AvisenRx Consultants

Optimising Synergy between Medical Affairs and Market Access

During my 20 years in medical affairs and market access in both large and small pharma and in medical devices I have seen the role of the MSL grow to a dominant force in launch excellence. But now we are seeing a further drive to increase the capability of the MSL even further in providing the practical, customer facing link between medical affairs and market access

Market Access has become the key driver in establishing the success of a new pharmaceutical or medical device. Whatever the market, ultimately new products are commissioned and evaluated of the basis of their cost-benefit over current therapy.  But the requirements to secure uptake of new products and positive approval by healthcare evaluation bodies, commissioners and guideline organisations is evolving and changing quickly. The need for real world clinical evidence of product efficacy within a specific healthcare system and patient group has become paramount for commissioning new products as has the generation of regional cost-effectiveness data and approval from patient advocacy groups.

The MSL as the field based medical affairs enabler is uniquely placed to effectively add value to the evolving market access strategy in areas such as coordinating product evaluation programmes within the national and regional healthcare systems, facilitating and collating real world evidence to secure the progress of products through positive national regulation, approval and implementing guidance to create a positive commissioning environment. This critical role may be smoothly dovetailed with current activities in gaining positive KOL advocacy and generating country specific developmental data. The key individual is the MSL and the recognised growing industry model is of the hybrid MSL who has both a classic medical affairs and compliant market access function. However specific training is required to optimise the developing role of market access in medical affairs and how to re-model and optimise the wider organisation and field staff to embrace this critical, game changing evolution:

  • KOL feedback and advocacy development – what do clinical KOLs say about the need to change practice? What data do they and commissioning stakeholders need to make a decision to take up a new product?
  • Clinical guidelines and endorsement from national healthcare regulators: preparing the healthcare environment
  • Ongoing clinical development - what data is specifically required for national or regional commissioning? Localised evaluations, IITs? Studies often require an economic (cost-saving) evaluation
  • Input on the value messages and budget impact models: how are phase 3 results incorporated to project cost-savings
  • MSL role in new product formulary inclusion: identifying clinical sponsors, facilitating the application with D&T, troubleshooting
  • Internal stakeholder training: sales, marketing, market access
  • Gaining competitor intelligence
  • Coordinating regional medical communications designed specifically for knowledge transfer direct to decision makers
  • Cross team commercial collaboration

The role of the MSL is evolving and will provide an even more effective field based role to communicate and interface with key external functions, not only those who make clinical but also commissioning decisions.

Alan Crofts is a Partner Consultant at AvisenRx Consultants. Alan advises on Medical Affairs and Market Access, focusing on inter-functional synergy to optimise bringing novel products to markets.

AvisenRx Consultants, https://avisenrx.com