Sandy was working hard to set up her advisory board for success. She had secured a high profile physician to be the keynote speaker, prepared a thoughtful agenda to inspire the right conversations and booked a Michelin star restaurant for dinner. Booking flights and hotels for the KOLs and for her team was next on the list. Then something changed. The trial data and scientific report would be delayed by a month causing her to push out her advisory board date as well. That’s when things started to unravel. The next available date overlapped with a Taylor Swift concert that had recently been added to the schedule. What happened next was frustrating: airline ticket prices had doubled, hotel rooms prices tripled and participants started to complain about the new date. What should she do? Go ahead with the next available date and risk low turnout at escalated costs, or try to find a new date that works for everyone putting your product launch strategy at risk?
We believe it is time for a new approach:
Asynchronous Advisory Board Technologies Are Revolutionizing Pharma to Physician Engagement
In the pharmaceutical industry, advisory boards play a critical role in shaping product strategy, guiding clinical and message development, and ensuring regulatory alignment. Traditionally, these boards have convened synchronously—via in-person meetings or live virtual sessions. However, as technology and work dynamics evolve, asynchronous advisory board technologies are emerging as a more effective, scalable, and insightful solution.
What Are Asynchronous Advisory Board Technologies?
Asynchronous advisory boards use digital platforms that allow participants - such as physicians and key opinion leaders (KOLs)—to provide insights at their convenience, rather than gathering in real-time. These platforms typically include discussion threads, multimedia content sharing, polling tools, document annotation and structured surveys, all accessible 24/7 during the engagement period.
Why Asynchronous Beats Synchronous in Pharma
1. Eliminate Scheduling Headaches and Increase Participation
Synchronous meetings require aligning schedules across multiple time zones, often forcing compromises on participation or limiting who can join. Asynchronous technologies eliminate this barrier, enabling experts to contribute when it suits them, vastly increasing participation and diversity of input. Physicians and KOLs are incredibly busy. Asynchronous platforms accommodate their schedules, leading to higher engagement rates and repeat participation. Pharma companies benefit from more robust longitudinal input across the product lifecycle.
2. Don’t let the loudest voice in the room dominate
When participants aren’t pressured to respond immediately in a live setting, they often take more time to reflect on their responses, review background materials, and engage more critically with the topic. This leads to higher-quality insights and more actionable feedback. Plus, you can avoid situations where KOLs do more listening than contributing and deferring to the loudest voice in the room. Asynchronous technologies ensure that every voice is heard. Contrary to what one might expect, asynchronous boards can foster more meaningful discussions. Participants are able to read and react to one another’s comments over time, rather than being limited by the constraints of a 60- or 90-minute meeting.
3. Cost and Time Efficiency
Synchronous advisory boards often require significant investments in logistics, travel and meals. Asynchronous platforms reduce or eliminate these costs while accelerating timelines, since engagements can be launched quickly and run flexibly.
4. Faster Insight Capture and Reporting
Digital asynchronous platforms automatically track participation, compile responses, and generate analytics in real-time, making it easier to analyze themes and quantify consensus. This provides regulatory-compliant documentation with less manual effort.
Use Cases in Pharma
- Pre- and post-launch strategic planning
- Commercialization strategies and market access
- Medical education and message testing
- Regulatory and guideline feedback sessions
- Clinical trial protocol design
Whether in early development or post-marketing phases, asynchronous boards support agile, informed decision-making that keeps pace with the industry’s accelerating timelines. Plus asynchronous technologies can help augment traditional advisory boards and make them more effective.
Final Thoughts
In a time when flexibility, global collaboration, and data integrity are more important than ever, asynchronous advisory board technologies provide a modern, scalable alternative or augmentation to traditional synchronous formats. For pharmaceutical companies aiming to maximize the value of expert insight while minimizing logistical friction, asynchronous models are not just a convenience—they're a competitive advantage. Time to rethink the old model and if you don’t you will be at the mercy of weather delays, personal schedule changes and yes, even Taylor Swift!
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