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The pharmaceutical industry is at a pivotal moment, where innovation, efficiency, and flexibility are essential to sustaining meaningful engagement with healthcare professionals while managing costs. On March 24, 2025, industry experts from both large pharma and smaller biotech companies convened at MAPS in New Orleans to explore how outsourcing and remote engagement can redefine medical affairs and commercial operations in pharma.
The broad sentiment was that in this era when everyone is talking about the impact of AI, the importance of high caliber people engaging in scientific conversations remains of utmost importance. This is not to say that AI will not have a significant impact. It will, and we will all benefit from it. But to paraphrase Derek Lowe[1], the overall sentiment was that “AI will not replace MSLs, but MSLs that use AI will replace the ones that don’t”. Overall, there were three broad takeaways from the discussion:
[1] During coverage of DeepMind’s CASP protein-folding success back in 2019, Derek Lowe, the veteran medicinal chemist, told The New York Times that “It is not that machines are going to replace chemists. It’s that the chemists who use machines will replace those that don’t”.
The power of people in Medical Affairs
High caliber Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) play a critical role in establishing credibility and trust with HCPs, driving scientific engagement and fostering peer-to-peer relationships. Medical Affairs leaders talked about the challenge of building those high caliber teams, and the equally important challenge of retaining them. Tongue in cheek, the head of global field excellence for a top-5 pharma company highlighted this point by saying: “When MSLs leave a year after training, they are dead to me. We spend all this time an effort to train them, and as soon as they begin to become productive, they move on to something else. It’s a significant problem for us”.
The sentiment was shared by many others who talked both about how AI can be incredibly useful in supporting MSLs and the broader medical organization as they engage HCPs, as wells as how in an environment like this, having access to top performing people can be a real differentiator. As one participant put it: “Physicians can use AI themselves. They engage with us when they want to have a broad, deep, and nuanced conversation with an expert who they view as a peer to them.”
AI as a tool to optimize field medical teams
Unsurprisingly, another focal point of the conversation was around the impact of AI. While participants were all over the spectrum of maturity and speed of AI adoption, the broad consensus was that AI-driven tools are emerging to enhance MSL effectiveness, enabling more personalized and data-driven HCP interactions.
However, several participants also talked about how adoption remains slow due to (i) organizational resistance and concerns over integration into existing medical affairs strategies, and (ii) the need for clear guardrails and best practices to ensure they are used responsibly and compliantly.
Drug pricing, and the (slowly) evolving biopharma model
[1] During coverage of DeepMind’s CASP protein-folding success back in 2019, Derek Lowe, the veteran medicinal chemist, told The New York Times that “It is not that machines are going to replace chemists. It’s that the chemists who use machines will replace those that don’t”.
In a time where drug prices are facing – and will continue to face – significant headwinds, an efficient cost structure is increasingly important. This impacts every part of a biopharma company, including Medical Affairs. One participant put it this way: “My leadership calls me once a quarter, asking for further cuts and efficiencies with our budget.”
Partly because of this, the industry is witnessing a gradual shift from in-house teams to strategic outsourcing, allowing companies to maximize efficiency and flexibility. “Being able to access top talent even with shrinking budgets is becoming a top priority for us” said a Senior Director of Medical Affairs strategy at a mid-size biotech.
Related to this, one of the key themes that emerged from the discussion was the ability of smaller biopharma companies to maximize their impact despite limited resources. The VP of Medical Affairs at a small biotech talked about who they have demonstrated how strategic outsourcing of MSL teams can help engage HCPs effectively, even without large in-house Medical Affairs teams. This approach allows companies to remain competitive and ensure strong scientific engagement without overstretching internal resources.
Epikast: A way to strategically outsource and access global talent
Related to some of the points above, we also talked about Epikast, and its ability to build and retain high caliber medical teams at a very competitive cost structure.
- Access to top-tier talent from global hubs: Companies can tap into highly credentialed professionals (e.g., MDs, PhDs, PharmD, etc.) through Epikast’s talent network in Greece, at a fraction of US costs.
- Scalability and flexibility: Organizations can adapt quickly to changing market needs by scaling resources up or down as needed.
- Specialized expertise without fixed expenses: Outsourcing provides access to highly skilled professionals without the long-term financial commitment of in-house teams.
- Use of AI: Ability to utilize AI models that make MSLs more effective in engaging HCPs in complex scientific topics
Conclusion
As the industry continues to embrace flexible workforce solutions, AI integration, and strategic outsourcing, organizations will be better positioned to enhance engagement, reduce costs, and drive meaningful impact for HCPs and patients alike.
The panel discussion made it clear: biopharma’s future lies in adaptable, data-driven, and scalable engagement models. The companies that embrace this shift will lead the next era of Medical Affairs and commercialization success.
