A Case Study on Global KOL Engagement

Celebrity Spokesperson, Neighborhood Gossip and the Popular Kid

In a recent issue of Nature that traced the origins of key opinion leaders in pharma back to a Pfizer launch in the mid-1950s, the article tracked the evolution and rise of KOLs. It even went as far as to characterize a KOL as a “combination of celebrity spokesperson, neighborhood gossip and the popular kid in high school.”

While this portrayal may be colloquial, there is some truth to it. KOLs are a foundational and critical component to pharma development, market, launch, innovation, and creating life-saving treatments. However, if we look at the way the industry has evolved since that first Pfizer launch, there is much more behind having the backing of the cool kid in school when finding the right KOL. It has become critical to have a global sphere of knowledge and composable intelligence behind a KOL strategy, outreach and engagement plan.

A Case Study in Europe

A global pharma client asked H1 to surface insights into KOLs for a specific therapeutic area; by specialty; region and even pediatric vs. adult clinicians. The company needed a richer understanding of treatment and therapy for rare renal and chronic kidney conditions/diseases

We supplied their MSL workflow with contextualized and easy-to-manipulate HCP knowledge to increase their KOL lists and meaningful engagements.

What resulted was new and insightful engagement opportunities that helped the company strategically plan and find KOLs with specificity to their needs.

H1’s HCP Universe is a daily resource for Medical Affairs and MSL teams that pulls from H1’s comprehensive and connected HCP intelligence repository to provide vital, 360-degree insights on global HCPs/KOLs and the patient populations they serve.

The role of the KOL may have evolved, but so has the means to understand their reach, interest and diverse knowledge set. It is much bigger than a popularity contest now: we are reaching the greatest scientific minds driving world-changing innovation.

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