Medical Affairs
What is medical affairs?
Medical affairs is a department within medical device or pharmaceutical companies that focuses on communication with healthcare providers. Many individuals who work in medical affairs have advanced degrees, such as MDs or PharmDs, helping them effectively convey the science of the pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
Medical affairs also collaborate with stakeholders and key opinion leaders.
Medical affairs teams may communicate with providers on topics such as:
- Safety
- Off-label usage
- Independent medical education
- Publications
What is the difference between medical affairs and clinical affairs?
While medical affairs teams connect the research and commercial functions of a business by communicating the impact of a device or therapy to providers, clinical affairs teams are responsible for directing the processes that provide evidence in support of those devices’ or therapies’ adoption.
The primary role of a clinical affairs team is to oversee the development of clinical trials throughout the lifecycle of a product, from research and development through the Food and Drug Administration approval process and during post-market evaluation. They also may be involved in ensuring compliance with other regulatory processes.
Why is medical affairs important to healthcare?
Medical affairs departments are important to healthcare because they relay critical, accurate information to healthcare professionals. They are skilled at making complex scientific and clinical information more accessible to those who are not as familiar with the area. Overall, medical affairs help bring beneficial medical devices and drugs to market to improve patients’ lives.