Source – Veeva Systems
An analysis conducted by Veeva Systems suggests that effective engagement between medical science liaisons (MSLs) and key opinion leaders (KOLs) may be a key factor in achieving success in the competitive migraine market.
Veeva utilized data from its systems to examine the marketing of migraine products from March 2019 to June 2023. This period witnessed several companies, including AbbVie, Biohaven (now part of Pfizer), Eli Lilly, and Lundbeck, obtaining FDA approval for their migraine treatments, leading to intense competition in the biopharmaceutical sector and making migraine a focal point for marketing efforts.
According to Veeva’s analysis, actions taken prior to product launch significantly impacted sales outcomes. Companies that engaged MSLs with KOLs before launching their products, either through in-person meetings or video interactions, experienced 1.5 times greater treatment adoption among the KOLs’ healthcare organizations during the first six months of sales.
“The right data is foundational to our engagement strategy. We can quickly identify who the relevant KOLs are, and organize those KOLs based on when and where they are sharing scientific information and what scientific information they are sharing. As we prepared for the launch of new treatments, this data-driven approach helped us build the right relationships and focus our resources where they will have the greatest scientific impact.”
– Christine Castro, director of medical affairs excellence at Lundbeck
This positive effect resulting from early KOL education by MSLs continued even after the initial launch period. Veeva discovered that new treatment initiations were 1.3 times higher 18 to 24 months after product launch when MSLs had previously engaged with KOLs, setting the groundwork before the product hit the market.
Lundbeck is an exemplar of this approach, as evidenced by its successful performance with Vyepti, its migraine drug. The company managed to double Vyepti’s sales last year. Christine Castro, Director of Medical Affairs Excellence at Lundbeck, endorsed the strategy and shared insights on its effectiveness by Veeva’s.
The data from Veeva’s analysis suggest that other bio pharmaceutical companies could benefit from more extensive engagement with KOLs. According to the data, only 70% of KOLs currently interact with the medical field teams of one biopharma company. Shockingly, nearly one-third of global experts have no recorded interactions with MSLs at all. This indicates untapped potential for companies to leverage MSL-KOL engagement as a vital tool for success in the fiercely competitive migraine market.
