It’s 2024. The economic climate is ever-changing. Technology is evolving. Patients are taking charge of their own health. And the artificial intelligence (AI) bandwagon is an interesting ride.

But there’s a constant that can’t be underestimated. People, and the relationships between them. Whether healthcare professional (HCP), pharma, agency or patient, it’s the sheer range that gives healthcare its uniquely diverse set of perspectives. But how do we make the most of them?

Inspired by our audience

Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) have been part of clinical practice since the mid-1980s, bringing groups of diverse specialists together to share expertise and formulate an optimal plan for each patient. It’s a model that makes sense to emulate in our industry, and one from which Langland draws inspiration.

The necessity for commercial and medical teams to foster close relationships with a common goal is widely acknowledged, with ‘cross-functional collaboration’ becoming a buzzword. While the industry is taking steps to make that a reality, in 2024 we need to be thinking further. A healthcare communications MDT doesn’t begin and end with medical and commercial.

Deep learning, without machines

The need for strong relationships starts early. There’s a wealth of knowledge at every stage of clinical development that can help inform the overall picture. What if patient and investigator insights from clinical trials not only influenced future trials, but also medical affairs and market access strategies? What if trial recruitment experience could inform disease awareness programmes?

Seamless integration of data, expertise and knowledge to work towards a single-minded purpose is the power of an MDT. And strong relationships are the key to its success.

Connecting traditionally unlinked areas of a business provides us with novel perspectives, helping us develop compliant strategies for efficient operations, better product launches, improved experiences for HCPs and outcomes for patients. An agency that can facilitate those relationships by itself being unsiloed, able to draw on perspectives from clinical development through to commercialisation is ideally placed to make the MDT a reality.

Langland has always thrived through collaboration and perspectives, and in 2024 it will be the human connections, not the neural networks, that will power success for the future.

Originally published in Pharmaceutical Market Europe on 4 June 2024.

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