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At the end of 2024, the So What? Research Survey of Australian Doctors reported the number one thing doctors wanted pharma companies to do more of was to provide medical education and events.
The 2025 results confirm this sentiment, and, in this article, we turn our attention to the scientific storytellers at the heart of medical engagement: Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs).
In this article, we explore what Australian specialists really think about their MSL interactions, including:
Awareness of who MSLs are and what they do is strong. This year, 68% of specialists who interact with both product reps and MSLs said they could clearly distinguish between the two roles.
And it is more than just a stat; it is a sign of a maturing market. With more MSLs in the field and more specialists interacting with them, pharma’s investment in medical engagement is clearly being noticed. Specialists are recognising the distinct, peer-level value MSLs bring, a convincing case for clarity in customer-facing roles.
However, 1 in 3 specialists who interact with both roles say they do not see clear differences between the two - something for pharma to work on. (See below for why)
Even as awareness and understanding improves, the demand for MSL engagement continues to grow. 1 in 4 specialists (24%) say they are not interacting with MSLs often enough.
The need is even more pronounced in certain specialties:
... say they do not have enough MSL interaction
These are complex, fast-evolving specialties where the desire for more peer-level, scientific discussion is particularly strong. The data suggests that even where MSLs are present, doctors feel the level of clinical engagement still is not meeting hopes or expectations. A clear opportunity for pharma to step up.
When specialists understand the MSL role, they get more out of it.
Among those who can clearly tell the difference between MSLs and product reps, 67% rate their MSL interactions as highly valuable (8 to 10 out of 10). For those who do not recognise the distinction, that figure drops sharply to just 21%.
In other words, role clarity matters. When doctors clearly understand the MSL role, they are better able to engage and more likely to benefit from the scientific depth and peer-level conversations MSLs provide.
We asked specialists to rate the value they get from their interactions with both product reps and MSLs on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 meant ‘no value’ and 10 meant ‘extremely valuable’.
30% of specialists gave product reps a high score (8-10 out of 10). For MSLs, that number jumped to 52%.
This shows that while both roles play an important part in customer engagement, MSLs are more often seen as delivering high-value interactions, particularly in specialties where scientific discussion is critical.
In fact, the value gap is even more pronounced in some specialties. The chart below shows how much more likely specialists are to rate their MSL interactions highly (8–10 out of 10) compared to their interactions with product reps.
In fields like haematology, cardiology, endocrinology, and oncology, doctors are two to four times more likely to give high value ratings to their MSL interactions.
This reinforces the idea that MSLs deliver a different kind of value and that difference is being clearly recognised by specialists.
We conduct targeted MSL research, benchmarking studies and role clarity audits that uncover what is working and what is not.
Contact us to assess your MSL team’s performance and unlock more customer and patient value from your medical affairs team.