Mastering Medical Congresses for Product Launch

Field medical education prior to product launch can improve treatment adoption by up to 50 percent. Data have also shown that biopharmas investing in pre-launch scientific outreach gain 40 percent faster treatment adoption. 

Conferences, in particular, can have a strong influence on clinical decisions. While supporting new clinical guidelines and securing coverage in publications are important foundational elements of HCP education, conferences and congresses – as well as the digital discussions kicked off by those events – create a halo effect that amplifies scientific information. 

Nearly all medical conferences turned virtual during the pandemic, but since the return of in-person activities, there seem to be more congresses than ever before. “You often don't realize what you have until it's gone,” explains Carolina Lowe, associate vice president of medical engagement and capabilities at United Therapeutics. “There are now more conferences, and the industry relies on them more to engage with thought leaders."

With over 800,000 events worldwide, biopharma companies have many choices over when and where to present scientific data. Global events can reach more people, but local ones enable more targeted presentations to specific groups. However, identifying the most relevant events to prioritize is difficult.

Widening the engagement net
 

As treatments become more complex, a wider range of healthcare professionals, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants, make decisions in caring for patients. This means that it’s worth considering a broader audience when choosing which congresses to attend. Lowe says, “You can't just rely on the usual experts anymore. You also need to consider the entire patient journey and understand who makes decisions along the way.”

In areas like oncology, multidisciplinary care teams are more common, making it harder to decide which HCPs to focus on and which congresses are most important. For instance, bladder cancer is discussed at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference, which oncologists primarily attend. John Eckardt, oncology external scientific engagement leader at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, points out that getting the right information to the right audience is a challenge. He says, “Focusing solely on ASCO means missing many urologists, and attending only AUA (American Urological Association) means losing out on oncologists.”

Medical affairs teams also need to expand their focus beyond just top-tier scientific thought leaders. Engaging early-career HCPs can help boost new treatment uptake. These digitally savvy emerging experts are four times more likely to start patients on a new treatment. They are also five times more likely to speak at congresses, eleven times more likely to engage digitally, and seven times more likely to get published.  In doing so, medical teams can drive greater impact on launch success. 

Personalized engagement
 

Online shopping and streaming services have led us to expect personalization in every aspect of our lives. KOLs are no exception; they expect medical scientific liaisons to know their backgrounds, areas of interest, and recent scientific activities. 

If medical teams do thorough research, they can tailor their interactions with KOLs based on shared interests and uncover collaboration opportunities. Eckardt emphasizes the importance of making engagements valuable to KOLs, saying, “Optimizing your engagements is crucial. You want thought leaders to get the most value from each meeting.”

Companies should also coordinate their approach to contacting KOLs. “It's counterproductive to have eight different people reaching out to the same KOL,” Eckardt cautions. “Thought leaders expect a unified approach from your company.”

In the last ten years, competition has gotten tougher due to a sharp increase in the number of clinical trials. In this highly competitive environment, it's a challenge to make your treatment stand out and show its unique contribution to improving care. 

Gathering feedback from face-to-face meetings at congresses is vital for understanding where your treatment stands in the market. Monitoring online reactions to competitors' presentations adds important insights beyond what’s learned in person. Lowe emphasizes, "The role of digital opinion leaders in sharing insights and data from congresses is more crucial than ever."

In the competitive and fast-changing world of healthcare, optimizing participation in medical congresses is key for biopharmas to effectively engage KOLs and communicate treatment advances to HCPs. By implementing the strategies above, companies can maximize their impact at medical congresses, fostering collaborations and discussions that advance patient care and treatment innovations.

Medical congresses are an invaluable opportunity for biopharma companies to effectively engage KOLs and communicate treatment advances to HCPs. These in-person events facilitate direct and impactful interactions that can deepen HCPs’ understanding of a treatment’s clinical value. A comprehensive congress strategy can have a material impact on the adoption of new treatments and ensure that patients get faster access to the latest innovations in healthcare.