Medical Science Liaison (MSL GI/RD) at Takeda

Job Description

Title Medical Scientific Liaison Gi/ Rare Diseases

Location Johannesburg/Cape Town, South Africa office.

About Takeda

At Takeda we strive to broaden access to treatment and enhance standards of care for people wherever they live. We focus on sustainably strengthening local health systems in low- and middle-income countries at every stage of the patient journey, while developing an end-to-end access approach to make our highly innovative medicines available as soon as practically possible.

Takeda is unwavering in our commitment to patients. With the patient at the center of everything we do, we continue to innovate and drive changes that will better their lives and we are looking for like-minded professionals to join us.

Who We Are Looking For An MSL Who Will

• Be responsible for the execution of the Therapeutic Area (TA) specific medical plan in the field, predominantly by establishing, developing, and fostering relationships with key external stakeholders through scientific exchange and research support, always keeping the patient’s needs and safety into focus.

• Communicate fair-balanced therapeutic area related/ product-related scientific and clinical information to external stakeholders (e.g. key opinion leaders (KOLs), physicians, academic institutions, hospital formulary committees, funder organisations), to respond to unsolicited requests for medical information, manage NPP (Names Patient Programme) communication and facilitate research discussions.

• Bring key insights from the medical and scientific community to internal stakeholders to guide the medical and brand plans to enable access, build capabilities and strengthen the healthcare system.

Required Qualifications And Experience

• Advanced scientific or clinical degree for example Master’s Degree in Life Sciences, PharmD, or Ph.D

• Preferably 1 year working experience in medical affairs in pharmaceuticals, healthcare industry, or academia

• Preferably, experienced in relevant Therapeutic Area Gi and Rare Diseases.

Accountabilities

• Managing and Engaging External Stakeholders

• Creates and updates periodically the TA KOL list; by utilizing objective, pre-approved scientific criteria to profile KOL

• Develop and execute a TA specific MSL scientific engagement plan aligned with the TA Medical Plan to guide field work

• Establish Takeda’s presence with KOLs and academic institutions in defined geographies for therapeutic areas of strategic interest to the company

• Lead the in-field execution of the Therapeutic Area (TA) Medical Plan; meet regularly with identified KOLs to provide ongoing, balanced scientific exchange related to on-label indications and disease state(s)

• Proactively identify and develop long term peer-to-peer relationships with opinion leaders and other relevant stakeholders

• Respond to unsolicited requests from HCPs for medical information (including off-label information) related to marketed Takeda products and Takeda pipeline products

• Support scientific training of Takeda-contracted speakers by providing ongoing support and education as needed

• Provide clinical and medical presentations on disease state and on label indications to external stakeholders, including funders upon request and as appropriate

• Provide medical booth and session coverage at scientific meetings and report information of strategic interest to cross-functional internal stakeholders

• Supporting Clinical Research

• Support ongoing/future Medical Affairs Company Sponsored Studies (i.e. provide LOC review of proposed CRO site lists, attend site visits if necessary, provide site/investigator feedback to clinical operations) following the appropriate requests from LOC/ Area/ Regional/ Global clinical development

• Support unsolicited requests from HCPs for investigator-initiated sponsored research (IISR) proposals by providing appropriate investigator support as per Takeda SOP as well as engaging with the global team on IISR proposals as appropriate

• Develop and support national disease registries and RWE projects for relevant disease areas as needed

• Contributing to the organization through medical expertise

• Maintain a very high level of knowledge and understanding of the latest scientific/medical knowledge in the relevant therapeutic area by conducting literature searches, reading clinical papers, attending conferences, courses and other relevant events

• Capture and share in-field insights with a strong focus on identifying unmet needs in relevant therapeutic areas to inform, medical and scientific strategy to build capabilities within the healthcare system

• Participate as a member of the Brand Team for the assigned TA

• Provide medical and scientific expertise to commercial partners as needed and within regulatory guidelines

• Act as field-based reference point of scientific and clinical expertise for field force and other internal stakeholders (e.g. Market access) through training and ad-hoc support

• Participate in the review and approval of materials developed by the marketing group.

• Create or support the development of medical/scientific materials and slide decks as needed (e.g. MSL slide decks and advisory board slides) and ensure the content is appropriately reviewed and approved as per Takeda policies

• Identify educational opportunities that are aligned with Takeda’s medical education strategies with a strong focus on meeting unmet needs in relevant disease areas

• Participate in the development of key medical activities (e.g. Advisory Boards, Focus Group Meetings, medical education and peer-to-peer training activities) as directed by the Therapy Area Lead

• Understand the patient journey

• Provide support and/or leadership in planning and implementation of patient access programs as needed and as per local regulatory requirements

• Support reporting of product-related medical safety issues by providing input on product-related quality issues and incidents to the local PV-team

• Complying with external regulations and company policies-rules for a best-in class medical contribution for the patients and TA.

• Ensure that all field scientific-medical communications are fair-balanced, based on appropriate scientific evidence, and compliant with local regulatory norms and internal compliance rules

• Prioritize patient safety by following all PV-related processes

• Ensure compliance of all responsible activities to relevant laws and regulations as well as internal standards and SOPs

• Support the company reputation and profile in the field

Core competencies

• Communicate with impact

• Encourage teamwork

• Ensure accountability

• Clarify what matters most

• Lead continuous improvement

• Enhance personal leadership

Business Skills And Knowledge

• Communication (verbal and written) skills,

• Build and maintain excellent relationships with colleagues and customers

• Ability to form a balanced opinion taking into account a wide range of medical and scientific information

• Able to train/educate others

Other Requirements

• Valid South African Driver’s license for motor vehicle.

• Own vehicle that can be used for business.

• Able to work in the office and in field.

• Required local and international travel from time to time