Pharma’s MSL Department Structures

Report Overview

With the evolution of Medical Affairs’ input and oversight on nearly all activities in the pharma and biotech industries, Industry Standard Research (ISR) set out to gain a better understanding of what the Medical Affairs’ Medical Science Liaison (MSL) function entails: specifically, looking at job responsibilities and ways to measure the inherent value the MSL role brings to the organization as a whole, how MSL-affiliated departments are structured, and the challenges currently being faced by MSL professionals in the field. This report also details the best practices that firms have developed for staying ahead in this ever-evolving industry.
ISR has designed this report to be used as a benchmarking tool for companies to compare their Medical Science Liaison functions to those of other pharmaceutical and biotech organizations.

What you will learn:

• MSL department headcount, structure, and alignment within organizations
• MSL-affiliated department funding and budgets—what are they and how are they sourced
• MSL training and effectiveness measures
• Main challenges faced by MSL-affiliated departments and potential solutions
• Anticipated changes in the MSL role over the next 5 years

How to use:

• Determine where your company’s approach to the MSL function may be different from a typical industry approach and the benefits and drawbacks that may result.
• Gather information on MSL department structures and headcounts employed by other organizations to provide a new perspective from which to consider your departmental alignment. (All interviewees confirmed MSLs continue to have a reporting structure either directly or indirectly into Medical Affairs.)
• Learn about common industry approaches to practices such as outsourcing and effectiveness measures related to MSLs.

Major Topics:

• Involvement in Product Development Process
• MSL-Affiliated Department Size and Structure
• Organizational Structure for MSLs
• MSL-Affiliated Department Budget
• Training
• Effectiveness Metrics
• Main Departmental Challenges & Potential Solutions
• Outsourcing Behavior
• Future Predictions