Excellence in Innovation

Summary of work

A pressurised and competitive drug landscape is challenge enough for most pharmaceutical companies, but AbbVie UK wanted to be leaders and true partners within the dermatology community, so it set the bar higher and thought outside the box. Recognising the value that its Medical Scientific Liaisons (MSLs) bring to healthcare professionals (HCPs), it took the time to understand where the opportunities for innovation lay – within the MSL skill set; within the education delivered; and within the ongoing journey for the community. The resulting revolution in its approach to MSL‐led educational interactions has resulted in the DermDialogue programme; a suite of engaging, adaptable and omnichannel resources, co‐created with HCPs, and designed to meet the diverse needs of the dermatology community. Within only six months of launch, the medical team have exceeded their target reach for the programme, have delivered some truly unique events and are seeing the value for HCPs and the impact on patient care. As if this wasn’t enough, they have been asked to partner with an HCP organisation to deliver education, and competitors are congratulating them on their approach. The initial success has already spurred AbbVie to extend the programme within dermatology and beyond.

Judges' comments

DermaDialogue stood out, as it is redefining the role of an MSL to be more effective. It’s great to see a focus on MSLs and there is strong customer feedback. It was well put together and well thought through. This was thorough and well-structured and ticked all the innovation boxes.