Key External Experts, Key Opinion Leaders, External Experts, Therapy Area Experts and Thought Leaders are synonyms
KEE: ‘KEY EXTERNAL EXPERT’ IS SYNONYMOUS WITH ‘KEY OPINION LEADER’ (KOL), ‘EXTERNAL EXPERT ‘(EE)‘, THERAPY AREA EXPERT ‘(TAE) AND THOUGHTLEADER (TL)
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Since Clinical Expert Management (CEM) was established in 2003, there have been significant changes in the terminology due to legislation such as the Sunshine Act in the USA and the EFPIA HCP Code in Europe. While inter-changeable with ‘Key Opinion Leader – KOL’, the general trend in Industry now is to use terms which do not imply influence being exerted. The term KOL still persists despite the implied influence. CEM tends to use the preferred client terminology such Therapy Area Expert (TAE), External Expert (EE) or its variant Key External Expert (KEE). All these terms represent an individual providing expert clinical, scientific or technical services to the client.
KEE: ‘KEY EXTERNAL EXPERT’ IS SYNONYMOUS WITH ‘KEY OPINION LEADER’ (KOL), ‘THERAPY AREA EXPERT ‘(TAE) AND THOUGHTLEADER (TL)
In recent years many clients have moved away from using phrases and concepts such as ‘developing’ KOLs / EEs and ‘measuring their growth’.
It is better to talk about ‘fostering collaboration and enhancing effective scientific exchange with KOLs’ / EEs’, and seeking opportunities to ‘measure and assess the effectiveness of these interactions’.
The impact of the Sunshine Act and other regulation means that it is no longer acceptable to use language that implies that the pharmaceutical industry is using direct, or indirect, influence to increase sales.
Relationships with physicians must be transparent and any dialogue done in a balanced and fair way.
The focus is on the clinical science which benefits patient outcomes. This trend has seen the growth of general medical affairs teams who often own projects rather than the traditional model of commercial teams being the main contact point for physicians.
Glossary
Key Opinion Leader, External Expert, Therapy Area Expert and Thought Leader: These terms are used interchangeably to describe an individual providing expert clinical, scientific or technical services to the Client. While inter-changeable with ‘Key Opinion Leader – KOL’, the general trend in the pharmaceutical industry now is to use the term ‘External Expert’. In recent years many general medical affairs teams have moved away from using terminology such as ‘developing’ EEs and ‘measuring their growth’. It is better to talk about ‘fostering collaboration and enhancing effective scientific exchange with EEs’, and seeking opportunities to ‘measure and assess the effectiveness of these interactions’. An External Expert is someone who has a particular expertise or knowledge that is held in respect by their peer group and who is not employed directly by the client. The External Expert should have an independent and objective perspective on their specialist environment. Any discussion with EEs should be on the basis of level of advice that they can provide (e.g. medical scientific knowledge) rather than their perceived influence.
KOL / EE Identification: The process of identifying a number of individuals who match specific strategic or tactical requirements. A number of approaches may be used.
KOL / EE Profiling: Once a KOL has been identified it is useful to have a more complete picture of their activities and interests. Various techniques may be employed including internet desk research.
KOL / EE Mapping: There are a number of ways to map the KOL environment. In the past the term ‘Influence mapping’ was prevalent but as descried on the ‘Terminology‘ page this should be avoided.
Rising Star: The term ‘Rising Star’ is frequently used in the pharmaceutical industry, but there is no apparent industry-wide accepted definition. Meaning and use vary across companies and geographies. A Rising Star is acknowledged to be a professional working in the healthcare industry who has the potential to be recognised as an KOL / EE. Rising Stars can work in any discipline relevant to healthcare and need not reflect purely clinicians or scientists (i.e. they may be healthcare policy makers, regulators, professionals involved in Health Technology Assessments, or technology horizon scanning activities). Across all disciplines, a Rising Star can be defined as a future KOL / EE with a growing reputation as an expert across a variety of KOL / EE attributes. Assessment of the effectiveness (quality and outcome) of these interactions – against the various KOL / EE attributes – will allow for meaningful measurement of engagement, whether it is continuing to evolve, showing signs of levelling off (plateauing) or even declining.
New entrant: This is CEM’s preferred term for a potential Rising Star who has not yet been shown to be a future External Expert. They may be someone whose clinical / research focus has shifted from another area into the one under scrutiny. Until their demographics are confirmed it is not possible to describe them as a Rising Star.