Taking molecules to market: The role of the pharma copywriter
This article will provide insights on:
- The qualities to look for in a pharma and healthcare copywriter
- The pace of change within life sciences and consequent challenges for pharma CMOs
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The role of healthcare communications
Sarah Monaghan is a copywriter who specialises in the life sciences, pharmaceutical and healthcare fields. She’s a member of the Healthcare Communications Association and Medical Journalists' Association
Contact her at sarah@connectedcopy.co.uk
I’ve worked as a pharmaceutical copywriter delivering healthcare communications materials for the pharma field across the last decade.
And the more I learn, the more I know I don’t yet know …
The stuff that I don’t know is down to the sheer pace of development within the pharma industry, which I find both exciting – and sometimes challenging… But it’s what keeps my curiosity and appetite to learn alive. And it means I approach every project fresh and motivated.
A combination of factors are driving the dizzying rate of transformation in the pharma industry. But tech advancements, increasing competition, evolving regulations, rising drug development costs, changing patient needs, and improved insight into the biomechanics of disease are the major ones.
SOME EXAMPLES?
● The diminishing lustre of the $1 billion+ blockbuster. Drug development is moving more towards targeting small patient populations or niche markets. For example, rare diseases, genetic disorders, or cancer types.
● Advances in biotech tools leading to new modalities, such as cell and gene therapy and mRNA vaccine technology, as well as more ‘nuanced’ drugs that target specific mutations or molecular pathways.
● Faster timelines for clinical trials thanks to advanced technologies such as electronic data capture systems and cloud-based trial management tools and streamlined approval processes by regulatory agencies.
● A focus on biologics like Keytruda and Spinraza, thanks to genetic engineering, gene editing, and other biotech tools.
● The rise of precision medicines like CAR-T, Herceptin or Kalydeco, leading to innovative treatments.
● Adoption of digital health technologies such as wearables, sensors, and mobile apps to collect real-world data and improve clinical trial design.
All this means that as a pharma copywriter, I’ve been fortunate to work on a diversity of pharma-related content projects and copywriting formats. That’s everything from …
… writing conversion copy for big pharma company websites to planning lead gen white papers for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society…
… to transforming clinical research papers into video storyboards to ghostwriting articles for pharma heads for PharmaExec and Life Science Review…
… to authoring thought leadership articles in diverse therapeutic and drug development areas – from antimicrobial resistance to JAK inhibitors to CAR-Ts, and more.
What stimulates me is the learning that comes with each new project as I adapt to diverse therapy areas and collaborate with new teams, KOLs and medical experts.
In a crowded marketplace, differentiation is crucial for positioning. Moreover, different territories require different approaches.
Healthcare communications play a crucial role as part within pharma marketing by providing valuable information and education to patients, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders.
It can help to build trust, establish thought leadership, and position pharma companies.
Effective content can also support the development and launch of new drugs by creating awareness, generating interest, and driving engagement.
It can help, too, to meet regulatory requirements by providing accurate and balanced information about drugs and their potential benefits and risks.
Essential skills, knowledge and experience for a pharmaceutical, life science or healthcare copywriter
1: Understanding of Your Market Position
It helps a lot to work with a pharmaceutical copywriter who understands your goals, be it market penetration, market development, product development, or diversification. (A clear brief or a strategy session helps here!).
Once this groundwork is nailed, the copywriter can create content that focuses on the right USPs. These might be drug efficacy, service quality, expertise, track record, price, or fulfilment time.
2: Creative Messaging for the Right Audience
When it comes to healthcare copywriting, the ultimate goal is to persuade. Skilled pharma copywriters can create compelling content that resonates with whatever your audience.
This requires an understanding of their needs, desires, pains, and challenges. The tactics used to engage healthcare providers (HCPs), for example, will be different from those used for patients or medical reps.
Also, the tone of communications has to be tailored to the audience. Patients are often more responsive to an emotional or empathetic approach; HCPs appreciate more direct and data-driven communications to help them with diagnosis, treatment options, Rx and patient management.
All this requires a blend of creativity, empathy, marketing savvy, and an understanding of the audience and subject matter you’re targeting.
3: Statistical and Scientific Sensibility
You should expect a pharmaceutical copywriter to have reasonable scientific literacy. Plus, a good understanding of statistics. Then to know how to share those in a concise and understandable manner.
They should be able, for example, to communicate trial results and statistical concepts such as confidence intervals, regression analyses and t-tests in a way that makes it easy for physicians and the general public to assess the quality and reliability of a clinical study.
4: Familiarity with Medical Terminology
You can count on pharmaceutical copywriters to be well-versed in the drug development pipeline, from target identification to approval, and to have a good understanding of the range and purpose of different clinical trial designs.
They'll be familiar, too, with medical and clinical trials terminology, knowing terms like black box warnings, biomarkers, and more. They'll know the difference between CAR-Ts and P-values, biologicals and biosimilars, blockbusters and generics…
5: Knowledge of Therapeutic Areas
Some pharmaceutical copywriters will have an in-depth understanding of multiple therapy areas. Most, though, have the core knowledge and research skills needed to quickly adapt and learn about a disease's biology to be able to cover various therapy areas, be it neuroscience, oncology, or orphan diseases.
They'll grasp the challenges physicians and patients face and be able to effectively convey a drug's benefits and limitations.
6: Awareness of Regulatory Considerations
It goes without saying that pharmaceutical writers should be aware of relevant regulations and guidelines to ensure their writing is compliant and ethical.
In the UK, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates pharmaceutical writing and advertising, and requires that promotional material for prescription drugs comply with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Code of Practice. In the US and Europe, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) oversee this.
7: Broad Toolbox of Writing Abilities
The greater the versatility of a copywriter, the more assistance they can provide you. A skilled and adaptable pharmaceutical copywriter can be a valuable asset to your team.
They’ll be familiar with persuasive formulas such as AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) and PAS (Problem, Agitate, Solve) to create compelling messaging that motivates your readers to take action.
They’ll have experience with a wide range of content formats, from long-form pieces like white papers to shorter formats such as website copy, video scripting, articles, social media posts, emails and brochures.
Bottom line, their knowledge of marketing will allow them to tailor their writing to suit your specific needs.
“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” - Rudyard Kipling
Sarah Monaghan is a copywriter who specialises in the life sciences, pharmaceutical and healthcare fields. She’s a member of the Healthcare Communications Association and Medical Journalists' Association