Blog
scPharmaceuticals: When to Bring Medical Information Systems In-House
Aug 04, 2025 | Allie Reynolds
Aug 04, 2025 | Allie Reynolds
When is the right time to bring medical information systems in-house? For many small and emerging biotech companies, the answer depends on timing, resources, and readiness. That was the case for scPharmaceuticals. About one year before its drug-device combination product received FDA approval, the company started working with a CRO to manage medical information requests.
“At the time, we were just getting started and outsourcing made sense,” says Katie Luepke, executive director, scientific communications, drug information, and publications at scPharmaceuticals. “The partner had the infrastructure and we had the content. It was a smart setup.” This model is common among early-stage companies, especially before commercial launch. But as businesses grow, many reach a turning point — when increasing complexity and inquiry volume prompt the question: when is the right time to make a shift?
Luepke and I explored this theme in the Medical Affairs Professional Society (MAPS) podcast, “The Tipping Point: When to Bring Medical Information Systems In-House.” She shared why and how scPharmaceuticals shifted toward owning its own system, and the results she and the team have seen since. Her experience offers a practical roadmap for other biotech teams approaching similar decisions.
The tipping point: Missed opportunities and budget friction
The decision to bring medical information systems in-house is rarely driven by a singular challenge. More often, it’s the accumulation of small, missed opportunities for quicker response, or greater data visibility alongside the budget friction that comes with growth. Owning your medical information system anchors process, data, and content to your operations, enabling control, even as dynamics change around you. For many companies, CROs remain valuable partners to operate contact centers and provide additional capacity, but system ownership allows for flexibility in deciding what to outsource.
For scPharmaceuticals, fully outsourcing medical information was a practical decision in the lead-up to its product launch and came with a number of benefits. As the business grew, a few inefficiencies emerged that prompted Luepke and her team to rethink their approach. “We realized we could potentially manage medical information ourselves — streamline the process, improve turnaround times, and hire someone internally with deep product knowledge and expertise,” she says.
The CRO handled most logistics and first-line responses but complex inquiries were often escalated — many landing with Luepke. “We hit a roadblock in the speed in which responses were transmitted. In some cases, it took as long as three days to send a response,” she says.
Cost control was another key driver. Their contract was fixed to a monthly volume of medical information questions and exceeding those thresholds meant added cost. As scPharmaceuticals launched a new product, inquiries increased and invoices began to add up quickly. “With any small pharma company, you have to be very budget-conscious during a launch,” Luepke says. “Cost savings are what really caught our attention. We justified the change financially and our colleagues were excited about a more streamlined approach.”
Building in-house, realizing results
The decision to move medical information in-house wasn’t taken lightly. scPharmaceuticals valued CRO support, but owning the system offered what they needed most: visibility, consistency, and control. Once the team committed, the transition happened quickly. Within six months, scPharmaceuticals increased their headcount and implemented Veeva MedInquiry. Luepke says that the go-live experience was surprisingly smooth. “After proactive planning and system configuration, everything worked as expected. It was almost anticlimactic,” she says.
In the year since implementation, scPharmaceuticals has seen measurable results including:
- Faster response times: Turnaround dropped from up to 72 hours to same-business-day for 95% of inquiries.
- Higher service quality, with more expert responses and an improved experience for requesters.
- Accessible reporting and insights, allowing the team to share real-time performance data with leadership.
Three keys to a successful in-house medical information transition
scPharmaceuticals credits the success of its transition to three key principles:
Investment in upfront planning:
By aligning stakeholders and mapping out business requirements, Luepke and her team defined what success would look like before the first configuration step.
She says, “We put so much thought and effort into planning and worked proactively with our Veeva partners. By go-live, everything was ready. I remember waiting for something to go wrong — but it all ran smoothly. When you invest in the front end, it will pay off in the back end.”Strong cross-functional collaboration:
From IT to safety to medical affairs, each team had a clear role in shaping the system. Their collaboration not only created a smooth transition but also helped build long-term buy-in.
“We thought about the downstream impact — who this change would affect and made it a priority to get their buy-in early,” Luepke says. “We wanted them to have visibility into what we were doing, not just to anticipate potential issues, but to take a more proactive and collegial approach.”Avoid doing too much too soon:
Rather than aim for a fully automated or AI-powered experience out of the gate, scPharmaceuticals focused on getting the fundamentals right. This phased approach made implementation more manageable and gave the team confidence that they could continue building over time.
“At small companies, we often say we’re building the plane as we fly it — and that applies here. It’s important to stay organized upfront, but you don’t need everything figured out from the start. Focus on getting the system functional and working well first, then fine tune and add later,” says Luepke.
Life after go-live: What’s next for scPharmaceuticals
With foundational processes in place, scPharmaceuticals can now focus its attention on enhancing medical information even further. Potential next steps include incorporating AI-powered tools like chatbots, adopting new omnichannel communication methods, and making content more visual and interactive. With a strong infrastructure, Luepke says her team has the flexibility to test new formats and expand reach in more engaging ways. “The sky is the limit,” she says. “The goal is no longer just to maintain the system, it’s to innovate and improve.”
Luepke and her colleagues are also preparing for what’s ahead. While the company currently supports one commercial product, it anticipates future growth — and with that, new demands on the medical information team. By building an in-house system today, they’re positioned to scale without starting from scratch in the future. Luepke says, “It’s been one year since we brought medical information in-house. We haven’t looked back and we are excited for what’s next.”
Listen to the full podcast episode here