April 29, 2010 ·
Leave a comment
Neil Mellor joined Thought Leader Select as its principal business development agent for North America in the spring of 2009. Neil spent over 20 years working at the highest levels of the pharmaceutical industry, including a stint as vice president of business development at Spexell Pharma, a Canadian specialty firm. Mellor has also worked as international public relations manager for Pharmacia (now part of Pfizer), as well as multiple roles at Solvay Pharmaceuticals, including senior product manager for Pantoloc®, director of marketing (interim), and associate director of business development.
The Thought Leader Select Blog recently sat down to catch up with Neil Mellor and learn about his background and how he makes his professional contribution to the work of Thought Leader Select.
TLS Blog: Good morning, Neil. Tell us why you joined Thought Leader Select.
Neil Mellor: I recognized the opportunity, especially in the Canadian market, for the KOL services that Thought Leader Select provides. Traditionally, we’d used influence mapping technology up here, and I felt that, while it was good in some ways, ultimately, it was based on data that was too subjective. I knew, first-hand, that there was a real need for objective, validated research data on KOLs that would help pharma companies manage one of the most important parts of their business—the development of new medicines. I just didn’t feel, ... read more »
TAGS: 
Canadian Healthcare Licensing Association influence mapping key opinion leaders KOL engagement KOL identification KOL profiling KOL strategy Neil Mellor Panteloc Pfizer Pharmacia Solvay Spexell Pharma thought leader research Thought Leader Select
April 28, 2010 ·
Leave a comment
As the biopharmaceutical industry continues to pursue expansion in emerging markets, academic and practicing health care professionals will become more critical to a company’s success. Mexico, for example, is positioning itself as one of the most promising emerging markets according to Focus Reports. The sheer size of this market, combined with its lower healthcare spending, growing purchasing power, and changing biopharma industry make Mexico an attractive market for expansion.
To understand the changing landscape of government regulations—to universalize healthcare, develop regulatory standards, and protect innovative and generic drug patents— companies entering this market will need to identify and develop relationships with respected medical academics and community physicians.
Recognizing the immense growth potential of Mexican and Latin American markets for its biopharmaceutical clients, Thought Leader Select recently began offering KOL identification, profiling and deployment services in the region. With business development team members “on the ground” in Mexico and Latin America, Thought Leader Select is uniquely suited to assist multinational pharma corporations and local pharmaceutical companies in identifying KOLs at various levels (academic, community, etc.) and in understanding how to engage them during the development of new medicines that will positively impact public health.
Dr. Daniel Bagi, a 20-year veteran of the Latin American pharmaceutical industry, is leading Thought Leader Select’s efforts to bring innovative KOL identification, profiling, ... read more » TAGS: biotechnology key opinion leadrers KOL deployment KOL identification KOL management KOL profiling Latin America Mexico pharmaceutical product development Thought Leader Select
April 27, 2010 ·
Leave a comment
Thought Leader Select, a North Carolina-based firm dedicated to delivering solutions for key opinion leader identification and deployment for the biopharmaceutical industry, announces the commencement of research on Canadian centers of excellence and the identification of certified diabetes educators for a top-10 global pharmaceutical company.
The client company’s Canadian subsidiary has hired Thought Leader Select to execute two of its industry-standard studies on centers of excellence in health care. For the first contract, the firm will identify and profile 10 centers of excellence in women’s health to aid the company in its development of and launch of medicines to fill imminent women’s health needs.
In the second project, Thought Leader Select will identify and profile 10 centers of excellence in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. In addition to providing in-depth profiles of the centers and their capabilities for research, clinical practice, and treatment of patients with Type 2 diabetes, the study will also identify and profile 30 non-traditional key opinion leaders, in the form of certified diabetes educators (CDEs). The CDEs are crucial in the execution of the respective centers’ strategies to educate patients with diabetes on a number of treatment options and regimens.
Thought Leader Select will employ the same research methodology, known as deep profiling, that it utilizes in the identification of individual key opinion leaders to perform the work ... read more »
TAGS: biotechnology certified diabetes educators key opinion leader KOL identification KOL management KOL profiling patient education Paul Meade pharmaceutical Thought Leader Select type 2 diabetes women's health
April 22, 2010 ·
Leave a comment
April 22, 2010 (CHAPEL HILL, NC)—Thought Leader Select, a North Carolina company dedicated to better engagement and more sophisticated deployment of key opinion leaders (KOLs) for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, announces the hiring of Lynda Scott as research manager.
Ms. Scott, a native of Johannesburg, South Africa, has served as a research associate at the firm for the last three years. In addition to her work at Thought Leader Select, Scott brings nearly a decade of valuable clinical experience to the firm, spending seven years as a nuclear medicine radiographer at the Flora Clinic and Milpark Hospital, as well as the Rosebank Clinic, all in Johannesburg. At the Rosebank Clinic, Scott managed all aspects of the nuclear medicine practice, including patient management, general practice management, record-keeping, and adherence to industry protocols and regulations.
Scott earned a Master of Health Science degree from the University of Sydney, Austrailia, in 2004, graduating with highest honors. During her time as a student at the University of Sydney, Scott twice presented her work in imaging at Duke University Medical Center, and in 2004, the Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology published her work covering the role of MIBG imaging in early diagnosis of cardiac autonomic neuropathy in diabetes patients.
Since completing her master’s degree, Scott has worked as an independent medical writer, contributing to two HIV-related manuscripts ... read more »
TAGS: biotechnology Flora Clinic GlaxoSmithKline key opinion leaders KOL identification KOL management KOL profiling Lynda Scott Milpark Hospital nuclear medicine pharmaceutical research Rosebank Clinic Thought Leader Select University of Sydney
April 21, 2010 ·
Leave a comment
Pharmaceutical manufacturers will face longer regulatory approval times and lower reimbursement rates in the years ahead according to new IMS data. A recent IMS release summarizes market forecasting data, including reduced drug spending by public payers and more extensive reviews of new therapies.
To navigate effectively through these new challenges, pharmaceutical companies will need a collection of knowledgeable key opinion leaders (KOLs). Physician KOLs and payer experts (both public and private) can advise companies on various issues critical to gaining reimbursement in a timely fashion.
Through its exclusive deep profiling methodology, Thought Leader Select has identified, profiled and recommended customized teams of physician and payer KOLs for specific advisory activities in more than 57 countries around the world. In our experience, larger panels of payer and physician KOLs with diverse experience in pharmacy, health economics, health outcomes, public and private formularies, and patient care enable pharmaceutical manufacturers to discuss reimbursement issues quickly and act nimbly on expert guidance.
Read more IMS forecasts here.
TAGS: biotechnology drug reimbursement drug spending formularies health economics health outcomes IMS Health key opinion leaders patient care Payer KOLs pharmaceutical pharmacy physician KOLs public payers regulatory approval Thought Leader Select
April 20, 2010 ·
Leave a comment
At Thought Leader Select, we employ a proprietary research methodology to identify key opinion leaders (KOLs) for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. This methodology, known as deep profiling, enables biopharmaceutical firms to optimize teams of KOLs for different deployment areas throughout the development of new medicines and during the life cycles of their brands.
At the core of our methodology is a belief in the uniqueness of each key opinion leader, whether he or she is a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, pharmacist, veterinarian, or other leader in the health care sector. According to Dr. Max Noureddine, Thought Leader Select’s chief scientific officer, we define key opinion leaders as “the people who leave a footprint in the field.”
“KOLs are the people who make noticeable contributions to the medical field, by advancing science and blazing new paths forward for other scientists in the field,” said Noureddine. “Their achievements in basic and clinical research, clinical investigation, and their treatment of patients have a remarkable impact on others in the field. Quite simply, key opinion leaders are the change agents within the field—they cause fundamental changes in how we look at different diseases and how we can possibly treat them, and others follow their work accordingly.”
KOLs change the course of pharmaceutical discovery and development ... read more »
TAGS: advisory boards basic research biotechnology clinical investigation clinical trials consulting disease states drug development key opinion leaders KOL deployment KOL identification KOL profiling KOL selection KOLs Maher Noureddine medical research pharmaceutical rising star KOLs therapeutic areas
April 15, 2010 ·
1 comment
Dr. Maher “Max” Noureddine joined Thought Leader Select as its chief scientific officer in 2007, after a two-year stint as a senior research fellow in molecular genetics at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/National Institutes of Health (NIEHS/NIH). Prior to his time at the NIEHS/NIH, Max conducted post-doctoral research in Parkinson’s disease at Duke University Medical Center from 2002-2005. In 2002, Max earned a PhD in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During his career, Max has co-authored 13 published research studies and presented his research findings at 13 conferences.
The Thought Leader Select Blog recently sat down to catch up with Max Noureddine and learn about his background and how he makes his professional contribution to the work of Thought Leader Select.
TLS Blog: Thanks for agreeing to an interview with your busy schedule, Max. Why did you join Thought Leader Select in 2007?
Max: I was at a critical juncture of my career, finishing up my post-doctoral work at Duke in the field of Parkinson’s disease. Basically, I was weighing up my career alternatives, which normally would mean that someone with my academic and scientific background would head straight into university teaching and research.
I had gotten to know Paul Meade, the founder of the company, since we were both pilots in the Civil Air Patrol together. ... read more »
TAGS: aviation biotechnology cancer chief scientific officer Civil Air Patrol clinical research Duke University Medical Center genetics key opinion leader KOL KOL identification KOL profiling Maher Noureddine NIEHS/NIH Parkinson's disease pharmaceutical pilots research methods science Thought Leader Select UNC-Chapel Hill
April 14, 2010 ·
Leave a comment
April 15, 2010 (CHAPEL HILL, NC)—Thought Leader Select, a North Carolina-based firm dedicated to delivering solutions for key opinion leader (KOL) management for the biopharmaceutical industry, has announced the delivery of KOL identification projects for five leading North American pharmaceutical companies during the first quarter of 2010.
Five of the world’s largest pharmaceutical concerns contracted with Thought Leader Select in late 2009 to take advantage of the firm’s industry-leading deep profiling methodology for researching the skills and experiences of physician key opinion leaders across multiple therapeutic areas and disease states. Each company had specialized needs for initiation and redevelopment of their respective rosters of key opinion leaders to assist them in a variety of deployment needs.
Thought Leader Select assisted a Canadian firm with the identification of physician key opinion leaders who specialize in influenza vaccines. The company plans to build a firm roster of KOLs in advance of a new influenza vaccine product launch.
A U.S. firm contracted Thought Leader Select to identify nurse practitioners and physician assistants, also known as non-traditional KOLs, in the therapeutic areas of gastroenterology, hepatology, and HIV/AIDS treatment, in order to better understand patient needs in these areas and gain scientific and clinical insights for new compounds.
Thought Leader Select identified Canadian physician key opinion leaders for another Canadian company, with emphasis on KOLs who specialize in heart ... read more »
TAGS: biotechnology cardiology clinical investigators deep-profiling disease states gastroenterology general surgery heart failure hemophilia hepatology HIV/AIDS hypertension influenza vaccines key opinion leader KOL identification KOL management KOL research Kristen Smithwick new compounds non-traditional key opinion leaders nurse practitioners ortho-spine surgery orthopaedic surgery pharmaceutical physician assistants physicians post-MI congestive heart failure therapeutic areas Thought Leader Select
April 13, 2010 ·
1 comment
A report in yesterday’s Pharma Letter illustrates how critical partnerships between the pharmaceutical industry and academia can be beneficial for patients, medical professionals and the pharmaceutical industry alike. The Italian Institute of Technology’s Drug Discovery and Development Unit (D3) “brings together scientists with experience in industry and academia to discover new drugs in pain, inflammation and dementia.” Having already received considerable funding from the Italian government, D3 is interested in partnering with external collaborators to further projects.
Through its in-depth key opinion leader (KOL) identification and profiling, Thought Leader Select sees how many similar partnerships around the globe are successful in creating innovative therapies and furthering scientific work. We look forward to the advancements that D3 is sure to bring. As partnerships between the industry and leading academic centers of excellence continue to form, we expect today’s breakthrough compounds to become tomorrow’s key medicines for global public health much more quickly.
Institutes like the D3 in Italy will illustrate, on an even greater level, the synergies that inevitably develop when the pharmaceutical industry teams up with the right key opinion leaders for clinical investigation, advisory boards, editorial boards, and other key areas of deployment.
Read the full article here.
TAGS: advisory boards clinical investigation clinical trials drug development drug discovery editorial boards Italian Insitute of Technology's Drug Discovery and Development Unit Italy key opinion leaders pharmaceutical public health scientists Thought Leader Select
April 8, 2010 ·
Leave a comment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 8, 2010 (Chapel Hill, NC)—Thought Leader Select, a North Carolina-based firm dedicated to providing solutions for key opinion leader engagement and deployment for the biopharmaceutical industry, announces the expansion of its global business development team.
The research and consulting firm now has business development capabilities to match its track record in global key opinion leader identification research with the additions of Dr. Daniel Bagi and Mr. John Kelly.
Dr. Bagi, who splits his time between Mexico City and Toronto, will serve as Thought Leader Select’s principal agent for Central America, South America, and Spain. Mr. Kelly, of Northampton, UK, will develop Thought Leader Select’s business as its principal agent for Europe and Asia. Bagi and Kelly join Neil Mellor, who joined Thought Leader Select’s team in February of 2009 as its principal agent for North America.
During his 20-year professional career, Daniel Bagi has served the pharmaceutical industry in a variety of capacities, including product development, regulatory affairs, and licensing. Dr. Bagi directed global clinical development for a suite of anti-cancer drug therapies at Lorus Therapeutics of Markham, Ontario and IGT Pharma of Vancouver, British Columbia. More recently, Dr. Bagi has served as a senior consultant to EM Diagnostics, a US-based breast cancer diagnostic company, and, since 2005, he has served as a medical consultant to Riso Pharma Tech, a ... read more »
TAGS: biotechnology Daniel Bagi global business development John Kelly key opinion leaders KOL identification KOL profiling KOL research Kristen Smithwick Neil Mellor pharmaceutical Thought Leader Select
Older posts »
