Identifying Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) in Medical Communications

Investing in and sustaining relationships with KOLs can often be overlooked in the absence of a strategic KOL engagement plan. Senior pharma executives, clinical trial clinicians, medical monitors, and MSLs/TLLs can and should develop or strengthen relationships with important KOLs. It is essential that KOL engagement planning should assign important relationships, guide how each KOL will be engaged (and in what setting) and ensure that tactical activities undertaken by other commercial staff are coordinated strategically to sustain KOL relationships. This white paper focuses on why and how this should and can be done.

People who read this whitepaper will learn:

• How to source KOLs in medical communications and what types of criteria can be used to identify appropriate candidates
• Differences between clinical versus commercial engagements that KOLs can be engaged in
• How to engage KOLs throughout a product’s lifecycle

Identifying and maintaining KOLs shouldn’t be an afterthought in your product development program. Rather, a robust sourcing, recruitment, and maintenance process should fit into the company’s existing marketing and clinical strategy, starting very early in the drug development process and continuing throughout the life cycle. A strong KOL identification and maintenance program plan can help shape how well prepared your company and products respond to various market influences and challenges.