Britain's RCP Proposes Phase-Out of Industry-Sponsored CME; Cutting Edge Information's Study Outlines the Future of CME in the US

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC--(Marketwire - March 10, 2009) - A recent publication from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) makes several recommendations regarding the ideal relationship among doctors, academics, and the pharmaceutical industry. One of the top recommendations involves a gradual reduction of pharmaceutical industry-sponsored continuing medical education (CME) in the UK.

Public concerns abound that pharmaceutical industry-sponsored CME results in a conflict of interest. But the question remains: without pharmaceutical industry involvement in CME, where will the money come from? The RCP believes that academic institutions and government organizations, such as the Department of Health, can fill the gap. That scenario may be possible in the UK, but it may prove too difficult a proposition for the US to emulate.

A new report, "Key Opinion Leaders: Relationship Management and Segmentation Data," published by pharmaceutical business intelligence firm Cutting Edge Information, speaks directly to the new challenges facing the future of CME in the US. To learn more, visit http://www.PharmaOpinionLeaders.com.

In the US, new guidelines from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) do not limit the sponsorship of educational programs, but they do limit the communication between a sponsoring company and the speakers. This has caused many in the pharmaceutical industry to question the benefits of such sponsorship.

More and more pharmaceutical companies in the US are having difficulty justifying paying for CME because they are no longer allowed to specify how the money is spent or even to review drug-related data delivered by a key opinion leader during a speech. If this trend continues, the pharmaceutical industry in the US may decide to discontinue sponsorship of CME altogether. A coordinated move such as this by the pharmaceutical industry would negatively affect nearly all postgraduate educational programs.

"Several executives interviewed for this report expressed their concern over the new restrictive ACCME guidelines," said Jordan Stone, research analyst at Cutting Edge Information and lead author of the report. "One major concern stems from a company's inability to fact-check an educational speech, creating the possibility that a physician may accidentally lecture using inaccurate information."

"Key Opinion Leaders: Relationship Management and Segmentation Data" provides detailed strategies to aid companies' thought leader management strategies. A complimentary brochure is available for download at http://www.PharmaOpinionLeaders.com.

Contact Information: CONTACT INFORMATION: Jordan Stone 919-433-0376