This approach paid off as discontentment among other CME providers grew. In June, the American Heart Association approached ACCME to make its case for the involvement of industry presenters at its annual meeting. ACCME responded by issuing further guidance, which reaffirmed the ACR’s opinion that, through rigorous peer review and conflict of interest management, employees of commercial interest can play a critical role in certified CME. Mechanisms for managing this conflict of interest in order to safeguard the independence of the CME include peer review of content, asking that the presenters teach about the scientific or discovery process itself, or reporting research results that are at the level of biology but not discussing products, among other approaches. As a clinical trialist for 30 years, my interaction with the industry research community has been positive and rewarding, and it is clear that industry rheumatologists have significant expertise that could be of value to the ACR. I feel strongly that our rheumatologic colleagues in industry should have the opportunity to present the results of new, innovative research going on at their companies that has the potential to change the therapeutic landscape for our patients.
New Approaches at the Annual Meeting and Beyond
For the 2010 annual meeting, the ACR is piloting a program allowing Industry Roundtable members to support either CME-accredited symposia or company-directed promotional symposia. Industry Roundtable members requested this option due to the increasingly stringent environment surrounding CME activities and the firewalls between commercial supporters and CME. Several companies cited experiences where company medical education staff attended their own CME symposium to find that data had been presented incorrectly. Five of the eight Industry Roundtable members will be hosting non-CME symposia during the meeting, which are considered promotional presentations and fall under the guidance of the Food and Drug Administration and PhRMA Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals. Symposia will be clearly identified and the ACR will reevaluate these activities after the annual meeting to determine whether to continue them in 2011.
We would be naive if we did not acknowledge that perception plays a major role in evaluating interactions between industry, physicians, and societies. The ACR recently determined it will no longer be offering noneducational items such as tote bags, lanyards, or luggage tags as support opportunities. Beginning in 2011, the ACR will also make publicly available on our website the annual financial contributions each company makes. It is the intent of the ACR to continue to manage and cultivate responsible relationships with industry and we will continue to evaluate our interactions on a regular basis to ensure we comply not only with those relevant to the industry but also with our internal standards.