Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) play a vital role across the drug lifecycle, from drug discovery to analyzing treatment outcomes, to prioritizing R&D efforts and helping with adoption. Due to their strong pedigree and professional stature, KOLs exert a strong influence over other Health Care Professionals (HCPs). Their assessment of various treatment options influences the prescribing patterns of HCPs and in many cases tends to influence patient behaviour as well.

The Medical Science Liaison (MSL) teams of pharmaceutical companies traditionally identify KOLs based on their academic background, professional affiliations, research, publications, and participation in conferences, etc. All of which are lagging indicators of identifying KOLs. These approaches help identify KOLs after they have risen in prominence and established their influence in professional communities.

In this whitepaper, we have presented a predictive algorithm to analyze early-stage HCPs and identify those who are displaying the right “signals” to become KOLs in the future potentially. Our approach will equip MSLs with the first-mover advantage in building a network of next-generation KOLs.