flipMD for Pharmaceutical Companies

Today, over half of adults in the United States live with a chronic disease. As I’m sure you know, some of the treatments for those diseases have some awful side effects. Others are pretty ineffective. And for some chronic conditions, there’s just no treatment at all.

Pharma startups around the country are working every day to change that, and they need physicians like you to get it done.

Do pharmaceutical companies need doctors?

Right from the beginning, pharma companies need docs for pretty much everything they do for patients.

Take one example of a pharma startup that used flipMD to recruit physicians for a pitch to investors. The company had to make a case for a new drug by showing that there was actually an unmet need for it in ED departments throughout the country. Who better than to speak on that than actual emergency medicine doctors? This arrangement got the pharma company one step closer to getting the financial backing they needed, while the physician-consultants who took the gig got one step closer to getting the drug they needed to provide the best possible patient care. Win-win.

Whether it’s a brand name or generic drug, a prescription or OTC medication, there’s bound to be a role for physicians to help companies in the pharmaceutical sector with research, development, and marketing.

What do physician consultants do for pharmaceutical companies?

It’s a long list of roles that physicians find themselves doing in the pharmaceutical industry. It includes jobs in medical education, medical affairs, clinical research and trial monitoring, and a whole bunch of other areas.

Today, I’m covering just three examples of job types for consultants.

• Scientific advisors. When physicians wear this hat, they might be helping companies to design research trials and develop trial outcomes, analyze trial data, or track data after market approval to identify any problems. It’s a particularly good gig for MD/PhDs, but if you have a strong background in bench research, this could totally be for you.
• Speaker programs. Pharma companies need thought leaders to present information about their products to funders and other doctors. This is an opportunity to help move the needle in terms of uptake of effective but novel medications. If this is something you’re looking to do, just make sure you’re following all of your state’s rules, other applicable laws, and all that good stuff. Like, no matter how great the medication is, obviously don't go knocking on patient doors if you're getting paid by the company that developed it.
• FDA approval process. FDA compliance is no joke. Passing regulations to get a drug approved for market is a big undertaking no matter what. Physicians can help pharma companies get safe and effective drugs approved quickly through help with the submission process and registration. For example, a doctor could help review a company’s proposed labeling and make suggestions for improvement so that there’s one less round of back-and-forth with FDA.

With so many pharma opportunities out there, you never know what you might find!