Key factors a pharmaceutical company should consider while outsourcing medical writing services

Abstract

Medical writing teams are crucial in the pharmaceutical industry at every stage of drug development. With growing regulatory pressure and shrinking profit margins, outsourcing these activities is considered a viable option that provides multiple advantages such as high-quality documents produced in a shorter time and at a lower cost. Correct identification of an outsourcing partner is critical for success. We propose the following eight key criteria that a sponsor company should consider when choosing a medical writing service provider: types of services offered, organisational structure of the provider, resources, quality of services, communication, client relationship, contract, and cost-effectiveness.