Roman, ALTEN’s Life Sciences consultant, who is an expert in Medical Affairs, talks to us about scientific articles and its importance for the pharmaceutical industry.

What are the scientific articles?

They are documents of regular extension. Their objective is to clearly and precisely disseminate the results of research (clinical, preclinical, in vitro) carried out on a specific area of ​​knowledge.

When speaking of a scientific article, we refer to a specific type of publication, different from monographs or thesis. It is a relatively short work (about 20 pages) concise and dense, which reports partial or final results of a theoretical or experimental research, executed individually or collectively.

How is the scientific production measured?

The key factor of a scientific journal is the number of times an article in a journal is cited on average. It is an instrument to compare journals. Thus, we evaluate the relative importance of a publication within the same scientific field and the scientific day. The entity in charge of analyzing the magazines for this purpose is Thomson ISI.

How does the pharmaceutical industry use scientific publications?

The purpose of publications in the biomedical area is to generate new knowledge that will help in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases. They also contribute to medical training.

Normally, representatives of the pharmaceutical industry use advertising resources in their medical visits. These ones include information on the results of scientific studies conducted with the drug presented.

The planning of the publication is very important. Both for the success of the marketing strategy and the positioning of the product in the market.

The companies in charge of writing and publishing the research studies are aware of the importance of positioning the product correctly in the market for its commercialization.