While Pharma Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) play an important role in educating other healthcare providers in a peer to peer scientific exchange setting, there are also risks involved in bringing physicians with little to no previous industry experience or, for that matter, experience speaking on behalf of a pharmaceutical company. Often, doctors feel that they have leeway to speak about their specific patients, or share other details that could be a compliance nightmare for any pharmaceutical company. 

What is emerging as a new standard is to certify or credential Pharmaceutical Industry doctors who are speakers (i.e., KOLs) by an independent accredited organization which works within the pharmaceutical industry.  The Accreditation Council for Medical Affairs (ACMA) is one such organization which works with pharmaceutical companies to provider KOL speaker training on compliance and effective presentation and communication skills. 

Here are 5 reasons why every pharmaceutical company should certify its Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs):

Reason 1: KOL Speakers Are Critically Important to Your Pharma Company’s Overall Communication Plan

Certified KOLs can play a pivotal role and exert influence over how other healthcare providers see your product.  It is worth the investment to have an independently accredited organization train them on compliance and communication skills. 

Reason 2: Minimize Risk & Increase Compliance 

By having an independent accredited organization such as the Accreditation Council for Medical Affairs (ACMA) certify and train your Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), you will ensure that your KOLs adhere to the highest standards of quality and excellence.  Minimize the chances that they’ll go off the rails and say something that can put your pharmaceutical company in hot water!

Reason 3:  Make them More Effective Speakers

One of the most time consuming aspects to KOL speaker programs is the training that is involved.  The last thing you want is to train KOLs who are not effective presenters or communicators. By focusing on presentation and communication skills, you can increase the chances that they will deliver important scientific message in an articulate and impactful manner. 

Reason 4:  Regulators are Watching 

It’s no secret that regulation in the pharmaceutical industry is at an all time high. The pharmaceutical industry has had its share of unfortunate mishaps, most recently with the opioid crisis.  Be assured that regulators are watching how pharmaceutical companies are organizing and developing KOL speakers. Most recently, a major pharmaceutical company was caught inappropriately choosing and using KOL speakers.  The case was leaked by a whistleblower who informed the feds that the company was using KOL speaker programs as a ‘cover’ to get their message about to ‘high prescribers.'

Reason 5:  It’s Just the Right Thing to Do!

Pharmaceutical companies play such a significant role in generating important clinical data to help support treatment decisions for healthcare professionals. Every company should do what it can to maximize the standards with which its KOL speakers are trained and certify them to ensure they all meet a minimum standard of competency that is uniform across the board.