February 16, 2012 ·
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Thought Leader Select, a Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based research and consulting firm for the biopharmaceutical and healthcare industries, announces the commencement of a key opinion leader assessment for a top five global pharmaceutical company.
For the assessment, Thought Leader Select will use its proprietary identification methodology to pinpoint 40 Canadian key opinion leaders in oncology, with sub-specialty in the area of skin cancer. The company will study the skills and experience of Canadian oncologists in several areas of thought leadership in the medical field, including areas of expertise, leadership in basic and clinical research, and research publishing in leading scientific journals.
The client company will utilize Thought Leader Select’s research to engage key opinion leaders in oncology on a number of fronts, including advisory boards, consulting, and medical science liaison outreach.
“We are excited about this opportunity to support a great company as they prepare to enter the Canadian market with a new medicine that will improve the lives of patients suffering from skin cancer,” stated Neil Mellor, Thought Leader Select’s global business development consultant. “Our position in the advancement of this new treatment is critical, since our work ensures that the company will be reaching out to the right physicians during the company’s earliest phase of assisting in the treatment of patients in this disease area.”
About Neil Mellor
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basic research biopharmaceutical industry Canadian key opinion leaders clinical research healthcare key opinion leader assessment KOL engagement KOL identification KOLs medical research medical science liaisons medicine MSLs Neil Mellor oncologists Oncology pharmaceuticals physician public health publishing scientific advisory boards scientific journals skin cancer therapeutic area Thought Leader Select
April 27, 2011 ·
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Industry Insights from Paul Meade, M.Sc., MPH
By now, just about everyone involved in healthcare has heard about the Sunshine Provision (also known as the Sunshine Act). Starting January 1, 2012, any U.S. drug or device manufacturer that provides compensation to a physician or medical institution for any kind of services rendered will have to report it to the government.
The reporting benchmark is any amount over $10 for any single event. This means that if a sales representative for a pharmaceutical company buys a sandwich for a physician’s lunch and it costs $9.95, it doesn’t have to be reported, but if the physician adds a bottle of water to the sandwich, bringing the total to $11.95, it will need to be reported. Is it really to report sandwiches? Of course not, but it will! It’s really for some of the “big ticket” items, like compensation for conducting clinical studies, consulting on the development of new products, speaking at small meetings to colleagues that are sponsored by a company, etc.
So who pays for collecting, capturing, analyzing, and reporting all this information, and what will all of this monitoring activity cost? Let’s start by determining the number of active physicians in the United States. Well, there’s a problem right off the bat! According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are ... read more »
TAGS: $10 American Association of Family Physicians biotechnology Census Bureu compensation consulting cost drug government government database healthcare information JAMA Journal of American Medical ASsociation manage manufacturer medical device medical institution monitoring Paul Meade pay pharmaceutical company physician report reporting sales representative Sunshine Act Sunshine Provision thougth leader WHO World Health Organization
March 30, 2011 ·
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Industry Insights from Paul Meade, M.Sc., MPH
Should doctors be paid by drug companies? Well, I guess that depends on the reason for the payment. If a physician, known for her expertise in a given area, is asked by a pharmaceutical company to determine if a newly discovered drug compound would meet a medical need in healthcare, then the answer is clearly yes. Likewise, if a patient consults with an orthopedic specialist on whether to undergo a surgical procedure to repair a damaged cartilage, that consultation is paid for by the person’s health insurance.
In any profession based on an individual’s expertise—think lawyers, management consultants–a person’s informed opinion usually commands some form of payment. Also, the level of expertise generally dictates the level of compensation. So why is it that when a physician gives advice to a patient, or even a group of patients during a patient advocacy lecture, we all feel compensation is fair and just, but when that same person provides his or her expertise to a pharmaceutical company seeking to make a decision on whether to continue the development of a new drug, many people cry foul? Should pharmaceutical companies be forbidden to seek out and pay for the expertise and knowledge of physicians?
In order for a new medicine to become available to the general population, regulatory authorities demand ... read more »
TAGS: balance Bias clinical studies compensation doctors drug companies effective expertise healthcare Industry insight influence informed opinion Paul Meade perspective pharmaceutical company physician
September 2, 2010 ·
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Industry Insights from Paul Meade, M. Sc, MPH
As I wander down the aisle of my local grocery store, I pause at the various stations anchored the end of these long rows with people offering a “freebie” of some food product, a bite of sausage, some aged cheese, a new fruit drink. Each passerby stops briefly for his free sample and then moves along deciding whether to buy the product or not. When I arrive at the checkout, I casually hand over the collection of coupons I received in the mail to reduce my final bill. The reason I am at the store today is because of the flyer I received inside my weekly newspaper announcing a bevy of “specials.” Has the grocery store tried to influence my buying decisions? You bet they have. That’s good business.
Have you ever gone to buy a new car? Does the salesperson do everything within her ability to make the sale before you leave the showroom, offering you discounts, incentives, free service, and a favorable trade-in value for your old car? You bet she does! She knows that if you leave the showroom, the chances are you won’t be back–so she throws everything she can at you. Is she trying to influence your buying decision? Of course she is!
So then why is it, when a ... read more »
TAGS: Consumer Reports National Research Center pharmaceutical representatives physician physician influence prescribing habits prescription drugs
