Why MSL Effectiveness Studies Matter
Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) serve as trusted scientific experts who engage health care professionals and key opinion leaders with evidence-based clinical information. They shape how therapies—both emerging and established—are understood and adopted in clinical practice. By bridging gaps in scientific knowledge, MSLs serve as a critical link between R&D investment and informed clinical decision-making.
Over the last decade, MSLs have been one of pharma's fastest-growing investments. MSL teams have grown 300% over the last decade, with 57% of Medical Affairs leaders planning further expansion. Yet despite this massive investment and strategic importance, most organizations struggle to answer a fundamental question: Are the MSLs actually driving impact?
The stakes are clear. Without systematic measurement, brands can't plan MSL deployment, optimize resource planning, or drive competitive advantage. More importantly, they miss opportunities to understand what's working and replicate success across the team.
The Current Measurement Gap
Here's the uncomfortable truth: only 3% of organizations believe their current MSL measurement systems are "very effective." Most continue tracking activity-based metrics—number of interactions, KOL meetings—rather than measuring actual impact on HCP knowledge and perception about the product or asset.
Activity metrics tell you what MSLs are doing. They don't tell you if it's working.
The challenge isn't that impact can't be measured—it's that most organizations rely solely on internal data that tracks MSL activities but can't capture what's happening in HCPs' minds. Did the interaction change clinical understanding? Did it build credibility versus competitors? Did it address a genuine knowledge gap?
These questions require a different approach.
How Primary Market Research Fills the Gap
Primary market research goes directly to the source—asking the KOLs and HCPs who interact with your MSLs what they actually experienced, understood, and valued.
What Gets Measured
- Impact on Clinical Understanding Changes in scientific knowledge, awareness, and perception following MSL interactions—the core measure of whether scientific engagement is actually influencing HCP thinking.
- MSL Performance & Credibility Interaction quality ratings, trust levels, scientific expertise perception, and direct comparison to competitor MSLs—revealing how HCPs experience and value those interactions.
- Scientific Narrative Effectiveness Which scientific narratives resonate, drive recall, and influence clinical understanding—identifying the specific scientific content that moves HCP knowledge versus content that falls flat.
- Engagement Optimization Preferred interaction formats, frequency, content types, and unmet information needs—enabling Medical Affairs to align strategy with what HCPs actually want.
- Competitive Context How your MSL program compares to competitors in reach, quality, and perceived value—providing benchmarking data for strategic positioning.
Research Approach
The methodology combines quantitative tracking for statistical rigor, qualitative deep dives to understand the "why," and targeted segmentation by specialty, practice setting, or any relevant audience.
Real Results: A ZoomRx Case Study
Defining and Driving High-Impact MSL Interactions
The Challenge
A specialty-care Medical Affairs team needed to move beyond activity counts and understand what actually drives MSL effectiveness. They wanted to identify which behaviors, scientific narratives, and engagement approaches create meaningful impact on HCP knowledge and perception.
The ZoomRx Approach
We developed a high-impact interaction framework that defined success through three measurable outcomes:
- High overall satisfaction with the MSL interaction
- Meaningful improvement in product perception
- Significant lift in product knowledge
Using primary market research with HCPs who had recent MSL interactions, we measured engagement characteristics, scientific content discussed, and post-interaction outcomes. This allowed us to compare high-impact interactions against all other MSL engagements and identify the differentiating factors.
Key Insights
The research revealed clear patterns separating high-impact interactions from standard engagements:
- Interaction Characteristics Matter: High-impact interactions were longer in duration and more frequently conducted in one-on-one formats compared to standard engagements—demonstrating that focused, extended conversations drive better outcomes.
- Content Choices Drive Results: Certain scientific narratives consistently drove stronger recall and impact. These weren't necessarily the most frequently discussed topics, revealing a gap between current practice and optimal strategy.
- Supporting Materials Make a Difference: Visual aids, demonstrating supporting clinical materials, and fulfilling unmet scientific needs significantly increased the likelihood of achieving high-impact outcomes—yet many of these approaches were underutilized.
Actionable Recommendations
The Medical Affairs team received a data-driven playbook specifying:
- Which scientific narratives to prioritize for maximum impact
- Optimal interaction formats (one-on-one, extended duration)
- Use of visual aids and supporting materials to strengthen engagement
- Strategies to identify and address HCP unmet information needs
The Bottom Line
This approach identified replicable success factors and quantified MSL value using HCP-reported outcomes. The manufacturer now makes evidence-based decisions about MSL training, content strategy, and field deployment—optimized for actual impact, not just activity volume.
What This Means for Your Organization
Systematic MSL effectiveness measurement transforms how Medical Affairs operates:
- Deploy Strategically: Data reveals where MSLs create the greatest impact—enabling smarter territory design and resource allocation.
- Train Effectively: Identify the specific behaviors and scientific narratives that drive high-impact interactions, then build training around proven best practices.
- Optimize Content: Real-time HCP feedback clarifies which topics and materials deliver the most value, allowing continuous refinement of scientific strategy.
- Demonstrate Value: Quantified impact strengthens leadership confidence and supports investment decisions with hard data, not just activity counts.
Ready to Measure What Matters?
ZoomRx helps pharmaceutical and biotech companies move beyond activity counts to measure actual MSL impact:
- 57,000+ Verified HCP Panel: Direct access to oncologists, cardiologists, urologists, and specialists your MSLs engage—enabling rapid, targeted recruitment.
- Customized for Your Brand: Study design, metric selection, and insights tailored to your therapeutic area and strategic priorities.
- AI-Powered Analytics: Advanced technology connects data collection to actionable insights—from pattern recognition to strategic recommendations.
- Promotional Effectiveness Expertise: The same statistical rigor used in rep-HCP measurement, adapted for non-promotional MSL interactions where outcomes differ fundamentally.
Contact us to learn how primary market research can prove and multiply your MSL investment.
If you’d like personalized guidance, connect with Chitra, our Associate Product Manager – Promotional Trackers. She can walk you through how ZoomRx Promotional Effectiveness Tracking (PET) study can elevate your brand’s message performance — Schedule a meeting
References
- Dyer, S., Heubel, C., & Keener, J. (2024). Challenges of Key Performance Indicators and Metrics for Measuring Medical Science Liaison Performance: Insights from a Global Survey. Pharmacy, 13(51). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12030051/
- Medical Affairs Specialist. What is a Medical Science Liaison (MSL). https://medicalaffairsspecialist.org/what-is-an-msl
- MSL Society. (2024). Medical Science Liaison Activity Guidelines, Version 2.0. https://themsls.org/msl-guidelines/
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