Industry teams with HCPs to formulate a framework for ethical collaboration, medical device companies are advised to keep their compliance programs robust, and pharmaceutical companies disagree on the Sunshine Act as it relates to support for medical writing.

How about that Super Bowl Sunday! No doubt there were cheers, laughs and maybe even a few tears shed as you and your friends gathered to watch the best of the best compete. Of course, we’re talking about this year’s Super Bowl commercials! And, yes, there was a football game played (sort of) in between those delightful bits of entertainment. The array of commercials included some that were memorable and humorous (that bizarrely fun Audi “Doberhuahua” spot) and many that we found downright confusing (Axe “Kiss for Peace?”). While it might not be as memorable as that Radio Shack spot, we like to think that this week’s News in Review is a production worthy of your time and attention.

Huddle up! A group representing the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare providers and patient advocacy organizations recently published a framework for ethical collaboration. The framework is designed to foster collaborations that further patient care, and it is supported by four ethical principles: put patient’s first; support ethical research; ensure independence and ethical conduct; and promote transparency and accountability. The group says regular information sharing and communication between patients, practitioners and the industry is vital to improving health and advancing medical knowledge.

Biotech and small medical device companies need to be sure they stay aggressive on offense when addressing FCPA compliance. Since biotech and medical device products often require additional approvals that increase the level of interaction with government officials, the risk of FCPA violations also increase. With life sciences companies in the cross-hairs of enforcement agencies, companies need to make sure their compliance programs are robust and comprehensive.

Share clinical trial results you will. Janssen announced it will share some of its clinical trial data through the Yale School of Medicine’s Open Data Access Project (otherwise known as YODA). YODA will serve as the vetting agent for clinical trial data requests from researchers and physicians. Some requests for the data will still be handled by Janssen R&D directly.

A federal judge is allowing a whistleblower case against Abbott to continue. A former sales rep filed the suit, alleging the company paid kickbacks and promoted its drug TriCor for off-label uses. Abbott moved to dismiss the case because the whistleblower failed to provide specific evidence of a false claim being submitted. The judge rejected those allegations.

Pharma companies are not reading the signals from the Sunshine Act the same when it comes to medical writing support. During the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals’ European meeting, representatives from several pharmaceutical companies revealed how their companies were handling medical writing support provided to authors of clinical studies, and not all companies agreed that there was any real transfer of value to physicians. AstraZeneca and Pfizer representatives said there was value to the author. Shire, on the other hand, saw the only value was to the company, and there was no need to report medical writing support. The Shire representative said they were collecting the information in case it ultimately has to be reported, but that the company was confident in its approach.

And with that, the clock has run out on this week’s News in Review. If you attended last week’s Pharmaceutical Compliance Congress, you heard industry peers and government regulators emphasize the need for an up-to-date compliance program that extends training beyond the check-the-box approach. The PharmaCertify™ suite of off-the-shelf compliance solutions offers the eLearning modules and mobile apps you need to extend critical compliance policies to where your team needs it most – in the field and at their fingertips.

Have a great week everyone!