Global CRO Quintiles ($Q) has struck up a deal with the Medical Affairs Company, and the two companies plan to pool their powers in drug and device commercialization.
The Medical Affairs Company (TMAC) brands itself as a contract medical organization, providing medical science liaisons to help drugmakers get their products in front of the right decisionmakers. Under the deal, the company will lend its talents to Quintiles' existing field-based service team in exchange for the use of the CRO's clinical experts in its liaison work.
Combined, the two companies can form multidisciplinary teams of advocates for companies of all sizes across the biotech, pharma and medical devices industries, Quintiles Commercial Solutions Senior Vice President Daryl Gaugler said.
"Today, more than ever before, biopharmaceutical companies looking to commercialize products in the U.S. are focused on demonstrating the value and benefits of their products to an increasingly diverse range of stakeholders," Gaugler said in a statement. "As this stakeholder landscape and its requirements continue to evolve, we are delighted to be working alongside a company like TMAC to offer the full spectrum of commercialization services, with an integrated approach to sales, medical science liaison, clinical education and market entry."
The path to blockbuster status has grown far more complicated since the days of Lipitor, as countless drugs with pre-approval process have found themselves stalled on the launchpad thanks to botched launches, reimbursement issues and failures to sway physicians. That change has made quality medical affairs work more and more important, TMAC CEO Evan Demestihas said, and his company believes hitching up with Quintiles and its subject-matter experts will create an unrivaled presence in the field.
And Quintiles, despite its market-leading size, could use a boost. Last quarter, the CRO's integrated healthcare services segment--which includes its commercialization business--slipped 7.6% to $218.5 million, a drop the company blamed on a slump in net new business wins.
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