MSL Role and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): From Traditional to the Future

Abstract

Objectives and methods Medical Scientific Liaisons (MSLs) are essential assets for the pharma company. MSLs are scientific experts in a therapeutic area, and their role is to link industry and doctors to disseminate scientific information and gather insights on unmet medical needs. Their role is quite different from others in the industry because based on quality more than quantity; therefore, there still needs to be an evaluation method able to capture in full the potential of the role. This results in MSLs needing to feel more valued and the industry needing to demonstrate the value that MSLs bring to the company. This work aimed to collect all the information available in the literature on metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) currently used for MSL's evaluation. To achieve that, I collected data from trusted and specialized papers, using PubMed as the central database. An interesting factor is the scarcity of published material on the issue, even if the topic is considered central for both industry and MSLs. I also had some interviews with experts in the field. Their contributions were precious because they helped me fill the literature's lack of data. Collecting all the information available helped me better understand the role of the MSL and clearly showed that the current metric system can be improved.