NEWS IPC A A IPCAA A Farewell

IPC A A
NEWS
A Farewell
Message
from the
President
IPCAA
INTERNATIONAL
PHARMACEUTICAL
CONGRESS
ADVISORY
ASSOCIATION
No. 36
December 2010
Photo Alfred Arzt
My term of presidency of IPCAA will
officially come to an end in January,
at our Annual Meeting and General
Assembly – which will coincidentally
take place in my home town of
Gothenburg!
I therefore wanted to take this
opportunity to express my sincere
thanks to all our members, especially
those who serve on our Council and our
Executive group, including Legal Advisor
Manfred Piepenburg – all of whom have
in their various ways given me fantastic
support and encouragement during the
three years since I took over the role of
President of IPCAA.
It has been a challenge for several
reasons: firstly, I was rather suddenly
pitched into the task after just one year as
Vice President, following the
unanticipated resignation of the previous
President. On top of that, the environment
in which we operate has been undergoing
significant changes during my period in
charge, with several mergers and
acquisitions reducing our membership.
This and other factors created pressure
on costs and IPCAA activity. I am glad to
say that the various issues have all been
satisfactorily resolved and I am confident
that the next President will inherit an
association in good shape, fit to face
the future!
I also believe that, despite the challenges
which presented themselves, a lot of
progress has been made and some
notable steps forward have been taken.
It is not for me to pre-empt the chosen
direction in which the new President will
take us, but I am totally sure that IPCAA
will go from strength to strength and
continue to be highly visible as the
“voice” of industry in all congress-related
matters and will be influential in
supporting change and new trends.
I wish my successor all the best for the
future and I will continue to offer my
support in the capacity of a member of
the IPCAA Council. Thanks once again to
everyone, and not forgetting either, all of
our external stakeholders with whom it
was my pleasure to interact.
Anna Frick
Season’s
Greetings
Winter is upon us again
and already this year,
abnormally severe
weather conditions in
Europe have impacted on
work activity and travel!
Hoping for sunnier times
ahead for everybody and
happiness and success in
personal and business life
in 2011 and beyond, IPCAA
News extends to all its
readers best wishes for
the festive season and the
New Year.
The IPCAA Council Meeting
The IPCAA Council met
in Montreal, Canada
on 20th and 21st October.
Following the cancelled meeting
earlier this year (due to disruption
caused by the volcanic ash cloud
over Europe in April), this was the
first time the members of the
Council had had an opportunity for
face to face discussions since the
IPCAA meetings in January in New
York. As a result, there was a very
busy agenda and plenty of lively
discussion took place.
Anna Frick, President greeted
participants and presented the
agenda plans for the meeting.
Reports from IPCAA Officers
Financial report
The President, Vice President and Executive
Director commented on activities undertaken
on behalf of the Association since January.
These included, among routine tasks such as
driving a task force facilitation project,
preparing and planning a WebEx in
replacement of the cancelled Spring Council
meeting, planning the Council meeting for
Montreal and regular Executive group
teleconferences and meetings:
The Treasurer presented a detailed financial report
which continues to show a healthy, stable position
despite some reductions in membership numbers over
recent years, principally due to mergers and acquisitions
within the industry. A small reduction in income had not
prevented the Association from continued investment in
selected projects approved by Council.
●
●
●
2
Photo Leo van Maanen
A number of presentations on
pharmaceutical industry related themes
delivered at seminars and conferences
organised by other associations in the
meetings industry
Cooperation with IAPCO in planning the
Masterclass programme for Wolfsberg
in January 2011
Involvement in a project aimed at
development for IPCAA members of a
standardised methodology for
evaluation of healthcare congresses
●
A targeted campaign to attract new
members
●
Development of a succession plan for
IPCAA officers
●
Participation in Healthcare Congress
Alliance (HCA) activities
Factors to be considered and incorporated into the
budget for the next financial period were also discussed
during the meeting.
Reports from task forces
Reports from the task forces were discussed and new
activities identified and agreed.
HCA activities
Two meetings have taken place this year involving
IPCAA representatives, and various HCA initiatives have
been progressed, the most notable being production of
some new Housing Guidelines to be published by HCA.
The draft guidelines were reviewed by Council.
IPCAA Education events
Council members were informed about plans for the
forthcoming workshop on Compliance (Dec 8th). It was
confirmed that the event will again be open to
representatives of medical societies as well as IPCAA
members, following the success of this approach last
year. It is hoped that a good balance of participants will
be achieved.
Photo Leo van Maanen
Guest speaker session
Nomination of Officers
The undoubted highlight of this Council meeting
was a presentation by Dr Thomas P. Stossel, MD,
of Harvard Medical School, addressing aspects
of the pharma: physician relationship. Intriguingly
entitled “Commercialism in healthcare – sin or
salvation?”, Stossel examined and commented
on a number of contentious issues, offering an
enlightened and often humorous approach to a
subject which seemingly continues to provoke
more and more controversy.
Council reviewed and voted on a proposal to add
a second Vice President to the team of IPCAA
officers. (See article below).
(See the article on page 5).
Programme for 2011 General
Assembly
The proposal from the Executive Group was
discussed in Council and agreed in principle.
Speakers, etc are now finalised and the full
agenda placed on the website for members.
Event evaluation project
Compliance issues etc
A short workshop, to enable Council members
to review and gain additional insight into the
methodology being developed for IPCAA, took
place on the second morning. It was agreed that
thought would be given to next steps and future
implementation and the subject will be revisited
in January.
The final session of the Council meeting
consisted of a very interesting exchange of views
and recent experiences on compliance issues
among members. It was felt that IPCAA should
make every endeavour to maintain closer contact
with certain regulatory bodies.
IPCAA to appoint second Vice President
- changes to Statutes required -
Following a suggestion from the Executive Group, the IPCAA Council has decided to
propose to the membership at the General Assembly next January, to appoint two Vice
Presidents of the association in future.
supplied by IPCAA Legal Advisor, Manfred
This will mean that tasks could be shared –
Piepenburg, which, after due deliberation on
certainly welcome for colleagues with increasing
certain possible practical scenarios was
professional workloads and also a degree of
approved in Council.
back up secured in the event of career changes
or other influences.
To provide for the election of two Vice Presidents,
as well as other desired changes which have
been identified, for example, length of tenure of
Council positions, the IPCAA statutes will need to
be revised. A proposal for the amended text was
Note: Two candidates for the Vice
Presidency have already been identified; but
final voting will not take place until January,
so it is still possible to nominate/volunteer.
3
IPCAA contributes to
ICCA annual conference
This year’s ICCA conference, held in
Hyderabad, India – was attended by more than
700 delegates involved in delivering meetings
from various aspects such as the airline
industry, convention bureaux, PCO’s, hotels and
professional associations. The delegates truly
represented all areas of the world. The ICCA
meetings are known for their open and friendly
atmosphere and there are plenty of
opportunities to network.
Anna Frick, President of IPCAA, participated in a panel
discussion entitled “Big Issues Within Medical Meetings
and Their Supporting Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices
Companies”. Other panel members were Davi Kaur,
MPhil., Head of Congress Unit, ECCO (the European
Cancer Organisation), Prof. Ruby Pawankar, MD, Ph.D,
Nippon Medical School, Japan & Director, Asian Allergy
Asthma Foundation, and President-Elect of the World
Allergy Organisation and Dr. Ian Macreadie, Chief
Scientific Officer, Sienna Cancer Diagnostics, Australia.
The discussion was led by Robin Lokerman from
MCI Singapore.
After short presentations by panellists, describing their
respective organisations, during which Anna briefly
detailed basic pharmaceutical industry compliance
issues, there was lively discussion amongst the panel.
Perhaps surprisingly there was a high level of
understanding and agreement from those representing
what could have been polarised viewpoints! Indeed
there seemed to be generally informed acceptance of
the issues surrounding the pharmaceutical codes.
Discussion in fact focussed more around the important
need for physicians to continue to meet for the
exchange of ideas and acquisition of new knowledge
and skills. The added benefit that virtual meetings are
now proving to have as an adjunct to face to face
events was acknowledged by panellists and finally a
strong emphasis was made on the fact that all parties
need to continue and even increase collaboration and
cooperation in the future.
Questions raised from the floor during the discussion on
aspects of pharmaceutical regulatory codes were dealt
with by the IPCAA President, enabling further explanation
of the reasons for the codes’ existence and contributing
to improved understanding for those present.
4
Anna Frick speaking at the conference
The obvious interest in the topic of this session was
confirmed by the audience of around 300 who attended.
Healthcare congresses clearly remain a very significant
and valued part of the meetings sector.
Such was the interest raised, that, as Anna said
“…the lively discussions continued beyond the meeting
room but remained very balanced. So it seems that we
are slowly getting an acceptance of the codes and the
issues on which they impact. Having said that we still
have a long way to go in this area of the world where we
as companies are not truly living our codes yet.”
Next year’s ICCA conference will be in Leipzig,
Germany. Anna believes that participation of the IPCAA
Executive Board at next year’s meeting will be able to
further strengthen ties between the respective
organisations as well as making another positive
contribution to promoting mutual understanding of
common issues.
“We view our relationship with IPCAA as critical for
building two-way understanding between senior
pharma industry representatives and the leading
meetings industry suppliers who comprise our
membership”, said ICCA CEO Martin Sirk. “Issues
such as evolving sponsorship and marketing
strategies, political and professional pressures on
CME delivery, and growing time pressure on
physicians are all going to shape the future
effectiveness of medical congresses, and ensuring
that a platform exists where these issues can be
debated in an open and creative manner is one of
our top priorities. We look forward to working closely
with IPCAA to ensure our Congress becomes well
known across both our communities as a mutually
beneficial site for these essential discussions.”
Rebel with a Cause?
At a recent meeting of the IPCAA
Council, held in Montreal, Canada
in October 2010, Dr. Thomas Stossel,
MD gave a highly entertaining
and informative presentation as
guest speaker.
Tom Stossel is a colourful and enigmatic character.
As a highly qualified and distinguished practising
physician and researcher, with a string of achievements
and awards to his name, he maintains an immensely
humanitarian outlook and practical commitment –
with his wife Kerry Maguire, D.D.S, M.S.P.H, he has
established a non-profit corporation (Options for
Children) in Zambia which he regularly visits, providing
dental care and preventive treatment in orphanages and
villages in rural areas.
Such is his professional profile, that you would expect
him to truly be a pillar of the medical establishment and
part of the ever growing movement to question and
curtail what many hold to be “dubious” interactions
between pharmaceutical industry and physicians. Far
from it! As co-founder of ACRE (the Association of
Clinical Researchers and Educators), Stossel has a
major policy interest – together with very strong and
controversial views – on the subject of physicianindustry collaboration.
He has contributed his views on the topic as author in
the professional and lay press, as a consultant to
pharmaceutical companies, as a speaker at academic
health centres and on broadcast media, typically raising
and commenting on issues such as:
●
The risk: benefit ratio of commerce in medicine
●
The definition of “professionalism” and its relation
to commerce
●
The nature and management of conflict of interest
in medicine
It is his view that, the damages claimed from the
perceived risks of physician-industry relationships are
“imaginary or speculative” and that a “crescendo” has
been reached in anti-business sentiment in science
and medicine.
Stossel points to advances in research and treatment
achieved because of commercial interest, saying
“In the commercial context, trust comes from your
individual track record, from honouring contracts and
delivering promises—not from who pays you or how much.
The growing interaction between medical practitioners,
educators and researchers and companies is an
evolutionary adaptation to opportunity for all, not a
diabolical commercial conspiracy. Let’s celebrate the
commercialism that has so improved medicine and shift
our energies from bashing it to making it work better”.
Equally, he admits the need for safeguards, believing
that “disclosure within limits can be reasonable”, going
on to add “…let’s appreciate its limitations and exercise
common sense. Inappropriate promotion can be
censured, with due process. Let’s stop agonising over
subliminal messages and give medical practitioners a
little more credit for their ability to process information”.
With outspoken views, seemingly contrary to the
present groundswell of opinion, Tom Stossel clearly has
his detractors and aggressive opposition to his views is
frequently expressed. For his part, he believes there is
an in-built “cultural bias” which inhibits more open
thinking on the topic of physician-industry relationships.
Many critics see him as “tilting at windmills”, while
others appear to view him as a more substantial threat
to “progress”.
Whether Thomas Stossel will go down in history as a
visionary ahead of his time, or a voice crying out in the
wilderness remains to be seen. He is nevertheless a
very visible and vocal manifestation of a useful and
necessary debate on what some might see as excessive
overreaction to the perceived need to “control” the
healthcare industry. However, what makes fundamental
sense to some will be viewed as foolhardy by others.
Those on both sides of the fence in this ongoing
discussion, including IPCAA members, will no doubt
follow the arguments with interest!
Note: in publishing the comments by Dr Stossel on this page,
IPCAA News offers an opportunity for views to be voiced on an
important subject. It should not, however, be inferred that comments
made represent any official opinion of IPCAA on the subject matter.
5
IPCAA runs successful Compliance Workshop in Frankfurt
The workshop organised by
IPCAA in Frankfurt on 8th
December attracted a group
of approximately 40 attendees,
despite certain travel difficulties
experienced by some of the
delegates.
As well as representatives from among the IPCAA
membership, participants from various medical
societies were also present, enabling a useful
exchange of views and experience from differing
viewpoints. A high calibre faculty covered not just
international pharmaceutical but also medical
device industry compliance issues and internal
compliance departments were represented
alongside an important regulatory body.
First to speak was Marie-Claire Pickaert, Deputy
Director General of EFPIA – the European
Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and
Associations, who emphasised the commitment
of her organisation to working closely with
medical societies and congress organisers and
reaching out to all involved groups, to raise
awareness and ensure an accurate perception of
pharmaceutical industry aims and values.
Pickaert went on to explain the recent EFPIA
leadership statement and the aim to jointly
achieve common standards of practice at
congresses, particularly via interaction with the
medical profession. She also commented on a
series of EFPIA visits to international congresses
in Europe, commenting in general terms on
issues that may raise concern in regard of
EFPIA’s HCP Code and underlining the
importance of conforming to highest ethical
standards in interactions between pharmaceutical
companies and Healthcare Professionals.
Cécile Gousset, Head of Medical Information
Compliance at sanofi aventis followed, by
presenting to the audience compliance matters
related to interactions with HCPs for scientific
events. It was emphasised how important it is
that sanofi aventis should be acting ethically
under all circumstances. As a global diversified
healthcare company, their internal compliance
procedures and policy are based on international
guidelines (IFPMA, EFPIA and the World Health
Organisation). Internal documentation has been
created for all employees to give corporate
guidance to be implemented by the affiliates, in
accordance with local regulations when these are
more stringent.
6
Paul Woods, Global Compliance Policy and
Assurance Director of AstraZeneca, in a short
summarising presentation, underlined aspects of
what previous speakers had stated and indicated
his view that pharmaceutical industry should take
control of what at times may appear a confusing
situation, in order to move forward in everyone’s
interest. Following his comments, a lively Q+A
and discussion session ensued, with
considerable input from the delegates present.
Dr. Bernard Maillet, Secretary General of UEMS
(the representative body of European medical
specialists) presented details of European activity
in the fields of Continuing Medical Education and
Continuing Professional Development.
Compliance aspects and the need for
transparency clearly impact in this area too!
The final speaker was John McLoughlin, (pictured
above), Chairman of the Compliance Panel of
EUCOMED – the European medical device
companies association. He explained the
historical background of the development of the
EUCOMED code of ethical business practice and
detailed how this operates. Despite certain
practical differences in the way device companies
and pharmaceutical industry interact with
customers, it was made clear that the EUCOMED
code is indeed similar in many respects to that of
EFPIA. McLoughlin further commented that
compliance activity is driven by the desire to meet
ethical standards, as any industry would aspire to
do, but also reflect government and public
expectations, local laws and to a certain extent,
aspects of American legislation, which can impact
on any company which has business in the U.S.
Following the presentations by the guest
speakers, the participants broke out into working
groups, to address a case study aimed at defining
the “ideal” medical/scientific congress. This
resulted in intensive discussion and generated
much valuable comment.
Following the presentations by the guest speakers, the participants broke
out into working groups
Reviewing the day, Sylvia Fondanèche, Vice President
of IPCAA and organiser of the programme, stated
“I am satisfied with how the workshop went. Bringing
together various interest groups in what became very
open and at times, controversial discussion can only
serve the interests of us all. It is clear that much more
needs to be done in terms of continuing to offer
platforms for communication and interaction between
all parties involved on the organisation of medical
meetings. IPCAA intends to play a strong role in
facilitating this kind of networking exchange.”
IPCAA to reduce number of meetings
In a period when more and more demands are placed
on the time of those working in the conference sector,
as well as their colleagues, it was felt that IPCAA
should address the frequency of its Council meetings.
Traditionally, there have been Council meetings each year
in Spring and Autumn/Fall, together with one adjacent to
the Annual Meeting and General Assembly each January.
Quite by chance, because of the volcanic ash situation in
Europe, in April 2010, which caused such travel
disruption, the Spring meeting this year was cancelled
and substituted by a Council WebEx virtual meeting. This
proved very effective and in recent discussion, following
a proposal from the Executive Group of IPCAA, Council
members agreed to follow a similar pattern in the future.
Starting next year, therefore, there will be no physical
Council meeting in Spring and a WebEx will again be
arranged. Indeed, the view is that Council communication
and decision-making need not be negatively impacted by
a reduction in traditional meetings and the new situation
may be reinforced by additional “virtual meetings” when
considered necessary.
Masterclass
update
Following previous discussion within IPCAA to
cooperate with other organisations on
educational topics, the two associations will be
putting on a high level course at the time of the
usual IAPCO event in Wolfsberg in January 2011
(details on IPCAA website).
Speaking at the recent Council meeting in Montréal,
Anna Frick, President said “I think this is a very positive
step. We must recognise that it becomes increasingly
difficult for our busy Council members, all of whom are
volunteers, to attend meetings as their business
commitments take up ever more of their time. Also, we
have a duty to our membership to run the association as
efficiently as possible and to exercise discipline on cost
aspects. Coming as I do from the “green” city of
Gothenburg as well, I am delighted that in making this
move, we also considerably reduce the carbon footprint
of IPCAA and make a contribution to the environment.”
Rotation of IPCAA meetings
During discussion, the subject of the rotating location of
IPCAA meetings was also reviewed. In view of the fact it
had been decided to only have one CM per year apart
from that immediately prior to the GA, the Autumn/Fall
Council Meetings will now always take place in Europe,
with General Assemblies continuing to alternate
between Europe and the USA as previously.
companies, with plenty of interaction planned between
the limited number of delegates and a top quality
faculty drawn from different sectors of the international
meetings industry as well as congress supporters from
the pharma industry.
The theme of the course will be change and its
management. The programme will cover a range of
topics such as Corporate Responsibility, Procurement,
Changes in Meeting Formats, the “Shift to R+D” and
Virtual meetings, among other subjects.
This event has been specially put together with
IPCAA and IAPCO members in mind.
This will also offer a real chance for networking
opportunities with key players from the meetings industry.
This should be of interest to experienced colleagues
with more than 6 years decision-making experience
in the meetings industry – from IPCAA member
In view of the limited number of places available,
members are advised to announce their interest as
soon as possible!
7
IPCAA DIARY DATES
IPCAA Events 2011/2012:
• Council Meeting
January 11, 2011, Gothenburg, Sweden
IPCAA Council and
Member Companies
President
Anna Frick
Vice President
Sylvia Fondanèche
Treasurer
Ingrid Marti
● Annual Meeting and General Assembly
January 12 & 13, 2011, Gothenburg, Sweden
● Council Meeting
October 11 &12, 2011 Dublin, Ireland
● Council Meeting
January 10, 2012, San Francisco, USA
● General Assembly
January 11 & 12, 2012, San Francisco, USA
IPCAA Annual Meeting and
General Assembly 2011
(12th-13th January, Gothenburg, Sweden)
We encourage all members to send representatives to the
annual meeting. This year promises to be a busy and varied
programme with all the usual opportunities for plenty of
networking with colleagues from within the industry.
8164 Designed by Carlton Design Ltd. www.carltondesign.co.uk
Summary of programme
8
●
Reports on IPCAA activity and achievements during 2010
●
Presentation of 2011 budget
●
Election of new officers
●
New Strategic plan/Objectives for 2011
●
Task force meetings
●
Workshops (Objective setting for congress
participation/review of internal conference department
structures)
●
Guest speakers on topics such as social media/new
technology, developments in meeting formats
●
Guest speaker from EFPIA to update us on compliance
issues etc
(Full details available on the IPCAA website.)
Registration is easy – via the website.
Book your place NOW!
Council Members
Christian-Claus Roth
Sylvain Gaudron
Nis Hatt
Leo Van Maanen
Martin N. Jensen
Pavla Lotova
Vincent Nys
Jane Puckett
Eric Seban
Nicky Simpson
Legal Advisor
Manfred Piepenburg
IPCAA Member Companies
Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd.
AstraZeneca
Bayer Schering Pharma AG
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
Eli Lilly & Company
F. Hoffmann – La Roche
Galderma / L’Oréal
Grünenthal GmbH
H. Lundbeck A/S
Janssen Pharmaceutica (Johnson
& Johnson)
Leo Pharma
Merck & Co. Inc.
Merck Serono S.A.
Mundipharma Intl. Ltd.
Novartis Pharma AG
Novo Nordisk
Pfizer Inc.
sanofi-aventis
Servier International
Takeda Pharmaceuticals Europe Ltd.
UCB Pharma S.A.
Executive Director
Keith B. Spencer
IPCAA Secretariat
Rita Gutzwiller
PO Box 182
CH-4013 Basel, Switzerland
Tel: +41 61 821 31 33
Fax: +41 61 821 31 44
E-mail: [email protected]