SUMMARY

It's a new era for pharmaceutical company interaction with physicians. New guidelines and regulations from various governmental and non-governmental regulatory bodies have come into play during the past few years. The second event defining this new era was the withdrawal of Vioxx from the market in 2004 and the subsequent re-emergence of the importance of physicians as "learned intermediaries."

More than ever, it is important to educate physicians about new drugs and to keep this education separate from the marketing function of the company yet aligned with commercial goals.

This article is an edited transcript of the May 2006, Pharma Marketing Roundtable discussion, which was devoted to exploring issues surrounding the new roles of medical science liaisons (MSLs) and key opinion leader physicians (KOLs) in physician education and product marketing.

Special Guest Expert: Jane Chin, Ph.D., President, Medical Science Liaison Institute LL

Topics covered include:

• Role of MSLs
• Problems Adapting to Change
• Fear of Metrics
• MSL as Commodity
• Typical MSL Job Description
• Sales Force of the Future?
• Glorified Sales Reps?
• The MSL-KOL Relationship
• Focus on the Message
• Commentary: Give Docs What They Want
• Changing Influence Geometry
• Coordination and Culture
• The Off-Label Promotion Factor