The Right Way to Do Medical Affairs on LinkedIn

In this episode, Darshan Kulkarni sits down with Marie Ange Noue, Senior Director and Head of Scientific Communications at EMD Serono, to dive deep into the increasingly common practice of medical affairs teams creating dedicated LinkedIn handles.

Marie explains that this trend is driven by healthcare professionals’ evolving preferences for receiving medical information—today, over 70% prefer digital formats, and more than 50% use LinkedIn to connect, exchange ideas, and consume scientific content. She emphasizes that separate medical affairs handles allow companies to share timely, scientifically accurate, and balanced information, while avoiding the noise and promotional tone often associated with corporate or commercial channels.

They also discuss the regulatory implications of having a medical affairs presence on LinkedIn. Darshan raises the potential for confusion between promotional and non-promotional content, noting that regulatory frameworks like FDA’s promotional guidance (e.g., SIU, CME guidance) may not fully address the nuances of social media engagement by medical affairs teams. Marie acknowledges this challenge and highlights the importance of developing robust standard operating procedures (SOPs), collaboration across medical, legal, and regulatory (MLR) functions, and having clear disclaimers and labeling on posts to distinguish them as scientific communications.

The conversation covers the need for rigorous content governance, with Marie stressing that even purely scientific posts often undergo full MLR review at larger organizations like EMD Serono. Darshan points out that some smaller companies might adopt a medical review-only approach, but Marie cautions that given the speed and visibility of digital content, a thorough MLR process helps ensure compliance and trust.

They also discuss potential risks such as brand dilution and internal confusion about the official voice of the company on LinkedIn. Marie suggests that dedicated medical affairs handles can actually strengthen brand credibility by providing a trusted, consistent source of high-quality, scientific information tailored for healthcare professionals.

Darshan and Marie agree that this trend toward dedicated medical affairs social media channels reflects a broader transformation in how the pharmaceutical industry communicates with healthcare professionals—driven by digital expectations, regulatory complexities, and the need to provide meaningful, unbiased scientific content.

Marie closes by encouraging listeners to connect with her on LinkedIn to continue the conversation.