Effective Communication Between Medical Writers and Creative Teams: The Secret Condiment for a Flavorsome Sauce

Abstract

An impactful pharmaceutical promotional piece is an amalgam of a relatable narrative and agreeable visuals, a result of a highly synergistic relationship among medical writers, art directors, and designers. When it comes to innovation and creativity, a collaborative relationship will increase the likelihood of producing a piece that will touch the lives of the audience in a memorable way. Although the audience of pharmaceutical promotion can comprise health care providers and patients, this article will focus on the latter. A few aspects of this partnership have been shown to increase the chances of achieving that goal, such as respectful communication, alignment on the brief, mutual encouragement, and use of lay language during discussions and brainstorming sessions. Although nurturing storytelling, a strong skill of creative teams, is critical for the success of promotional medical pieces, ensuring scientific accuracy and avoiding misbranding are also key for complying with the ethical paradigms of medical communication and the US Food and Drug Administration regulations. Therefore, fine-tuning the partnership between medical and creative teams translates into a collaboration that combines freedom of creation with regulatory and scientific guardrails, as well as a strong sense of respect for each other’s views and expertise.