Real World Evidence Solutions
You know your questions – let us bring you the right real-world answers
SOLUTIONS
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Primary Intelligence
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Commercial Analytics
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Management Consulting Services
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R&D Solutions
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Contract Sales and Medical Solutions
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MedTech Solutions
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Oncology Solutions
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Real World Evidence Solutions
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Technology Solutions
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Supply Chain Solution
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Provider Solutions
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Public Health Solutions
Primary Intelligence
Today there is more data than ever. Each set of primary and secondary data provides important insights, but that data needs to be integrated. Current market research solutions leave a gap because they are unable to integrate the depth and breadth of insights required in today’s complex markets. IQVIA's Primary Intelligence is the exception.
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Commercial Analytics
IQVIA provides segmentation and targeting, call planning and resource optimization, multichannel marketing, and performance management and compensation solutions for clients throughout the Middle East and Africa.
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Management Consulting Services
IQVIA can help you take the decisions that lead to success. With a wide array of management consulting services and a patient-centric approach, we can help you succeed in today's healthcare market.
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R&D Solutions
IQVIA brings together human data, data science and human science to harness advances in technology, analytics and human ingenuity and enable a more modern approach to clinical development.
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Contract Sales and Medical Solutions
Healthcare is in a constant state of perpetual advancement and development, and healthcare businesses need to innovate and grow ahead of the market to succeed.
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MedTech Solutions
Today’s constantly developing technologies are pushing the boundaries of medical devices’ capabilities, adding new benefits and features that enhance patients’ lives and create new categories of buyers and influencers who play a larger role.
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Guiding through unprecedented innovations to reshape oncology
In the Middle East, oncology is increasingly becoming a major focus in healthcare. Today, it is the 6th highest selling therapy area and one of the fastest growing therapy areas in the region.
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You know your questions – let us bring you the right real-world answers
Your work promises the potential to improve health outcomes. At IQVIA, we strive to help you by providing you with the complete understanding, tools, evidence and communications you need to realize that potential. It’s an exciting time to reimagine what’s possible.
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With state-of-the-art technology and a global database, we help push the potential of human science higher and help our clients achieve it by improving healthcare professionals’ understanding of their patients’ needs.
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Re-imagine pharmaceutical distribution and supply chain management
Digital disruption is empowering companies across industries with unbeatable competitive edge. Organizations that do not adopt and integrate digital technologies will experience debilitating disadvantages in a competitive marketplace.
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IQVIA's comprehensive suite of healthcare provider solutions equip you with latest tools and technologies needed to build a smart and sustainable health setup. Talk to our experts and let us help you get started on your pathway to sustainable growth.
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IQVIA Public Health interventions work to improve the health of entire populations
IQVIA’s Public Health solutions offer powerful insights and innovative digital solutions with speed and agility to introduce modern approaches for public health surveillance and quality improvement.
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HCP Space
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Hospital Information System
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Mobile & Home Health
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Revenue Cycle Management
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Patient Level Information Costing System
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IQVIA Health Data Flight
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IQVIA Health Insurance Management
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IQVIA Vigilance Platform
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SmartSolve eQMS: Enhance Quality Assurance and Control
HCP Space
Build deep HCP engagement journeys. Maximize digital engagement impact. Drive better brand outcomes.
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Hospital Information System
IQVIA’s cloud based solutions for healthcare providers and institutions are designed to minimize medical errors, increase physician efficiency, reduce costs, facilitate regulatory compliance and promote standardization of care to build a safer, more convenient way of managing healthcare.
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Mobile and Home Health Tech Solutions
IQVIA’s complete mobility suite for healthcare providers can help improve clinical teamwork, expand boundaries of care and drive better patient outcomes.
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Revenue Cycle Management
IQVIA can help you improve your billing and collection cycles, save processing time and help with better record keeping so that you can focus on providing the best patient care.
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Patient Level Information Costing System
IQVIA's PLICS, a patient costing solution, designed to help you better analyze your cost built using a bottom up Activity Based Costing methodology, developed by team of cost accountants specializing in Healthcare.
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IQVIA Health Data Flight
Transform your raw data with an intelligently designed big data platform for analytics and insights at scale.
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IQVIA Health Insurance Management
An integrated platform that seamlessly connects patients, healthcare providers and payers to drive efficiency, reduce costs, and improve quality of care.
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IQVIA Vigilance Platform
Your complete, SaaS approach to drug safety and pharmacovigilance
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SmartSolve eQMS: Enhance Quality Assurance and Control
The complete eQMS for the Life Sciences industry.
Learn moreBLOGS, WHITE PAPERS & CASE STUDIES
Explore our library of resources spanning the healthcare ecosystem. Hear from IQVIA data scientists, doctors, researchers, and other experts on the topics, trends, and market developments that matter to you.
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OUR LATEST WHITE PAPER
"Learn how digitalization has transformed the patient journey and why mapping the digital patient journey offers myriad of opportunities for pharma.
LEARN MOREABOUT IQVIA MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
The IQVIA team in the Middle East and Africa works to provide clarity in these dynamic markets.
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CAREERS
"Learn about work and life at IQVIA and find all the opportunities we have for your next step in your career journey.
Learn moreBlog
The Role of Medical Affairs in Launch Excellence
Oct 07, 2025
The Role of Medical Affairs in Launch Excellence
Achieving launch excellence in the pharmaceutical industry is increasingly rare and complex. Based on well-defined, objective criteria, a small fraction of launches achieves launch excellence. The key challenges to achieving launch excellence are healthcare system capacity gaps, timely and compelling evidence and stakeholder engagement. At a recent expert panel, industry leaders shared candid insights on how medical affairs teams are driving success—and what challenges remain. Setting the stage for this discussion, David Kelaher, Sr Director, Medical Affairs, IQVIA emphasized the need for early and proactive involvement of medical affairs, robust evidence planning, and cross-functional collaboration to overcome these barriers and drive successful launches.
Why Launch Excellence Matters—and Why It’s So Elusive
Only 11% of specialty launches and 4% of primary care launches achieve true excellence. The reasons? Healthcare system capacity gaps, evolving stakeholder needs, and the growing demand for timely, compelling evidence.
Key Pillars for Launch Success:
- Healthcare System Readiness: Understaffing and patient backlogs persist post-pandemic, and new therapies require advanced infrastructure and rapid adaptation.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Physicians and healthcare providers are busier than ever, making effective, differentiated engagement models critical.
- Evidence Generation: The need for real-world evidence and early planning is greater than ever, with medical affairs leading the charge in mapping stakeholder needs and generating impactful data.
Metrics and Measuring Success
Dr. Ehab Saad, Oncology Medical Head for Novartis Gulf, addressed the perennial question of how launch excellence is measured: “Sales outcomes will always be the best indicator for a successful launch. However, medical affairs can drive lead indicators that can predict and sustain those results. As medical affairs, impact can be assessed in both qualitative and quantitative metrics—such as scientific engagement quality, evidence generation and dissemination, and adoption of new modes of action—that can give you the right direction and confidence for an excellent launch.”
He emphasized, “Healthcare system readiness is crucial. Engaging earlier with multiple stakeholders in the patient journey is very important and critical. Competing for the time of our physicians is becoming more and more challenging, so innovation in how we deliver the right messages is key.”
Collaboration and Value Creation
Dr. Walaa AlBenayan, Director of Medical Affairs at Biogen GCC, highlighted the evolving role of medical affairs in rare diseases: “We in medical affairs play an important role in translating clinical outcomes and real-world evidence into value frameworks. Generating local data and local real-world evidence creates more value for regulators and payers.”
She added, “Medical affairs is the scientific backbone. We provide the insights collected from pre-launch activities and help other functions like market access and regulatory in their negotiations and submissions. Our evidence and insights are the backbone to allow other functions to secure early and sustainable access to innovations.”
Engaging Non-Traditional Stakeholders
David Kelaher also spoke about broadening engagement: “Because of the complexity of patient journeys, we need to work with broader sets of stakeholders—patient advocacy groups, digital opinion leaders, and allied healthcare professionals. Our educational and evidence initiatives must be fit for purpose and have an impact in the community, not just among KOLs.”
Conclusion
The panel’s perspectives make it clear: medical affairs is no longer a supporting function—it’s a strategic driver of launch excellence. By engaging early, generating relevant evidence, collaborating across functions, and amplifying their voice, medical affairs professionals can unlock the full potential of their organizations and deliver meaningful impact for patients, providers, and payers.
Missed the webinar? Watch the on-demand version here.