Unlocking Evidence Impact: Aligning IEGPs and Strategic Publications for Smarter Communication

Richard White, Chief Operating Officer, Oxford PharmaGenesis, UK; Suzann Schiller, VP, Medical Strategy & Communications, Lumanity, PA, USA; Eric Low, Ethical Medicines Group (EMIG) Steering Group, Eric Low Consulting, UK; Anne Clare Wadsworth, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Amica Scientific, UK

Email your questions and comments on this article to TheMAP@ismpp.org.

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Introduction: Closing the Communication Gap

In today’s data-rich environment, the life sciences sector continues to struggle with a surprisingly persistent challenge: inconsistent communication of evidence across stakeholder audiences. The consequences are serious—many healthcare technologies do not achieve an optimal label or reimbursement—and the ultimate losers are the patients who could have benefited from these interventions, had the right evidence been generated and communicated. While biopharmaceutical companies are investing heavily in research and data generation, there remains a critical need to translate this evidence into accessible, actionable information for regulators, health technology assessment (HTA), payors, healthcare professionals (HCPs), and patients.

A practical way forward is the alignment of Integrated Evidence Generation Plans (IEGPs) with strategic publication planning. This article explores how medical communications and publications professionals can help create stronger, more coordinated scientific communication by connecting the “what” (evidence generation) with the “when, where, and how” (dissemination).

Integrated Evidence Generation Planning (IEGP): A Cross-Functional Opportunity

An IEGP is a structured, cross-functional plan to identify, prioritize, and address evidence needs across clinical, health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), and real-world evidence (RWE) domains. A robust evidence generation strategy and plan create the strong foundational evidence base needed to support a credible scientific story for assets and brands. This is then communicated through a comprehensive medical communications strategy and plan encompassing advisory initiatives, medical education, and engagement with system stakeholders and patients. In addition, a well-coordinated IEGP process supports a range of decision points, including regulatory and HTA submissions, and payor negotiations.

IEGPs are inherently collaborative and remain a strategic imperative for biopharma companies. Facilitating a cross-functional approach accounting for Medical Affairs, HEOR/RWE, Research and Development, Clinical Development, Pharmacovigilance, Commercial, and local affiliates, the IEGP process ensures shared ownership, efficiency, and transparency across the organization, creating a clear road map for evidence generation and effective communication.

The IEGP process is best understood as a dynamic and iterative workflow that connects strategic priorities to evidence generation activities and, ultimately, to data dissemination. Figure 1 illustrates the typical development flow of an IEGP, highlighting how each step, from identifying evidence needs to refining research questions, builds toward a cohesive and stakeholder-aligned plan.

Figure 1. IEGP Development Flow. An iterative process beginning with the identification of strategic drivers and ending with the development of a strategic publication plan.

Although the strategic publication plan sits at step #7, its potential is maximized when Medical Communications (Med Comms) professionals contribute throughout the workflow. Early and ongoing involvement ensures that evidence generation is designed with dissemination in mind, timelines are synchronized, and the evolving scientific narrative remains coherent across all functions. This connected approach transforms the IEGP into a dynamic roadmap, linking the “what” of evidence generation to the “when, where, and how” of communication, and delivers the improved strategic outcomes that a well‑aligned IEGP and dissemination plan can achieve.

That’s the ideal situation. In reality, not all biopharma companies have an IEGP process and, even for those that do, implementation is inconsistent and may not include all relevant stakeholders.  On occasion, Med Comms professionals may not even have a seat at the table during the IEGP process and have to rely on the Medical Affairs function as a liaison to the strategic discussions related to evidence planning and generation. The biggest challenge for IEGPs, however, remains the lack of clarity in how the IEGP aligns with the overarching medical/brand plan and, more specifically, how it informs the strategic publication planning process.

The Strategic Publication Plan: Communication in Action

Publication planning is the mechanism through which evidence is delivered to the right audiences, at the right time, and in the right format. Anchored in Good Publication Practice (GPP), strategic publication plans ensure transparent, ethical, and audience-specific communication of data.¹

Strategic publication plans encompass peer-reviewed manuscripts, congress presentations, plain language summaries (PLS), and other enhanced content. Strong publication plans do more than schedule outputs, they help shape a coherent, evidence-based narrative.

The strategic publications planning process is inextricably tied to the IEGP, which provides clarity on what data will be available when. The publication plan itself becomes an essential tool for extending the reach of that data to key audiences and ultimately strengthens the foundational evidence-base that supports decision-making across the product lifecycle.

The Power of Integration: From Evidence to Impact

IEGPs define the “what”; publication plans guide the “when, where, and how”.

When these two elements are aligned, the benefits accrue not just to biopharma companies but also to patients and health systems more broadly:

• Improved visibility of priority data across internal and external stakeholders
• Earlier identification of evidence gaps and reduced duplication of study efforts
• Stronger alignment of business milestones and scientific objectives 
• Greater likelihood of regulatory and market access success
• Potential for significant improvement in outcomes for patients and health system budgets

Without integration, teams often fall into the “potluck party” trap, where each function contributes a separate plan, leading to overlap, inefficiency, and missed opportunities.²

The Role of the Med Comms Professional: From Strategist to Implementator

This is where the role of the Med Comms professional brings functional strategic value, being well-positioned to ensure integration between evidence planning and communication. Their contributions include:

• Shaping the scientific narrative and lexicon
• Aligning timing and format with stakeholder needs
• Planning dissemination activities tailored to each audience
• Supporting enhancements such as PLS, infographics, and video abstracts

Rather than being limited to tactical delivery, Med Comms professionals bring most value when central to the process, providing strategic guidance and coordinating how evidence is translated and communicated to a variety of stakeholder audiences, as illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 2. The Strategic Role of Med Comms Professionals

Building Capability: Tools and Resources

For teams looking to strengthen their approach, the International Society of Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) provides a range of practical resources to support integrated planning and publication excellence, including:

• ISMPP U webinars and podcasts
• Good Publication Practice (GPP) and associated publication guidelines¹ 
• Certified Medical Publication Professional™ (CMPP) credentialing
• Templates, case studies, and ISMPP Connect forums
• Position statement and enhanced guidance on responsible use of artificial intelligence in publication workflows^3,4

These offerings are especially valuable to newer professionals and lean teams managing multiple priorities.

Five Takeaways for Med Comms Professionals

• IEGPs support cross-functional alignment on a strategic, audience-relevant evidence generation plan
• A well-coordinated strategic publication plan ensures timely, targeted dissemination of that evidence
• An integrated, cross-functional approach reduces duplication and improves overall efficiency
• Med Comms professionals help shape and deliver the scientific narrative, which is strengthened through robust evidence generation planning
• ISMPP offers a suite of tools and community support to strengthen professional capability

Closing: Making Integration the Norm, Not the Exception

Leveraging IEGPs to inform strategic publication planning creates more effective and connected scientific communications, avoiding fragmented engagement with stakeholders and gaps in the overall evidence story.Early and ongoing cross-functional collaboration to support and drive the planning process ensures we reach our collective goal: to ensure the right evidence reaches the right audiences at the right time.

As our environment becomes increasingly more complex, this integrated approach, facilitated by Med Comms professionals, supports better coordination, clearer messaging, and more informed decisions. Ultimately, harmonization of evidence generation and dissemination plans enables biopharma companies to meet diverse stakeholder needs, supporting access to healthcare technologies for the patients who need them most.

The best time to start an integrated approach to planning is now.

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Acknowledgments: The authors used ChatGPT-4o (OpenAI) to support the collation of resources and to generate an initial outline and draft of the manuscript. The authors reviewed, edited, and take full responsibility for all subsequent content and the final submitted version. Figure 1 and Figure 2 were created by Oxford PharmaGenesis and Amica Scientific, respectively, and reused with their kind permission.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their employers.

Declaration of funding: There is no funding to declare for this article.

Declaration of financial/other relationships: ACW is Co-founder and Managing Partner of Amica Scientific and is a Co-chair and member of the ISMPP Small Companies and New Professionals Committee. RW is an employee and shareholder of Oxford PharmaGenesis. Other authors have nothing to declare.

References

1. DeTora LM, Toroser D, Sykes A, et al. Good Publication Practice (GPP) Guidelines for Company-Sponsored Biomedical Research: 2022 Update. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2022. 175:1298-1304. [Epub 30 August 2022]. https://doi.org/10.7326/M22-1460.
2. White R. Why cross-functional planning must not be a potluck party. Pharmaceutical Market Europe. 2021. Available at: https://pme.pmlive.com/collections/november-2021-pharmaceutical-market-europe/article-130114.
3. International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) position statement and call to action on artificial intelligence. Current Medical Research and Opinion. 2023;40(1):9–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/03007995.2023.2273139.
4. Goldman K, Moss V, Griffiths S, et al. (2025). Enhanced guidance on artificial intelligence for medical publication and communication professionals. Current Medical Research and Opinion. 2025;41(8): 1395–1400. https://doi.org/10.1080/03007995.2025.2556012.