Medical Affairs Function

The Vector medical affairs function plays a crucial role in the development and commercialization of orphan medicines—drugs intended for the treatment of rare diseases, oncology or hematology. Here are some key responsibilities of our medical affairs team in this context:

Scientific Communication

Medical affairs professionals communicate complex scientific and clinical information about orphan medicines to healthcare providers, payers, and patients, ensuring they understand the benefits and risks.

Clinical Support

They provide clinical and scientific expertise to support clinical trials, including the design and execution of studies, ensuring they align with regulatory requirements and address unmet medical needs.

KOL Engagement

Building relationships with key opinion leaders (KOLs) and experts in rare diseases is essential. Medical affairs teams facilitate discussions and gather insights that can inform research and development strategies.

Regulatory Compliance

They ensure that all medical information shared is compliant with regulatory guidelines, especially important in the highly scrutinized orphan drug market.

Education and Training

Medical affairs teams often conduct training for sales and marketing teams to ensure they understand the unique aspects of orphan medicines and the patient populations they serve.

Market Access Support

They work closely with market access teams to provide the clinical data necessary for reimbursement discussions and health technology assessments, which can be challenging due to the small patient populations.

Patient Advocacy

Engaging with patient advocacy groups is vital for understanding patient needs and experiences, which can guide both clinical development and post-marketing strategies.

Real-World Evidence

Collecting and analyzing real-world evidence to demonstrate the value of orphan medicines in practice helps in supporting ongoing research and market access efforts.
In summary, the medical affairs function serves as a bridge between science, clinical practice, and commercial strategy, ensuring that orphan medicines effectively meet the needs of patients with rare diseases. Furthermore, they are one of the few functions that is involved from the clinical stage, through the un-licensed stage, and into full commercialization.