Insight Drop: The 3 Trends Shaping MedComms in 2025
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Episode Summary
MedComms is overdue for a reboot. Static PDFs. Oversized decks. Siloed teams. No feedback loops. These outdated practices are slowing teams down and wasting valuable resources. In this episode of Transforming Medical Communications, Wesley Portegies shares bold insights from the State of Medical Communications 2025 survey and breaks down three urgent trends that pharma leaders can’t afford to ignore. From dismantling silos to killing the static PDF once and for all, this episode offers a practical roadmap to modernize how Medical Affairs teams create, deliver, and measure content.
You’ll learn how to:
- Break down silos and align across medical, commercial, and affiliate teams
- Build content that’s interactive, modular, and actually gets used
- Track affiliate adoption and stop wasting global efforts
Cut Through the Noise. Elevate Your Strategy.
Guiding Medical Affairs strategy across Medical Communications, Field Medical, or Medical Affairs Training? Wesley Portegies, host of Transforming Medical Communications, is opening up a few exclusive 30-minute consultancy sessions.
This is a candid, insight-rich opportunity to step back from the day-to-day, pressure-test your approach, and explore fresh solutions to complex MedComms challenges—from scientific engagement to operational alignment.
If you’re shaping the future of Medical Affairs at your organization, this conversation is for you.
👉 Reserve your session → Schedule now
Host at a Glance
Wesley Portegies is the Chief Strategy Officer and Founder of Medical Communications Experts, an agency specializing in effective Medical Communication strategies for pharmaceutical companies. An experienced entrepreneur, Wesley started his first company at 19 and has built multiple successful companies. With over 20 years in the Medical Industry, both on the agency and industry side, he is driven by a passion for Medical Communications.
- Connect with Wesley Portegies on LinkedIn
Hot Takes and Key Highlights
- 01:40 – Strategic Alignment Isn’t Optional Anymore
When teams across medical, commercial, global, and affiliate functions aren’t aligned, the result is duplicated work, inconsistent messaging, and content that never gains traction. Too often, materials are created in isolation, driven by disconnected priorities. Strategic alignment isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a necessity for speed, clarity, and credibility. By co-creating initiatives with shared goals and timelines, teams can move faster and deliver a unified external message. Before kicking off your next initiative, ask: What does success look like for each team involved?
“When teams are misaligned, you get duplicated work, inconsistent messaging, and content that simply doesn’t stick.”
- 06:20 – Kill the Static PDF Before It Kills Your Message
If your content lives in a 200-slide deck or an untouched PDF, you’ve already lost. Scientific accuracy is no longer enough; today’s Medical Affairs content must be interactive, modular, and personalized to stand out and stick. HCPs need usable content that works across devices, engages on multiple levels, and supports intuitive navigation. Innovation doesn’t mean flashy animations; it means better usability, smarter structure, and measurable engagement. The static format isn’t just old; it’s ineffective.
“Your content can be as good as it comes. But if the format isn’t working for your audience, it doesn’t really matter.”
- 11:25 – Affiliate Enablement Starts With Empowerment, Not Attachment
Distribution without enablement leads to disengagement. Sending assets via email without context, purpose, or a usage plan leaves affiliates confused or disconnected. True engagement starts earlier: involve affiliates in strategy, explain the ‘why’ behind the content, and offer clear scenarios for how it should be used. Without this, even well-developed resources will be ignored or misunderstood. Affiliates aren’t ignoring strategy; they often can’t see it.
“They don’t see the strategy that you have behind the assets you create.”
- 13:30 – Turn Feedback into Fuel
If you’re not tracking content adoption or creating feedback loops, you’re flying blind. Affiliates often create their own materials not to rebel, but because they lack clarity on how to use global assets, or because the assets don’t fit local needs. That’s a solvable problem. Track usage patterns, invite feedback intentionally, and show how input is acted upon. When affiliates feel heard and see their input reflected in updates, engagement skyrockets.
“You need to proactively invite them to provide their feedback, and you also need to show that you’re actually listening when they do.”
- 14:40 – From Volume to Value
We’re beyond the era of check-the-box content creation. The path forward is about strategic alignment, smarter content formats, and true collaboration with affiliates. MedComms leaders must now shift from measuring volume to delivering value, where every asset is created with purpose, usability, and engagement in mind. The goal isn’t just to communicate; it’s to connect, enable, and drive outcomes.
“It’s no longer about just making more content. It is all about producing the right content for the right people in the right way.”
YouTube Chapters
- [00:00] Intro
- [00:20] Why These Trends Matter Now
- [01:40] Trend #1: Strategic Alignment Across Functions
- [06:20] Trend #2: Killing the Static PDF with Modular, Interactive Content
- [11:25] Trend #3: Rethinking Affiliate Engagement
- [13:30] Feedback Loops & Local Empowerment
- [14:40] Final Recap
- [15:05] Outro