Key Opinion Leaders in Pharma
In the pharma industry, a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) is a respected medical professional who is recognized as an expert in their field.
KOLs can help to educate other healthcare professionals about new drugs and treatments, by speaking at conferences and publishing articles in medical journals. They can also be involved in the development and testing of new drugs, by serving as consultants to pharmaceutical companies or by participating in clinical trials.
KOLs also play a key role in shaping the way that new drugs are prescribed. By endorsing a particular drug or treatment, a KOL can influence the decisions of other healthcare professionals, and ultimately the treatment choices of patients.
In addition to their role in promoting new drugs, KOLs can also be important in the ongoing monitoring of drug safety and efficacy. They can help to identify potential side effects or complications associated with a particular drug and can provide valuable feedback to pharmaceutical companies on how to improve their products.
How KOLs are changing after the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in the demand for digital-based and authentic original content. As more healthcare professionals (HCPs) have shifted to working remotely, there has been a growing acceptance of recorded materials, such as webinars and video presentations, as a way to stay informed about new drugs and medical treatments.
One trend that has emerged in response to this shift is the reuse of content across different channels. With so much information being shared digitally, it is important for pharmaceutical companies to distribute their content in a way that does not overwhelm HCPs with too many pieces of information.
In addition to traditional KOLs, pharma organizations have also identified digital KOLs who are adept at interacting with this new digital generation of HCPs. These digital KOLs are experts in their field, but they also have the skills and knowledge to communicate effectively and engage with HCPs through digital channels.
KOLs: how to find them?
Identifying Key Opinion Leaders within a pharma CRM of HCPs is essential for pharmaceutical companies. By identifying KOLs within this system, companies can more effectively target their marketing and sales efforts, and ensure that they are reaching the most influential HCPs in their field.
To effectively identify KOLs within a pharma CRM, it is essential to merge and enrich different sets of data. This may include information about HCPs’ education and training, their areas of expertise, their publications and presentations, and their level of engagement with the company. By merging and analyzing this information, companies can identify the HCPs who have the most knowledge and influence in their field, and who are most likely to be effective advocates for their products.
Additionally, it is important to enrich the data by adding external data sources, such as online presence, professional networks, patient reviews and feedback, and so on. This will help the companies to get a better understanding of the HCPs, and ultimately to identify the best KOLs.
How Lyriko helps identify the best KOLs
One of Lyriko’s modules is Data Enrichment, which can be precisely applied to KOLs. Through publicly available data sources and third-party data, Lyriko can enrich the HCP’s database of any pharma company with external qualitative and quantitative insights. The database can then be periodically updated with new publications and authors.
In this way, Lyriko enables the creation of a database of Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and researchers that have recently published (or have been co-authors of) articles in a scientific therapeutical area. By identifying top keywords in each publication, Lyriko can derive an author’s expertise areas and scientific interests that can be mapped with the MSL / commercial content tag taxonomy. By leveraging the co-authorship network Lyriko can assess HCP “influence” and identify KOL and subject matter experts. Finally, all information is combined with CRM data to enrich the KOL’s profile and empower the targeting for future campaigns.
In summary, identifying Key Opinion Leaders within a pharma CRM of HCPs is crucial for pharmaceutical companies. By merging and enriching different data sets, companies can more effectively target their marketing and sales efforts and ensure that they reach the most influential HCPs in their field.
