Medical Advisor at Cipla

• Act as a medical advisor and provide strategic medical and scientific advice and support to all functions, particularly to the marketing and sales functions, and drive best in class medical knowledge relating to respective therapeutic areas, customer insight and market intelligence, to build and maintain the Cipla Medpro brand.

Key Accountabilities

Act as a medical advisor to Marketing and Sales by providing the relevant technical advice and support required in order to help them execute the marketing strategy effectively.

• Develop coherent and integrated Medical Affairs brand plans ensuring that nominated individuals are integral to all stages of the brand planning process, proactively contributing to the business.
• Provide scientific contribution to the creation of marketing material, where required
• Review and approve all promotional, educational and marketing material in accordance with the Code of Marketing Practice, and internal procedures
• Develop and implement therapeutic area specific medical affairs plans and publication plans
• Respond and resolve the concerns or issues that arise as part of marketing activities e.g. advertising complaints
• Be the lead internal resource for Scientific Advisory boards.
• Review and sign off promotional, educational and marketing aids in accordance with internal procedures.
• Respond to complex questions and/ or serious issues that arise e.g. advertising complaints.
• Ensure that product development strategies are aligned with marketing plans
• Provide relevant training to the sales representatives, when required.
• Provide strategic support to Commercial and Corporate Affairs in Public Relations campaigns

Provide medical Information by being the scientific ambassador and custodian for the brands owned in the respective therapeutic area

• Provide timeous, up-to-date and relevant medical information on Company products and related therapeutic areas to internal and external customers.
• Act as scientific expert on products within the portfolios
• Oversee journal subscriptions and overall flow of scientific and competitor information into the organization for the respective portfolio
• Develop and maintain up-to-date knowledge of the therapy areas by reviewing the literature, interact with Key Opinion Leaders and other key stakeholders and attending scientific congresses.

Provide support to the regulatory function in the areas requiring medical input in order to support registrations

• Provide the scientific input required to ensure timely and appropriate responses to regulatory queries raised
• Provide scientific support for product registrations

Provide medical expertise in the event of adverse experiences and motivate clinical safety in order to drive Pharmacovigilance

• Provide scientific expertise in the review of adverse experiences locally and contribute to global pharmacovigilance activities
• Support the Drug Safety Officer (DSO) in ensuring regular training of employees in accordance with Company procedures and relevant guidelines.
• Support the DSO in ensuring that safety data exchange agreements are in place and valid with all relevant 3rd parties, and are aligned to Company procedures and compliant with relevant legislation

Support the Business and Product Development team by providing scientific inputs to accelerate and drive the strategy for the business

• Provide scientific input for business development projects
• Conduct Therapeutic Area needs analysis
• Determine innovative and representative Therapeutic Area product requirements that will cater for the South African market and advise the business on such insights
• Determine and develop local trends relating to Therapeutic Area products and appropriately share them within the organization in order to drive strategy and appropriateness of the business

Develop and manage internal and external stakeholder and cross functional relationship order to ensure medical support and provide value to the business

• Identify and develop key relationships with Cipla Global
• Interact with line managers on a regular basis in order to ensure Medical meets the needs of the business
• Build and pro-actively maintain critical relationships with key thought leaders locally and internationally in terms of therapeutic areas in order to drive best in class medical affairs
• Strengthen the company image with the scientific community, health authorities, regulatory bodies and industry associations

Assist and support in the expanding market access to products providing necessary support in the areas required

• Engage with the health care funders on a health and pharmacoeconomic level in order to assist company in expanding access to marketed products
• Support company to ensure value-based pricing of products
• Manage requests for Cipla products unapproved in South Africa (MCC Section 21 process applications)
• Manage communication with treating doctors (product applicant) and patients
• Set prices of products in consultation with finance department
• Oversee product logistics
• Act as general advisor on Section 21 procurement process

Educational qualifications:

• MBchB (Medical Doctor) and registration with the relevant regulatory body

Relevant experience:

• 5 to 7 years’ experience in a similar role in the pharmaceutical industry covering all areas of the function. Clinical decision making and pharmacology knowledge will be an added advantage