As new medical knowledge is developed, there is an ever-increasing need to effectively facilitate knowledge transfer to key target audiences. We view medical writing in one of three conventional ways: scientific writing, which includes manuscript authoring; regulatory writing, which includes clinical trial reports and regulatory dossiers; and promotional medical writing, which includes marketing documentation. These three types of medical writing have always played supportive yet significant roles in moving a new drug or targeted biologic through a product pipeline and into the market.
The gaps in traditional medical writing services
In the face of newly emerging medical, governmental and science-related challenges, many pharmaceutical companies are seeking strategic partnerships with agencies, KOLs and other stakeholders. Some of these challenges relate to the changing regulatory environment, while others involve changing demands in generating scientific evidence supporting new approaches to disease management. Still others involve the increasing competition in recruiting subjects in clinical trials.
These challenges lead to new needs in medical writing support that often go unrealized.
The need to go beyond simply presenting the science
Clinical programs and trial teams require input that goes well beyond presenting the simple background science. They may need input on which communication tools are viable to facilitate clinical trial patient-centric recruitment and retention. Input is also needed on how to effectively communicate clinical trial data generated using new forms of medical technology that gather data in a real-world setting.
The need to have a partner in strategic planning
Shifting demographics and a changing regulatory environment mean new approaches are needed in communicating data and value-based claims. Focused advisory board and expert panel meetings that review and digest evidence from development programs and make recommendations to close gaps in strategic plans are required.
The need to move beyond good publication practice standards and ensuring data integrity
There are increased concerns regarding how to guarantee the integrity of medical writing products and data communicated with external HCPs and KOLs. Medical writing needs to move beyond just good publication practice towards raising professional standards that guarantee data integrity.
New approaches to ensuring effective knowledge transfer are required
New views on peer-to-peer interaction demand new approaches to HCP, payer and KOL engagement. Most notably, HCPs are requesting greater scientific and clinical evidence or dialogue-driven information that supports new approaches to disease treatment.
These challenges necessitate new collaborative approaches to developing meeting content that links HCP, payer, patient and KOL more clearly and more intuitively. Medical communications have therefore adapted to encompass so much more than the three conventional types of medical writing. The result is a new niche for medical writing – built to create scientific evidence for advisory boards, clinical trial operations meetings, and to meet internal learning initiatives.
An effective collaborative partner in medical content development to help fill in the gaps
This new brand of medical writing must not only meet stringent good clinical practice standards and good publication practices – it must also tell a scientific story in a relevant and compelling way. It is centered on generating content that engages, instructs and tells a story with medical evidence that is truly immersive and visually impactful.
At Six Degrees Medical, we don’t just write content, we are redefining the medical writing landscape. We ensure the stories we help to tell leave a lasting impression; the audience retains a high proportion of the information presented and is affected. Our collaborative approach produces superior results and lasting partnerships.