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Medical Affairs
Trends Report 2026
The State of the Function: Voices from the Front Line. A survey of Medical Affairs leaders and practitioners on strategic priorities, challenges, AI adoption and the future of the function.
0%
Selected KOL/HCP engagement as a top-3 strategic priority
0%
Selected AI & automation as the top trend for the next 12 months
0%
Describe their outlook on AI in Medical Affairs as positive
Executive Summary
A Function at an Inflection Point
2026
Survey of Medical Affairs professionals across the UK, Europe, the US and global organisations
This report brings together the candid views of Medical Affairs leaders and practitioners, spanning Heads of Medical Affairs, Medical Affairs Directors, Medical Advisors, MSLs, MSL Managers and Operations professionals across the UK, Europe, the US and global organisations.
The findings paint a picture of a function that is more strategically confident than ever, but increasingly stretched between competing demands: proving its value in commercial terms while protecting its scientific and ethical independence, and adopting AI while guarding against the erosion of the trust-based, expert-led relationships that are Medical Affairs’ core currency.
Three themes dominate. KOL and HCP engagement and evidence generation remain the twin pillars of the function’s day-to-day priorities. AI is now the single most-cited trend, yet opinion is split between genuine enthusiasm and real unease. Respondents overwhelmingly see the future of Medical Affairs as more strategic and more accountable – a function moving from communicating data to, in the words of one director, “orchestrating intelligence.”
Section 1
Strategic Priorities: Where Medical Affairs Is Focusing
Respondents were asked to select their top three strategic priorities. The results were varying about where the function’s centre of gravity sits today.
Top Strategic Priorities (% selected)
KOL & HCP Engagement85%
Evidence Generation & Real-World Evidence65%
Medical Education50%
Demonstrating Medical Affairs Value / ROI~30%
Cross-functional Alignment~30%
Digital / Omnichannel Engagement~15%
Data & Analytics Capability Building~10%
Key Insight
KOL and HCP engagement was selected by 85% of respondents, a clear signal that however much the conversation shifts towards data, digital and AI, the relationship-driven core of Medical Affairs remains its defining activity.
Digital/omnichannel engagement and formal data & analytics capability-building remain minority priorities which suggests that these are still emerging disciplines rather than mainstream operational focuses.
Kerry’s’s Take
This is a hiring signal as much as a strategic one. Formal data and analytics capability is still rare inside Medical Affairs teams, which means it is currently being bought in rather than built. Expect continued demand for hybrid profiles – medical credibility paired with genuine comfort in data and digital tools, rather than a like-for-like MSL or Medical Advisor hire.
Section 2
The Single Greatest Challenge
Left as an open question, respondents’ answers cluster into four recurring pressure points that cut across seniority and geography.
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1. Proving Value in Business Terms
The most consistent thread is the pressure to demonstrate Medical Affairs’ impact in terms the wider organisation recognises – moving beyond activity counts towards evidence of real influence on patient outcomes.
“The single greatest challenge is proving the quantifiable impact of Medical Affairs on patient outcomes and clinical practice while navigating a shift from output-based metrics to value-based outcomes.”
– Medical Affairs Director, UK
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2. Commercial Pressure & Independence
A closely related theme is discomfort with commercial encroachment on Medical Affairs’ scientific independence – a tension several respondents described almost as an identity crisis for the function.
“Commercial pressure makes everything more challenging… I feel that commercial structures are only focused on revenues/bottom line.”
– Head of Medical Affairs, Italy
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3. Compliance & Regulatory Complexity
For UK-based respondents, the challenge is often operational: finding compliant ways to meet NHS and HCP needs within an evolving regulatory and payer environment. US respondents cited reduced government oversight as an emerging challenge.
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4. Responsible AI Integration
While AI is widely seen as an opportunity, respondents raise substantive concerns about scientific accuracy, the erosion of expertise, and the risk that ungoverned adoption will undermine the trust Medical Affairs has spent years building with HCPs and regulators.
Section 3
AI & Automation in Medical Affairs
AI is the single most-cited trend shaping the next 12 months – already embedded in workflows for over half of respondents, but opinion is sharply divided.
75%
Selected AI & automation as top upcoming trend
55%
Already have AI embedded or piloted in workflows
60%
Describe their outlook on AI as positive
10%
Describe their org’s AI readiness as “well progressed”
The Three Schools of Thought on AI
The Enthusiasts
~60%
See AI as a genuine opportunity to elevate the function – freeing time from administrative tasks, generating evidence faster, and enabling Medical Affairs to lead strategy rather than support it.
“AI is not the tool to be used to work less, but to work better.”
— Head of Medical Affairs, Italy
The Pragmatists
~25%
See clear value in AI but insist it cannot be trusted unsupervised, particularly for anything touching scientific accuracy or clinical nuance. Strong supporters of “AI as assistant, not replacement.”
“Great as an assistant tool but cannot replace an experienced medical affairs person.”
— MSL / Senior MSL, UK
The Uneasy
~15%
Express genuine concern that AI is actively eroding, rather than enhancing, the value of the function – undermining the expertise and trust-based relationships that are Medical Affairs’ core currency.
“It decreased the value of Medical Affairs and the capabilities of Medical Affairs employees.”
— Medical Affairs Director, Global
Kerry’s’s Take
The candidates who stand out in interview right now are rarely the ones who claim to use AI the most. They are the ones who can describe, specifically, where they trust it and where they do not. That judgement is becoming a genuine differentiator – and one that is hard to assess from a CV alone.
Section 4
The Future of Medical Affairs: In Their Own Words
Respondents’ open-ended answers on the future converge on three powerful, recurring themes.
From Data to Intelligence
“The future of Medical Affairs is defined by a shift from being a function that communicates data to one that orchestrates intelligence… Medical Affairs will be the primary driver of that translation.”
— Medical Affairs Director, UK
Leading Strategy
“Medical will steer strategy rather than be asked to adhere to it.”
— Medical Advisor, UK
Replacing Traditional Sales
“Medical affairs activity will replace traditional sales roles as RWE and proving value as well as efficacy is the key to getting a drug used.”
— MSL / Senior MSL, UK
AI-Powered Insights
“AI could really help us collate and categorize insights, and help us strategically transform them into actions which will drive success.”
— MSL / Senior MSL, UK
New Stakeholder Landscape
“Those clinicians will not be the traditional KOLs – they will be younger, more diverse, and less likely to be physicians.”
— Medical Advisor, UK
Always-On Engagement
“24/7 medical affairs support through omnichannel.”
— MSL / Senior MSL, UK
Section 5
Drivers of Change Ahead
75% of respondents expect Medical Affairs to change significantly over the next 12 months. The drivers are broad-based, not dominated by any single factor.
Expected Drivers of Change (% citing)
New product launches & pipeline developments
60%
Organisational restructuring or leadership change
60%
Technology & AI adoption
55%
Budget increases or cuts
55%
External regulatory or policy change
30%
Shifting HCP preferences & behaviours
25%
Key Finding
New product launches and organisational restructuring were the joint most-cited drivers – a reminder that Medical Affairs change is often externally triggered by business events rather than planned proactively.
Kerry’s’s Take
Because so much change is triggered by business events rather than planned headcount reviews, Medical Affairs hiring tends to arrive in bursts – around a launch, a restructure or a budget reset. Functions that keep a warm talent pipeline ahead of those moments consistently move faster than those who start their search when the need becomes urgent.
About This Research
Respondent Profile
A self-selecting survey of Medical Affairs professionals conducted in 2026, spanning seniority, tenure and geography.
| Dimension | Breakdown |
|---|---|
| Primary Role | Medical Advisor/Scientific Advisor (30%); MSL/Senior MSL (25%); Medical Affairs Director (20%); Head of Medical Affairs (15%); MSL Manager/Lead (5%); Operations (5%) |
| Years in Medical Affairs | 2–5 years (55%); 11–20 years (35%); More than 20 years (10%) |
| Team Size | Fewer than 10 (60%); 10–50 (30%); More than 200 (10%) |
| Geography | United Kingdom (55%); Global/multi-region (30%); Europe – Italy (10%); United States (5%) |
| Top Therapy Areas | Metabolic/Endocrinology (30%); Oncology (25%); Rare/Orphan Disease (25%); Immunology (20%); Infectious Disease (20%); CNS/Neurology (20%); Cardiovascular (15%) |
Where questions permitted multiple selections, totals exceed 100%.
Respondents by Role
Geography
Key Takeaways
Strategic Implications
Five durable conclusions for Medical Affairs leaders and the organisations building their teams.
Relationships remain the core asset
KOL/HCP engagement is still the dominant priority (85% of respondents) and the one activity almost every respondent insists AI must support, not replace. No technology changes this fundamental.
AI adoption is outpacing AI governance
55% of respondents already have AI embedded or being piloted in their workflows, but only 10% describe their organisation’s overall readiness as “well progressed”, a gap that leadership teams should close deliberately, through training, guardrails and clear use-case boundaries.
Proving value is the defining strategic challenge
Whether framed as ROI, commercial pressure, or resisting being sidelined, the need to demonstrate Medical Affairs’ impact in terms the wider business recognises runs through almost every open-text answer in this survey.
Change will be driven by business events as much as by strategy
Pipeline launches, restructuring and budget shifts are cited as often as technology itself and Medical Affairs functions should build change-readiness as a standing capability, not a one-off project.
The function’s own vision of its future is strategic, not administrative
Respondents overwhelmingly see Medical Affairs moving toward a role that shapes strategy, generates and defends real-world evidence, and engages a broader, more digitally-native set of stakeholders, but a meaningful minority remain uncertain whether the organisation around them will invest in that shift.
Building Your Medical Affairs Team?
We work with Medical Affairs functions across the UK, Europe and the US every day. Whether you’re building out your team or thinking about your next move within one, we’d love to support.
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Kerry Harris
Senior Consultant
Expertise:
Clinical Research
Medical Affairs
