Benchmarking the Pharma Industry’s Medical Affairs Functions

Report Overview

Medical Affairs, as a function, sits at a crossroads in the pharmaceutical industry.  The department is expected to act as a bridge between the commercial and scientific arms of an organization. Medical Affairs is further tasked with being the conduit of information between the company and external stakeholders, bringing efficacy and safety data to the medical community as well as gathering insights from the medical community to share internally.  All responsibilities must be undertaken while keeping in mind strict regulatory controls and ensuring that medical data are interpreted appropriately.

ISR has designed this report to be used as a benchmarking tool for companies to compare their Medical Affairs functions to those of Top 50 pharmaceutical organizations.

What you will learn:

Medical Affairs department operations and structuring, including:

• Division of work for both global and regional medical affairs
• Department structure and unique department structures within companies interviewed
• Organizational alignment and comparison of Medical Affairs placement
• Outsourcing behavior: services outsourced, vendor selection, reasons for outsourcing
• Size and source of Medical Affairs budget
• Future predictions for the department

Qualities of successful Medical Affairs employees

Medical Affairs goals and clinical trial involvement

Best practices for:

• Hiring
• Clinical trial involvement
• Global and regional communication
• Department structure and function

Methodology:

ISR conducted 60-minute telephone interviews with 15 experienced Medical Affairs professionals at 14 of the Top 50 pharmaceutical companies.  Respondents were recruited within North American and European geographies and have an average of 10 years of experience in Medical Affairs.

Report Contents:

Introduction
Understanding the Medical Affairs Function

• Medical Affairs Employees
• Medical Affairs Goals and Involvement

Medical Affairs Department Benchmarking

• Division of Work
• Department Structure
• Organizational Alignment
• Outsourcing Behavior
• Medical Affairs Budget
• Challenges
• Future Predictions

Best Practices and Recommendations