Back when I was a medical science liaison in the early 2000s, a lot of our field strategy relied on ‘street knowledge’ of key opinion leaders (KOLs) [now called external experts-EEs]. We often acted on gut instinct and collected our insights using spreadsheets which were sent back to our headquarters based medical affairs colleagues where we either (a) weren’t sure what ended up happening to those insights and if they were ever even read or (b) or if the team did actually utilize them, they weren’t ever sure what were legitimate useful insights and what was just ‘noise.’

Fast forward to 2021

The advances in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and natural language processing algorithms have revolutionized how we do the business of medical affairs. Yet a recent survey found that only 8% of companies incorporate solutions like predictive analytics as part of their long-term strategy. Much of the hesitation has less to do with the technology and more to do with company culture. Most companies believe that solutions like predictive analytics and sentiment analysis are limited to pilots and specific projects or initiatives. And while there may be short-term gains, our timeline needs to be focused on a consistent long-term strategy- it needs to be part of the core strategy of every medical affairs function in pharma. 

The Rise of Digital KOLs

With the advent of social media, KOL healthcare professionals (HCPs) have taken their message to social media. Pharmacists, physicians, and other allied HCPs are on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and even TikTok sharing their ideas as well as their advice and opinions on drugs, devices, diagnostics, and more. They are leaving an indelible digital footprint which influences the healthcare ecosystem, including other HCPs, patients and regulators. Listening carefully to what the market is saying about your company, brand, products or the disease state your focused on is key in today’s market if you want to remain competitive.

How Pharma Leaders Adapt to Predictive Analytics

Traditionally, medical affairs has been an operational function and in some companies it still very reactive. Moreover, medical affairs professionals are largely segregated into various functions and have little perspective on what other functions do and what the market response is to their product unless they’re out interacting with KOLs like medical science liaisons do. That being said, workforce training and mobilization efforts which provide a broad skill set of training on the competencies that make medical affairs professionals effective is key.

Better judgement, creativity, technical knowledge, and relationship building skills are all important. This is one of the reasons the Accreditation Council for Medical Affairs (ACMA) includes a digital technology in medical affairs component in their Board Certified Medical Affairs Specialist (BCMAS) curriculum. It’s to help train medical affairs professionals (including medical science liaisons) on how to appropriately and effectively use digital technology such as predictive analytics, machine learning and sentiment analysis. 

Implementing Predictive Analytics is a Must Have

Harvard Business recently reported that of the top 10% of early adopters of digital solutions like predictive analytics have grown at twice the rate of the bottom 25% and they’re using cloud-based technologies that are simple, easy to use and provide data in real time. We need to dump our rigid ideas of what medical affairs has been and adopt a more agile, flexible approach which sees the future of the function growing in a direction which embeds technologies such as predictive analytics into its DNA if we are to ensure that our insights, ideas, and strategies are data driven and more than just ‘instinct.’