Benchmarking Medical Information Services Beyond the Unsolicited Requests: A phactMI Benchmarking Survey

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical industry
• Medical affairs
• Medical communication

Background:

• Medical Information (MI) departments in pharmaceutical companies offer strategic value beyond basic inquiry management.
• The Pharma Collaboration for Transparent Medical Information (phactMI™) initiative aims to explore the evolving roles of MI.

Purpose of the Study:

• To benchmark the current services and identify future opportunities for Medical Information departments within US pharmaceutical companies.
• To describe the landscape of Medical Information activities through a survey of phactMI member companies.

Main Methods:

• An electronic survey with 57 questions was distributed to 35 US pharmaceutical companies in July 2023.
• The survey covered demographics, medical review, material development, training, patient services, insights, and awareness.

Main Results:

• Medical Information significantly contributes to the medical review of promotional and non-promotional materials, ensuring accuracy.
• Departments provide patient information (75%), generate insights (85%), and train Field Medical and Sales teams.
• Activities like advisory board presentations, insights reporting, and labeling have increased since 2018.

Conclusions:

• Medical Information departments are integral across product lifecycles, supporting material evaluation and increasingly involved in Medical Affairs.
• There's a growing trend in Medical Information's participation in pathway submissions, publications, and labeling.
• Priorities for the future include enhancing strategic value, integrating AI, and improving internal visibility.