The Emerging Role Of Medical Science Liaisons On Medical Affairs Teams

New specialists are emerging in the life science industry and changing how teams engage with key opinion leaders. In the past few years, the number of medical science liaisons (MSLs) has increased. More teams are turning to MSLs to effectively facilitate communication between physicians and pharmaceutical companies.

In a 2021 article in Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science, Paul Theron and fellow researchers write, “The MSL has a key role in developing and delivering scientific communications to health professionals and other stakeholders that is factually accurate and compliant with industry standards.”

In touching on why MSLs have witnessed an uptick in numbers, Martijn Bijker, founder of online MSL training company From Science to Pharma, shared that the attribution is due to the fact that more drugs are coming to the market, more drugs are targeting niche markets, and that because of this, pharma companies want to engage physicians earlier in the drug development process.

Read why more teams are turning to MSLs to effectively facilitate communication between physicians and pharmaceutical companies.