Are you interested in learning more about the data other pharmaceutical companies use? Written with contributions from Alanna Moriarty. Accelerate your go-to-market strategy now. Request a free trial. Who are the Key Opinion Leaders in Pharmaceuticals? Share this post. How to find experts for each step in the drug development process Experts are often experienced physicians , but not always.
Research and discovery You can consult with experts to identify your target research areas. Clinical trials Consulting with an expert is useful during multiple phases of the clinical trial process. Drug approval During the drug approval stage, experts often advise on the regulatory process. Post-approval and distribution Once a new drug is approved, experts can build product awareness in their specialties and in the wider medical community.
Learn more Partnering with the right expert can keep you ahead of your competitors and shorten time to market. Ultimately, effective KOL identification and mapping can serve many purposes. Initiating the process with the right input from the outset of the project can help ensure its value to a pharmaceutical company. Our analytics offer unparalleled insight into how experts rank professionally, how current their work is on a drug or indication, and who is in their professional network.
Hence, developing a KOL Newly released data and All Rights Reserved. The breadth and depth of a KOL's involvement, brand adoption, and influence behaviors aids in deciding a KOL's strength and can be measured based on the following attributes: Disease State Expertise : KOLs may be named experts in a disease state, have authored papers, presented at forums, spoken in peer-to-peer events, or have been affiliated with key academic hospitals or disease state centers.
Knowing a KOL — their research interests, contributions to the clinical and scientific literature, leadership contributions in medical societies, and associations — is vital before engagement activities begin. Sphere of Influence : KOLs may receive referrals or treat patients across geographical national, regional, and local and affiliation boundaries. This strategic view provides an advantage when designing subsequent KOL engagement and management processes.
For example, in oncology, no one physician can be an expert across all the topics, tumor types, and biomarkers.
Thus, community oncologists rely on experts who specialize in a specific tumor or state to inform them of new and better diagnostics and treatments. However, within the disease community, there is a group of physicians considered by their peers to be thought leaders. Their opinions help to understand and validate current and emerging therapies for rare lung diseases. Early Adoption : KOLs may be early adopters of specific novel therapies and genetic testing types e. Early adopters are often involved in clinical trials and gain experience in a specific therapy area.
Creating an initial list of high-end KOLs, and then cementing relationships with the best of them, is critical for galvanizing support behind a product before and as it launches. But KOL management needs to be a fluid concept, in which relationships are maintained and new ones are added where necessary. You also need to be aware that KOLs who become vocal against your product are as important as those who support it.
Bhaseen adds that some KOLs want to get involved with every drug, which leads to a credibility gap. Therefore, these KOLs also need management through time. Due to the high stakes around KOL management and increasing complexity, the final step in KOL management is: Ensure that someone at a senior level in the company is accountable for the program.
The responsibility could also fall to the head of medical affairs or a chief medical officer, if a company has a physician in such a role who is good at interacting externally.
Registered in England and Wales: Forgotten Password? It is very important to define what is expected from the partnership such as direct or indirect benefits for the product under development. The targeting phase should identify where a partnership would be beneficial. Creating a relevant selection criterion and gathering accurate and reliable information about the key opinion leader is very important to ensure the quality of the partnership.
The potential selections should be filtered by field of expertise, level of reputation, and scope of influence. It is important to pick people who have suitable credentials and hold positions of authority e. This will depend on the product or drug been developed and its purpose, but they will need to have significant expertise in the field required. A well-respected KOL will most likely be someone who has been seen to influence their peers and the health authorities.
It will also be important to consider whether they have a local, national, or international reach depending on the requirements. If the KOL is expected to write articles and carry out lectures, then it is preferable that they have significant experience in these areas and are happy to engage in these activities.
One of the most encouraging criteria would be their previous activity with other pharmaceutical companies and whether they have carried out partnerships in the past with success. Once the group of potential KOLs has been chosen then they will need to be approached to discuss a potential partnership.
They will often share their thought leadership through traditional advertising means such as publishing research or speaking at conferences; while more technologically savvy KOLs will utilise online social media channels to share information and collaborate with peers. There are strict guidelines that must be adhered to in the UK when it comes to the promotion of medicines and a specific licensing system for medicines, operated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency MHRA.
If a KOL is to discuss a new drug, then they must adhere to these regulations. Once you have engaged with your chosen KOLs and got them on board, their interactions with the pharma company and the activities they are expected to carry out should be defined and formalised in an implementation plan with objectives and result measuring.
Pharma companies should balance what they expect from them in terms of activities, and what the KOP gives them in terms of services to ensure a win-win partnership. The partnership and communication plan should be carefully monitored using key performance indicators KPIs and regularly reviewed to determine its success.
For more help with influencer marketing and public relations in the pharmecutical arena see our 'PR plan for pharma'. Once the objectives and activities have been completed, it is important to measure the success of the partnership.
The regularity of review can be decided by them and the coordinator s , and they will discuss the level of mutual satisfaction achieved and whether any adjustments need to be carried out. This data should be recorded and their activities enhanced and modified to ensure the partnership is continuing to be mutually beneficial and in line with the KPIs.
At the end of the partnership, conclusions can be drawn to shape future partnerships.
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