Glossary of terms

Patient engagement is the active involvement of patients in the design, development, and evaluation of healthcare strategies, including clinical trials and evidence generation.

Patient reported outcomes (PROs) are direct reports from patients about their symptoms, functioning, or quality of life, provided without clinician interpretation.

A payer influencing key opinion leader (PIKOL) is a key influencer of healthcare policy and reimbursement decisions.

Payers are decision making organisations that determine whether a medicine will be reimbursed or funded, and under what conditions, within healthcare systems. They make these decisions based on assessments of clinical value, cost effectiveness, and the impact on healthcare budgets.

Peer to peer engagement involves direct scientific exchange between healthcare professionals, often supported by field medical teams such as medical science liaisons (MSLs).

Pharmacovigilance is the science and practice of monitoring, detecting, assessing, and preventing adverse effects or other drug related problems once a product is on the market.

A placebo controlled study is a clinical trial in which the effects of an investigational treatment are compared with an inactive substance that mimics the treatment but has no therapeutic effect.

Population health impact refers to the measurable effect of a therapy or intervention on the overall health outcomes of a defined population.

Predictive analytics uses historical and real time data to forecast future outcomes, helping guide strategic decisions in clinical development and market access.

In epidemiology, prevalence describes the proportion of a population that has a disease at a specific point in time.

Price benchmarking is the process of comparing the price of a pharmaceutical product with similar therapies across markets to inform pricing strategy and negotiation.

Price potential refers to the estimated price a pharmaceutical product could reasonably attain based on its clinical value, competitive positioning, and payer willingness to pay.

Pricing and reimbursement refers to the processes through which a pharmaceutical product is assigned a price and granted coverage or funding by healthcare payers.

Product value communication is the strategic process of conveying the unique attributes, patient benefits, and economic value of a drug or therapy.

A publication strategy is a structured plan for disseminating scientific and clinical data through peer reviewed journals and congresses to support a product’s development and value story.

Publication type classifies scientific articles by format and purpose, shaping how they are perceived and weighted in bibliometric analysis.

A publishing plan is a strategic roadmap for disseminating clinical, real world, and health economic data through peer reviewed journals and scientific platforms.

Qualitative research is a method used to gather non numerical insights into stakeholder behaviours, perceptions, motivations, and decision making processes.

Quantitative research involves the collection and statistical analysis of numerical data to identify patterns, test hypotheses, or measure outcomes.

Real world data (RWD) refers to health related data collected outside traditional clinical trials, used to understand how treatments perform in routine clinical practice.

Real world effectiveness measures how well a treatment performs in routine clinical practice, outside the controlled conditions of clinical trials.

Real-world evidence (RWE) describes clinical insights obtained through analyzing real-world data (RWD) to assess how treatments function beyond the environment of controlled clinical trials in practice.

Regulatory strategy is the plan that directs how a pharmaceutical company will meet requirements for product approval, labeling, and obligations after a product reaches the market.

A regulatory submission is a detailed dossier provided to health authorities to obtain approval for a new drug, indication, or formulation.

The process through which a healthcare system, insurer, or government agrees to pay part or all of a medicine’s cost so that patients are not responsible for the entire out-of-pocket expense.

The reimbursement landscape refers to the policies, payer expectations, and pricing systems that shape whether and how a product will receive funding.

Research and development (R&D) is the process of identifying, creating, and evaluating new pharmaceutical products to advance medical science and enhance patient outcomes.

A risk factor is any trait, condition, or behavior that raises the chance of developing a disease or experiencing a negative health outcome.

A risk-sharing agreement is a contractual arrangement in which a pharmaceutical company and a payer share financial or clinical risk tied to treatment outcomes.

Scientific exchange refers to non-promotional, evidence-based communication between a pharmaceutical company and healthcare professionals aimed at advancing clinical understanding.

Scientific landscaping is the structured assessment of published and emerging research to uncover trends, gaps, and strategic opportunities within a therapeutic area.

Sentiment analysis is the application of natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to determine the tone and emotional context of written or spoken content.

Share of voice is a metric that reflects the proportion of total mentions or visibility a product, brand, or company gains within a defined competitive or thematic space.

Site ranking is the process of assessing and ordering clinical trial sites using performance metrics such as patient enrollment, data quality, and regulatory compliance.

Stakeholder mapping is the development of a comprehensive overview of key stakeholders relevant to a specific therapeutic area, indication, condition, or product.

Stakeholder segmentation is the process of grouping healthcare stakeholders according to shared attributes, interests, or behaviors to refine engagement strategies.

Stakeholder sentiment refers to the tone and attitude shown by healthcare professionals, payers, patients, or other influencers toward a product, topic, or company.

Stakeholders are the individuals, groups, or organisations involved in, affected by, or contributing to the development, regulation, evaluation, and use of medicines, including patients, healthcare professionals, industry, regulators, HTA bodies, and payers.

Strategic publication planning is the process of aligning scientific communication activities with product objectives, evidence timelines, and stakeholder needs.

A surrogate endpoint is a biomarker or intermediate measure used in clinical trials as a stand-in for a direct measure of clinical benefit.

A target product profile (TPP) outlines the desired characteristics of a pharmaceutical product to guide development and align stakeholder expectations.

Territorial lines refer to the geographic or operational boundaries used to organise stakeholder engagement and field team activities.

A thought leader is an individual widely recognised for their expertise, original ideas, and capacity to influence thinking and practice within a specific field.

Time to peak uptake is the period it takes after launch for a product to achieve its highest level of market adoption.

Top 100 KOL refers to a select group of highly influential experts in a specific therapeutic area, identified through both quantitative and qualitative analysis.

The treatment landscape describes the complete range of available therapies and treatment approaches for a particular disease or condition.

Trial site analysis is the assessment of potential clinical trial sites to optimise study performance.

Unbranded engagement involves scientific or educational communication that does not promote a specific product but increases awareness of a disease, unmet need, or treatment approach.