Has the pharmaceutical industry found a loophole for off-label marketing? While pharmaceutical reps can’t push drugs for off-label use, medical science liaisons (MSLs) can certainly “educate” physicians and hospital staff about a drug’s profile and clinical trials.

According to the WSJ, the FDA allows drug companies to respond to unsolicited requests for information from doctors, including off-label data, if they provide truthful, nonpromotional material.

In fact, MSLs are on pharmas’ medical and scientific staffs which get referrals from traditional pharma reps.

MSL jobs are heating up too. We see them all over our jobs board and almost rarely see any pharma rep jobs:

• Medical Science Liaison – Illinois, Indiana & Michigan territory – Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Chicago, IL

• Medical Science Liaison – Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Emeryville, CA

• Medical Science Liaison – Transplant Infections Disease – Biotech Leader, Los Angeles, CA

• Medical Science Liaison – Inflammation (GI) – UCB Pharma, San Francisco, CA

• Medical Science Liaison – Teva Pharmaceuticals, Bala Cynwyd, PA

The WSJ also comments on Jane Chin, president of the MSL Institute, which trains MSLs, and her thoughts on off-label promotion:

Dr. Chin, a former drug-sales rep for Bristol-Myers Squibb and a former MSL for Aventis Pharmaceuticals and Takeda Pharmaceuticals, says she quit being an MSL because she was asked to work more closely with the sales team than made her comfortable. She adds that she worries about the training of MSLs and how they deal with off-label information.

In some situations, MSLs are “pressured to do more for the sales team,” says Dr. Chin, adding that in her experience, “some pharma companies have the impression if you just hire somebody [with a professional degree] and you call them an MSL, it doesn’t matter what they say.”

The Golden Loophole!!

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