Kalling All KOLs: Shopping List for Docs, Get In Line

In the news this week is this story about a company called qforma that creates lists of influential doctors that they of course sell to people who want to use the information for, well, whatever. In the online comments response to the story a lot of doctors flipped out and started making comments about how those weren’t the docs that they would recommend, etc. etc. Those docs totally miss the point that drug companies don’t care who the *actual* best docs are, they just want to know who are the docs are that will help them sell their drugs the most. And those are a mixture of researchers, schmoozers, and a combination thereof.

As I have written about before, sociologists know that there is a group of innovators, early adaptors, and then the “herd” that follows along (see “Diffusion of Innovations in Service Organizations” or “Disseminating Innovations in Healthcare“). It is true for farmers in Costa Rica adopting a new type of grain seed, or for psychiatrists prescribing a new brand of antipsychotic.

Although a new and superior kind of seed was introduced in 1925 it took another 10 years for all farmers to adopt it.

Doctors don’t “read” the literature and then go out there and make a decision about what they should do. They look to their “mentors” or the early innovators, in this case their professors from medical school, or their surrogates.

Human behavior dictates that a few early adopters are looked to for guidance by most

Most look to the early adopters defined as ”experts” in the medical field, who are often branded as such at national professional meetings with the support of the pharmaceutical industry, who have coined the term “key opinion leader” or KOL. They, unfortunately, are often heavily subsidized by the pharmaceutical industry.

Qform is a business, and they are not developing a list of KOLs in every city and speciality for their own amusement, or to help people find doctors. They are doing it because they can make money by selling the lists to others who can make money by identifying the KOLs. They are selling influence. To see another particularly egregious example, take a look at the company called kolonline, where they openly boast on the internet about their ability to “manage” your kol for you (their words, not mine). I couldn’t believe it either when I first saw this.

So I guess that would make kolonline... what?

From their website:

As our name implies, we are a company devoted to providing Key Opinion Leader software and Key Opinion Leader Management services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and device companies. We have invented two (2) world-class proprietary web-based applications for managing and developing relationships with KOLs (some have described them as ‘knowledge management systems’). More importantly, because we have actual real-world experience from working in the Pharma industry we provide unparalleled service and consulting. We have held positions in medical/scientific affairs, medical science liaisons, medical education, drug information, sales training, strategic marketing, product management and field sales.

The principals in KOL, L.L.C. have deep experience in cardiology, anti-infective, pain management, diabetes, gastroenterology, urology, women’s health and central nervous system products. As such, we have developed personal relationships with many KOLs.

We are “The Key to Opinion Leader Development™”.

Sidebar reads:

We have developed a “validation tool” which provides a systematic, unbiased ranking of all the KOLs in OLms or ISCP.

We can manage your key opinion leaders (KOLs) for you

And let’s not forget their handy software, the Opinion Leader Management Service (OLms), a “web-based application with accompanying on-going services designed to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies:”

• Manage and develop KOLs
• Demonstrate value to their organization (ROI)
• Showcase MSL activities
• Build and Monitor KOL Development Plans, Goals and Activities

OLms provides:

• Convenient, secure, confidential, web-based access (24/7/365) to information about your KOLs, including their contact information, publications, presentations, trials, society memberships, etc (the KOL ‘Knowledge Capital’) and links their activities to your core scientific concepts
• KOL identification
• KOL validation – provides an unbiased ranking of KOLs based on predetermined criteria to ensure consistency and avoid favoritism
• Effective communication system – users can enter notes and insights
• Thousands of reports – KOL contact info, KOL Development Plan goals and activities, compliance (consulting/confidentiality agreements), MSL monthly reports, etc
• Service – we build the records of each KOL and continually update them
• Cost-effective KOL management – our pricing is reasonable and OLms is designed to demonstrate a return on your investment (ROI)

How about their demo?

As you can appreciate, for confidentiality reasons, we can not take you to any of our client sites; however we do have two (2) demonstration sites with generic, non-confidential information which will provide you an overview of the kind of information and service we provide. Because these demo sites are web-based, you and your colleagues can view from your office while we are in ours. Then, if we appear to be the “right wrench for the job”, we are happy to come to your office for a formal presentation. A demo normally takes about 30 minutes on line.

Do you think this wrench will work?