Effective Medical Affairs Strategies for Product Launches

The importance of Medical Affairs in pharmaceutical product launches cannot be overstated. From pre-launch planning to post-launch monitoring, these teams ensure that clinical data and medical information about the product that is being launched are accurately communicated to the relevant stakeholders.

While the strategies to implement for product launch differ solely from one company to other, some common strategies apply to most use cases. This article will explore effective strategies that medical affairs can implement to support successful product launches.

In this article:

• 1. Strategic Pre-Launch Planning - Laying the Groundwork
• 2. Multi-Region Launch Plan & Tracking
• 3. Developing Comprehensive Education Materials
• 4. Engaging Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) to Enhance Product Launch Strategies
• 5. Post-Launch Performance Monitoring: Ensuring Ongoing Success
• 6. The Takeaway
• 7. FAQs

Product launch excellence can be achieved by charting out the activities and actions to be taken by Medical Affairs. The strategy should be optimal across affiliates, locations, and countries and focus on improving efficiencies, compliance, and best practices. This eventually leads to improvement in product’s reach, health outcomes, brand credibility, and the organization's long-term standing.

The groundwork for a successful launch usually starts 24 months before the actual launch of the therapeutic product. A playbook comprising thorough market research can be deemed a starting point. Various factors, such as market conditions, competing companies' marketing spend on launching a product, product positioning, and even the probable steps that competitors might take in the event of a new market entrant, should be considered. Finalizing the product name and labels, and securing the necessary trademark is a critical part, too, at this juncture.

Additionally, the Medical Affairs division will need to develop and train adverse-event report handling teams regarding any probable complaints from prescribers and patients. Further, internal education sessions focusing on the sales and marketing department will help them understand the indications for the product that needs to be used and how teams with innovative therapy offerings can address the unmet needs of the patients.

By being well-versed in the disease state, clinical trial data, ongoing studies, and competitive intelligence, teams can discern the advantages of the product when asked questions regarding its comparison with the competitor product.

This especially holds true for a company that intends to launch a product in different regions across the world. In such cases, factors such as regional regulation, healthcare practices, competition, and market preferences are considered. Regional alignment should take place 18 months before the launch as teams need to fulfill various obligations. From filing the product registration with local health authorities to compiling clinical data and responding to questions from regulators, there's a lot to tick off the list.

Also, promotions in many countries are strictly regulated to avoid misleading and unethical promotion of drugs. For instance, a company has to navigate a thorough, complex regulatory framework when launching in the European regions. In such a case, a key authoritative team can be appointed to scrutinize the entire launch process and ensure that nothing offsets the law and that the product, promotions, and the entire pre- and post-launch cycle are in accordance with the regulations.

Drugs, whether generic or branded, need to be on the market at the pharmacy counter before launch. Hence, partnering with the right logistics firm can be crucial in this regard. Bottlenecks should be identified, and contingency plans be developed to mitigate the risk of products not reaching the pharmacists. Detailed labor and equipment assessment and real-time visibility into the status of product movement enhance communication and coordination amongst the teams.

Developing comprehensive educational materials is imperative before the product launches. For literature aimed at HCPs, they should have more evidence-focused content. Such materials should be backed by all the relevant clinical and research studies. This will help medical professionals understand the drug's mechanism of action, its side-effects, etc. The materials can be in the form of peer-reviewed articles, guides or e-learning modules.

The educational material for patients should be such that medical information is conveyed in simple and easy to understand formats. Some of the content formats can be FAQs, videos or brochures, which can help individuals understand their condition better and make informed decisions about their health.

Internal stakeholders of the company such as MSLs, also need effective medical content materials to drive meaningful scientific dialogue with HCPs. The literature must include therapy and clinical data which should be easily accessible for ready reference.

Identifying and engaging top KOLs is the crucial step during a pharma product launch. These KOLs are influential with extensive network and reach among peers and patients alike. Collaborating with them helps medical teams capitalize on their expertise and popularity, which ultimately benefits the brand value. However, identifying relevant healthcare professionals that match the therapeutic order and are ready to advocate the brand on various platforms, including academic, medical conferences, and digital, can be overwhelming.

Also, the probability of top medical professionals already being engaged by competitors and due to lack of time commitment can prove to be a hurdle for life sciences teams. konectar, AI-Powered KOL Management Platform not only enables Medical Affairs with insightful data on top KOLs but can also provide teams with a list of similar KOLs that have the same expertise and experience to advocate for your brand.

Medical Affairs teams also need to ensure that the healthcare professionals driving the treatment understand the product. Their base knowledge and experience with the drug need to be accessed. Conducting more scientific exchange sessions can prove fruitful not only for increasing the understanding of the product among physicians but also for gauging their level of interest for investigator-initiated studies (IIS).

Post-clinical market trial concepts initiated by HCPs rather than MSLs help the company to navigate the compliance factor. Educational initiatives such as presenting the data at key medical conferences, advisory boards, and clinical investigator meetings during the pre-launch phase help thought leaders comprehend the data.

Regular meetings and calls with teams across the geographical regions help coordinate the launch and address any potential issues. Showing a product to be launched at relevant medical conferences is important for reaching the intended audience, majorly HCPs and HCOs (Healthcare Organizations).

The first step in performance monitoring begins by outlining the objectives and goals that were set before the launch. These benchmarks serve as a reference point for Medical Affairs for measuring their performance.

The Medical Affairs Department is involved in planning and furnishing relevant scientific and clinical information about the product to different stakeholders during the launch phase. Also, the US medical affairs landscape is rapidly evolving. There is a strong emphasis rather than the need to implement digital tools and data-driven insights to enhance various aspects of product launch campaigns. The multidimensional role demands ready insights into the KOL landscape to drive the company's objectives effectively.

konectar, an AI-powered HCP Management Platform, meets this requirement brilliantly by offering valuable insights into the HCP landscape. To learn how the platform can help streamline HCP engagement and Medical Affairs operations, request a demo of konectar today!