CMSS Code for Interactions with Industry

The Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) represents 32 medical professional societies. This roughly translates to a membership of over 650,000 U.S. physicians.

Last month, the CMSS released the CMSS Code of Interaction with Industry. This voluntary code calls for independent and transparent interactions between medical specialty organizations and industry.

Here's a snippet from the April 21 press release:

“CMSS is committed to encouraging and supporting a culture of integrity, voluntary self-regulation and transparency,” said Dr. James Scully, CMSS President and CEO of the American Psychiatric Association.  “This code provides a clear benchmark for maintaining integrity and independence.”

Click here (PDF) to view the CMSS Code of Interaction with Industry.

Don't forget to get your CME/CE at #HIMSS10

There were several nice thing about being here at HIMSS10. First, I was surrounded by health IT experts, bloggers, companies, consultants, etc. It was a phenomenal educational experience and I did my best to network, blog, and learn. Second, I was able to get CME. So, if you're a health care professional and you attended HIMSS10, don't forget to fill out the necessary forms to claim your CME/CE credits.

I miss my family and I'm ready to go home. I have a bag full of toys for the kids since health IT vendors don't follow the PhRMA Code. I have a few stuffed animals, bouncy balls that light up, USB flash drives, and more. These things will keep my kids entertained for at least 20 minutes!

Special thanks to HP for sponsoring me to attend and blog here at HIMSS10.   

Pharma marketing guidelines for the use of social media

Should pharma marketing guidelines be different when they're using social media (such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, forums, etc.)? The world of social media is so new and different. In this world, we get two-way interaction and although you can moderate certain elements, people can (and will often) say whatever they want to say.

• How well do the folks at the FDA understand the use of social media? 
• When (if ever) will the FDA release guidelines on how pharma/biotech should use social media to communicate with consumers vs. healthcare professionals?
• Will the PhRMA Code come out with some type of guideline first?

I have no idea if (or when) such guidelines will ever emerge. Part of the complexity of social media is that it evolves so rapidly. Twitter launched as a micro blogging platform, but now it's used more as a broadcast medium. YouTube isn't simply a site for silly videos anymore. How will pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies leverage social media to communicate with consumers and healthcare professionals? (they're already using Sermo to communicate with U.S. physicians)

How should doctors receive education about new drugs?

We have seen so many new drugs and even new classes of drugs emerge over the last ten years. How do most physicians learn about new drugs? Many (certainly not all) community practitioners would say they learn what they need to know from the drug reps. Others indicate continuing medical education or CME activities as their main source of information regarding new drugs. Back in the "old days," docs would also attend many promotional/marketing dinners and social functions to learn about new medications. Those days are ending as PhRMA code regulations get stricter.

So what is the most effective way for physicians to learn about new drugs? They are so busy and easily overwhelmed by their workload that many have a difficult time keeping up with the latest science, the latest medical news, or even urgent FDA alerts and warnings.

Most of the clinical studies evaluating new drugs are performed by the drug manufacturer. Most of the CME activities that include any information related to new drugs are often underwritten by pharmaceutical companies, but the educational content is developed independently to be fair-balanced and is not influenced by industry. You won't see certified-CME activities that focus only on a single drug (maybe the only exception is when that's the only drug that's out there for a specific condition).

If a new drug comes out, do doctors really know how to use it safely and effectively? How can they accomplish this unless they receive fair-balanced education that highlights the clinical utility of such new agents? This becomes especially important when we're talking about brand new classes of drugs that have entirely new mechanisms of actions and pharmacological profiles.

There has been a lot of talk recently about industry-supported CME (certified continuing medical education). Some think that it's a bad idea for industry to support CME. Others feel that the lack of industry support may have a significant negative impact on physician continuing education. Why? Because the availability of fair-balanced educational programs may shrink considerably. What would happen if physicians only get exposed to marketing/promotional messages about new drugs and they don't get exposed to fair-balanced continuing education about those same products?