Overview of the different KOL roles across the lifecycle of a product

The KOL you need depends on two things, not one

The grid runs along two axes. The lifecycle across the top is the familiar one: who do we need before launch, and who do we need after? The four critical success factors down the side ask a second question: what is this KOL for?

Maaike separates four critical success factors:

• Medical topics, meaning education and awareness

• Insights gathering

• Internal support, particularly around reimbursement

• Data generation

At any given moment, each of these calls for a different kind of person. The national KOL who explains your Phase III data clearly to a room is not necessarily the one who understands how reimbursement models work in your market. If a single list of names is serving all four factors, it is worth asking which of the four it actually fits.
 

Where this does not apply

Maaike is explicit that the grid is a generalisation. The critical success factors shift depending on:

• the therapeutic area, whether specialised, general or rare disease

• whether your company already has a presence in that area

• the type of medication, whether innovative or me-too, complex or simple, and how it is priced

• the maturity of your own company

• country, culture and compliance boundaries

Read it as a starting structure to argue with, not a template to fill in.
 

Download the overview