The Roles, Organizational Structure, Responsibilities, Recruitment, Skills, Performance Indicators and Future Trends of Medical Science Liaison in Japan―Results of a 2019 Questionnaire

Yukio Moritsugu; Hirohisa Mizuno; Hideyuki Shiba; Kouichi Konno; Kouji Iwasaki

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The Roles, Organizational Structure, Responsibilities, Recruitment, Skills, Performance Indicators and Future Trends of Medical Science Liaison in Japan―Results of a 2019 Questionnaire

VernacularTitle:日本におけるメディカル・サイエンス・リエゾンの実態に関するアンケート調査 2019 ―役割・組織構造・責任範囲・人材配置・スキル・評価指標・将来の動向等―
Author: Yukio MORITSUGU ¹ ; Hirohisa MIZUNO ² ; Hideyuki SHIBA ³ ; Kouichi KONNO ⁴ ; Kouji IWASAKI ³
Author Information

1. Medical Affairs, MSD K.K.
2. Graduate School of Health and Welfare Sciences, International University of Health and Welfare Graduate School
3. Medical Affairs Committee, Japanese Association of Pharmaceutical Medicine (JAPhMed) MAdhere Corp.
4. Medical Affairs, Astellas Pharma Inc.
Keywords: Medical Science liaison; Medical Affairs; key performance indicator; medical strategy; career plan
From:Japanese Journal of Drug Informatics 2020;22(2):59-82
CountryJapan
Language:Japanese
Abstract: Objective: The purpose of this survey was to identify the roles, organizational structure, responsibilities, recruitment, skills, performance indicators and future trends of Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs). In addition, we compared the trend of changes with past surveys.Method: We contacted 52 pharmaceutical companies with a questionnaire survey on MSLs which included 28 items and analyzed the anonymized results using a web response system in Japan.Results: Responses were received from 40 companies (76.9%). The range of MSLs in each company was 0 to 80, the average number for companies withone or more MSLs was 23.6 (median was 13.0). Except for one company, the definition of “MSL” was generally the same. Except for one company, MSLs operated independently of the sales promotion activities. One MSL was responsible for an average of 21 Key Opinion Leader/Key Thought Leaders (KOL/KTL). The key performance indicators (KPI) for MSL activities mainly focused on quantitative indicators such as the number of information collections from KOL/KTL. On the other hand, qualitative indicators were also incorporated suchas feedback from KOL/KTL. “Knowledge of clinical medicine” and “Communication skills” were necessary skills for all companies. 41.9% of companies had an in-house certification program. Some companies will retain and/or decrease the number of MSLs in the future. MSLs were required to have advanced medical expertise as well as medical professional qualifications, and it was confirmed that there are various options for career plans such as MA, R&D, and promotional departments. No matter what the MSL’s therapeutic area (TA), many companies had high expectations for their activities.Conclusion: The current status of expected mission and responsiblities, KPI, size and career plans for MSL were revealed. Companies want MSL’s to play a central role in the inplementation of medical strategies and contribute to internal and external stakeholders.