Authors: Stacey Benefiel, PharmD & Brent Cordell
Note from Stacey: One of the many things I love about Global Talent is connecting with clients, candidates, and colleagues (many of whom have become friends) from around the world. Throughout 2025, I couldn’t help but notice an underlying trend. Regardless of specialization, therapeutic area, or even seniority, Medical Affairs leaders are increasingly called upon to work within resource constraints, make critical decisions, and simultaneously write and execute the strategy.
My conversations routinely focus on creative options that keep the mission moving forward. Because one of the most common questions I get in this vein pertains to building MSL (Medical Science Liaison) teams, I’m sharing my thoughts on the cost / benefit of a more traditional model vs. alternative ways of thinking about this critical role.
Economic uncertainty, continued funding constraints, and shifting perceptions of the regulatory landscape have some biopharma companies rethinking how they structure operations. Many have discovered managing MSLs exclusively in-house may no longer be sustainable or necessary.
These leaders are recognizing that building only with direct hire headcount often can increase risk, slow progress, and ultimately impact their ability to bring life-changing therapies to market. But necessity is giving way to innovation: engaging with specialized life-science consultancies to design MSL teams leads to efficiency, scientific precision, and long-term stability.
Considerations for Contract-based MSL Deployment
For many biopharma companies, the hesitation to partner stems from a belief that internal teams should handle all key aspects of development. While that logic may seem sound, it often leads to unrealized pitfalls:
- Resource overload: Many teams are stretched thin, balancing regulatory submissions, clinical trial planning, and commercialization strategies all at once, leaving gaps in execution and compliance.
- Expertise gaps: Organizations that have operated solely within Research and Development for many years now find themselves lacking the expertise to develop and execute a field-facing strategy.
- Overhead burden: Securing head count may be a significant hurdle, resulting in the loss of important opportunities and critical work that needs to be accomplished.
Partnering with an expert-led MSL contract team may derisk these challenges, ensuring biopharma companies can navigate the complexities of drug development with the right expertise at every stage.
Why Specialized Partners Matter
Utilizing a specialized life-science consultancy isn’t just about taking work off an internal team’s plate—it’s about working smarter. Partnering with experienced, specialized MSLs ensures the following:
- Greater flexibility: Companies can scale up or down as needed, eliminating the burden of long-term overhead costs.
- Faster execution: Outsourced teams of highly experienced professionals focus exclusively on key needs, ensuring accelerated timelines without compromising compliance.
- Strategic expertise: Specialists guide biopharma companies through the medical affairs process at all levels, offering critical insights that in-house teams may not have.
Canopy Life Sciences: Your Trusted Partner
At Canopy, we partner with biopharma companies to build high-performing teams across Clinical Affairs, Medical Affairs, and Regulatory through both contract recruitment and direct hire.
Because we are clinicians and industry veterans ourselves, we understand that leaders face an immense amount of pressure when advancing therapies through development and the criticality of bringing therapies to market efficiently, strategically, and with full compliance.
For more information about building high performing MSL teams, or to let me know what you think about trends in Medical Affairs Talent, please reach out at Stacey.Benefiel@hellocanopy.com or through direct message on LinkedIn .
