SUMMARY

Pharmaceutical companies are continually working to establish and maintain relationships with thought leaders -- influential physicians who play an important role in communicating a new therapy's benefits for other physicians. Thought Leaders -- also known as Key Opinion Leaders, or KOLs -- help pharmaceutical companies identify unmet medical needs, shape clinical studies, launch products and understand critical lifecycle issues.

However, across the medical device and pharmaceutical industries, thought leader management programs have not been as effective as internal management would like, particularly in the age of the Internet, when the dissemination of information should be easier than ever, according to John Estafanous, President of Bethesda, Maryland-based Estco Medical.

This article reviews Medigent® Thought Leader, a Web-based software suite designed to dramatically improve a pharma company's communications with Key Opinion Leaders. Topics discussed include:

• Principles for Managing KOLs
• Recruit Early
• Medigent Thought Leader
• Focus Groups & Online Meetings
• Knowledge Management
• Brand Managers' Perspective