Operational Transformation in LATAM Medical Affairs: Building a Shared Regional Vision for Latin America Based on the AstraZeneca Spain Model

The Medical Affairs (MA) 2030 vision positions the medical division as a strategic, patient impact-oriented function designed to translate scientific leadership, stakeholder partnerships, and evidence generation into measurable improvements in clinical practice and patient care. To align with this vision, AstraZeneca (AZ) is implementing a global transformation strategy based on common principles that can be adapted to diverse organizational and healthcare-system contexts. This transformation was first operationalized in AZ Spain through a structured MA transformation into an evolved medical operating model (OM) with data-driven, patient-centered workstreams, embedding transforming care (TC) as a working method focused on improving care pathways and health-system resilience. Scaling this approach requires maintaining a stable scientific and compliance core while allowing local configurations across diverse healthcare contexts, care pathways, and data readiness. We describe how this framework is being implemented in Latin America (LATAM) and outline the design elements intended to support phased implementation and comparability across settings. Latin American countries were organized into five clusters: Mexico, Brazil, Central America and the Caribbean (CAMCAR), the Andean region, and the Southern Cone. This structure supports phased implementation and the adaptation of priorities within a shared framework. The process comprises a four-step pathway starting with a baseline assessment, OM design and configuration, governance-led implementation, and monitoring of implementation progress, operational maturity, and longer-term impact through a focused set of indicators, an implementation roadmap, validation gates, and initial milestones. The approach combines a consistent, locally configurable transformation model and methodological assets, including CARABELA, to support implementation under different healthcare-system contexts. Key design elements include: (i) a baseline maturity assessment and cluster adaptation logic to define each setting’s starting point and priority pathway gaps; (ii) a consistent set of roles, responsibilities and capability enablers to support coordinated execution; (iii) defined governance forums to align evidence planning, launch activities, and TC initiatives through standardized decision-making processes; and (iv) a monitoring approach based on leading and lagging indicators that supports implementation adjustment, assessment of maturity progression, and cross-cluster comparability despite differences in data availability. Early evidence, based on more than 25 TC active projects across clusters and all therapeutic areas reached and potentially impacted 2.5 million patients, with more than 190,000 individuals at risk of selected diseases identified through screening and case-finding initiatives. These aggregate findings indicate implementation scale and uptake, even though they cannot establish causal effectiveness. Subsequent publications will provide detailed cluster-level implementation results, key performance indicator trajectories, changes in maturity assessment, operational lessons, and practical guidance intended to facilitate implementation in other regions and healthcare systems. Medical Affairs (MA) teams in pharmaceutical companies help connect scientific evidence with the needs of healthcare professionals, healthcare systems, and patients. However, countries differ in how healthcare is organized, how patients access care, and what data and resources are available. This means that the same way of working cannot be applied identically in every country. This article describes how a MA operating model developed by AstraZeneca in Spain is being adapted for use in Latin America. The countries were organized into five clusters: Mexico, Brazil, the Andean region, the South Cone, and Central America and the Caribbean. A shared framework was developed and implemented across these clusters, while allowing activities to be adapted to local healthcare needs and capabilities. The framework has four steps. First, each cluster assesses its healthcare environment, care pathways, available data, and MA capabilities. Second, the recommended operating model is adapted to the local setting. Third, implementation is coordinated through defined responsibilities and regular decision-making forums. Fourth, progress and impact are monitored using agreed indicators. The operating model is intended to help MA teams work more consistently across the region while adapting their activities to local needs. It provides a structured approach for using scientific evidence, collaborating with healthcare stakeholders, and identifying opportunities to improve care pathways and address gaps in patient care. This article describes the framework and its implementation across Latin America. Future publications will report the experience gained, lessons learned, and results from individual countries as sufficiently mature data become available.