also declined by eight points: 35% in 2018 vs 27% in 2021.
Despite the significance of Medical Affairs, we are seeing more restrictions and companies are striving for efficiencies. Additionally, more biotechnology companies are undertaking commercialisation of therapeutic agents and often lack the internal resources to allow for fully effective Medical Affairs.
There is potentially a misconception that Medical Affairs teams are predominantly at the tactical end of the spectrum, owing to the focus on yearly budgets and plans. However, it is essential to acknowledge that a highly insight-led, targeted strategy is key to achieve their goals. Medical Affairs teams should consider rolling out three-year plans at a minimum to ensure that they have a longer term view of their objectives.
The challenge with implementing a targeted, longer-term strategy is that it is often difficult to achieve with small teams alone. Bringing in specialised agency partners along the journey can help Medical Affairs teams in achieving their goals. These partners can assist in the following three ways:
- Cultivating the right insights – understanding the reality with your aspirations via market, healthcare professional and patient research, digital analytics and other relevant tools
- Internal alignment – strategic planners can bring all the different elements of the plan together, ensuring that every aspect is aligned
- Integrate strategy with delivery – every tactic must meet its objective, and it should be fully evaluated throughout the process to ensure that it is on track to achieving the overall goal.
It is also important to acknowledge that agencies can provide complete support along the strategic planning process, not just on delivery. Agencies often invest in keeping up to date with the latest trends, attend industry congresses and are aware of best practice across the industry. They are ideally placed to co-create with clients and offer a fresh perspective. Additionally, agencies have learned from their engagement across multiple therapeutic areas and scenarios. Agencies can also rapidly scale up or down as required, which is critical when there is a need for additional resources to achieve specific objectives. They thrive on being an extension of the team and their success is closely tied to the company’s success.
In conclusion, the importance of Medical Affairs teams achieving successful strategies cannot be overstated in the current climate. With the right targeted strategy, coupled with the support of specialised partners and agencies, Medical Affairs teams can achieve their goals to support HCPs and patients, and further positively impact the healthcare industry.
References are available on request.
