MAPS 2024: The Future of Medical Affairs

More than 50 sessions. Over 150 speakers. And more than 60 exhibitors.

For four days in late March, MAPS, which took place in San Juan, Puerto Rico, was the center of the medical affairs universe. Our Avant Healthcare team was on the ground, taking in every moment. The practice of medical affairs is at a critical juncture. To remain relevant, we must keep pace with today's rapid medical advances and the ongoing evolution of the pharmaceutical space.  

How should your medical affairs program move toward the future? From our time in San Juan, we've MAP-ped out four key takeaways and questions to consider:  

1. Nurture your partnerships and see how far they take you 

Collaboration and communication are among the main pillars of medical affairs, with partnerships contributing profoundly to the ecosystem of medical affairs and healthcare. For a partnership to be impactful, it needs to be nurtured through effective communication. All parties should be dedicated and focused on their shared patient-centric goals.   

When addressing issues impacting the community, medical affairs should partner with those already on the ground, such as community volunteers and local resources, to develop solutions together. Forming an alliance with the community builds trust and confidence, which can nurture a long-term relationship. Partnerships can be unconventional. For example, social media influencers can be critical for disseminating information to target audiences. Additionally, the use of various technologies, like apps, can be an integral part of the ecosystem as well.  

What's next?  

The medical affairs ecosystem is expanding to include new partnerships to meet the needs of patients, providers, and other key stakeholders.  

In what ways would you like to expand your medical affairs ecosystem to bring in new and impactful partnerships? 

2. Get on board with omnichannel 

Omnichannel is often confused with multichannel, but its actual definition is "the right content, to the right audience, at the right time, via the right channel." Putting it into perspective, omnichannel is a shift in strategic mindset that involves the integration of digital and various communication channels. Executing an omnichannel strategy involves:

• Targeting personas

• Leveraging customer journeys

• Collecting data and the next actions

• Personalizing messages and decision trigger points through preferred channels of the target audience  

Omnichannel touchpoints will be critical for the future of medical affairs but will not be perfect and require flexibility and fluidity. While this sounds complicated, a medical communications agency can achieve success by using a smaller-scale approach, being clear about which metrics to use, and deciding how to assess KPIs.  

What's next?  

Medical affairs are shifting towards an omnichannel approach, and teams should start preparing for this journey. This involves careful planning and subsequent execution of the strategy. 

What should your company consider when starting the omnichannel journey? 

3. Survive and thrive in a digital-first world 

The impact of digital engagement (via email, video, phone, text), which comprises 31% of medical interactions, is significant in driving treatment adoption as digital content is associated with 2.5 times more patient starts. This being said, the phrase ―digital-first―was prevalent at MAPS. This refers to sharing information while considering how, when, which channels, and which format to share. 

Digital-first is rooted in:

• Using data-driven strategy to define objectives, identifying and collaborating with scientific leaders, and analyzing the requests for medical information.

• Defining which channels and content to use.

• Utilizing technology to engage, share content, and collect data.  

While this may sound overwhelming initially, it's essential to think of this as a gradual process that should start out with a realistic goal. Additionally, the team designated to drive this change should be well-trained and have a clear plan to manage this digital transformation. There will be challenges, but adaptability and flexibility will be key to keep driving forward. 

What's next?  

Digital-first is the way forward in the present and toward the future, and clients will look to incorporate this in their strategy. Medical affairs teams will seek to collaborate with cross-functional partners to navigate the digital-first landscape.  

Is your company adopting the digital-first strategy? 

4. Fully explore the unmet needs in rare disease 

Rare disease may not be so rare, as >400 million people globally have rare disease, with children comprising half. Another glaring fact is that 90% of individuals with a rare disease lack effective treatment. More than ever, the role of medical affairs in rare disease can contribute to the ecosystem by increasing disease state awareness, encouraging mindset shift to earlier diagnosis and treatment, involving the appropriate specialties in patient care, and addressing the lack of consensus on management and follow-up. 

Medical affairs should play a key role by participating in conversations within the scientific and patient/caregiver communities, connecting multidisciplinary providers in order to facilitate comprehensive care for patients with multiple organ system involvement, and contributing to improved patient outcomes by addressing cost-benefit analysis and assessing real-world evidence.  

What's next?  

With rare diseases accounting for 30% of therapies in the global drug development pipeline, there is an opportunity for medical affairs to impact standard of care profoundly. More and more, medical affairs is partnering with key stakeholders such as the patient community, regulatory affairs and compliance, and market access teams to address the needs of patients.  

What are your approaches to rare disease? 

Tomorrow's scientific conversation starts today 

Be prepared to shape the medical conversations to come with scientific, strategic, and creative support from our Medical Affairs team. We can help you keep HCPs informed when and where it matters most by offering comprehensive capabilities customized to your needs. See all we can do through education at the speed of innovation. 

Coming soon: The Discoverability Dilemma Special Report 

Look for the report from Real Chemistry's roundtable discussion with a panel of medical affairs experts, which delved into the complexities of the "Discoverability Dilemma"—the challenge of ensuring that valuable healthcare content is easily found by those who need it. The dynamic between the panelists was exceptional, and their open exchange of experiences and best practices will serve as a valuable asset to the medical affairs community.