The INSTITUTE OF CONTINUING HEALTHCARE EDUCATION and healthcare simulation technology developer HUMAN CONDITION HEALTH (HCH) are working together to develop learner-driven continuing medical education (CME) for healthcare professionals with a long-term focus on improving patient outcomes. Through this partnership, the Human Condition is creating “centerpieces" — for example, immersive simulators, innovative computer programming — of education through its technological capabilities. The Institute is using its in-house clinical expertise and works with faculty experts to build educational initiatives that maximize the impact of their centerpieces. The Institute-HCH partnership is expected to initially focus on educating providers about the challenges of treating non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma through a program using HCH’s biometric tracking system to identify learning gaps in real time and deliver content to fill these gaps. Future CME projects include initiatives centered on multi-sensory simulations of rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, Alzheimer’s disease, athletic concussions, and ophthalmic conditions. Institute President Cathy Pagano says the Institute-HCH partnership is focused on moving medical education programs beyond the traditional lecture-centered model. “Our goal as educators should be to go beyond telling healthcare providers what is going on with their patients by letting them truly feel what it’s like to be in constant pain, experience cloudy cognition, hear voices, or live with diminished vision," Ms. Pagano adds. “With the creativity of HCH and the Institute’s insight into the educational needs of medical professionals, I truly feel this relationship will open up a new chapter in medical education." “We are always looking for knowledgeable partners who understand that there needs to be new ways to think about tackling old problems," says Peter Raymond, HCH president and chief innovator. { For more information, visit iche.edu or hcxdesign.com. MediMedia Forms Multichannel Solutions Group MEDIMEDIA has realigned three of its operating units to form MediMedia Health, a multichannel promotion and relationship management solutions group. The new group now includes Triple i, Phoenix Marketing Group, and MediMedia Educational Group. MediMedia Health’s technology solutions include AccessPoint, a multichannel integrated solution, and PatientNet, a relationship management solution that leverages the latest communication platforms, including mobile and digital applications. “Our vision is to provide healthcare professionals and patients with the information, tools, and content to facilitate beneficial interactions and sustainable behavior change that support our clients’ marketing objectives," says Tom Langan, president of MediMedia Health. { For more information, visit medimedia.com. ASTRAZENECA PHARMACEUTICALS and HEALTHCORE, the health outcomes research subsidiary of WellPoint, are collaborating to conduct real-world studies designed to determine how to most effectively and economically treat disease. The collaboration uses prospective and retrospective observational studies on disease states, as well as comparative effectiveness research, to analyze how medicines and treatments already on the market are working. AstraZeneca and HealthCore also are seeking to expand the collaboration into a broader healthcare consortium with public and private organizations, accelerating efforts to integrate community health information and enhance community health. According to James Blasetto, M.D., AstraZeneca VP of U.S. strategic development, the agreement reflects the growing interest among healthcare decision-makers to assess clinical and cost-effectiveness through comparative effectiveness research and related real-world analyses. “In doing so, the research will help drive the development and delivery of medicines with clear value to patients and payers," Dr. Blasetto says. { For more information, visit astrazeneca-us.com or healthcore.com. In other news… E-prescribing software company DRFIRST.COM has added a patient innovation division that incorporates the behavioral health coaching and medication adherence solutions obtained through the acquisition of ADHERENCERX to improve patient outcomes by minimizing gaps in care. The division is led by Chris Cresswell, former president and CEO of AdherenceRx. “While printing educational brochures for patients is a common practice for physicians using electronic systems, it’s not enough to have a serious impact on adherence," notes G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. { For more information, visit drfirst.com. INVENTIV HEALTH has closed its acquisition of CAMPBELL ALLIANCE. inVentiv Advance Insights, inVentiv’s existing management consulting and market research business, has become part of Campbell Alliance, which continues to operate independently. “We look forward to partnering with the Campbell Alliance leadership team and working closely with its employees to grow the company’s global footprint," notes inVentiv Health CEO Paul Meister. { For more information, visit campbell- alliance.com or inventivhealth.com. Clarity is a new qualitative market research service from SEDULO GROUP that offers clients support through Sedulo’s physician interviews, focus groups, and other market intelligence services. According to Heath Gross, Sedulo’s founder and managing partner, the addition of Clarity is a logical evolution. “We did not set out to be a market research firm, but because we have had so much success, formalizing the service offering just made sense," he says. { For more information, visit sedulogroup.com. New Healthcare-related Products, Services, and Companies Featured Briefs: CME Innovations Focus on Better Patient Care MediMedia Forms Multichannel Solutions Group In other news… ON THE SHELVES UNCOMMON CHALLENGES; SHARED JOURNEYS, published by Siren Interactive, is a collection of 13 stories offering intimate views into the lives of families affected by rare disorders. The narratives reveal how parents play critical roles in obtaining a correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment for children with rare diseases and show how caregivers in the rare disease community seek and use information differently from other groups and have many unmet needs for education and support. Wendy White, president of Siren Interactive and herself the mother of a child with a rare disorder, compiled the anthology, which leads off with her own family’s story. { For more information, visit sireninteractive.com. BIOTECH 2011-LIFE SCIENCES: LOOKING BACK TO SEE AHEAD, the latest book from Burrill & Company CEO G. Steven Burrill, predicts the biotech industry as a whole will perform better in 2011 as the financing environment continues to improve. Mr. Burrill projects that investors will reward risk-mitigated companies and those that are able to execute on their business plans. He also predicts there will be no major slowdown in big pharma’s appetite for biotech partnering. Mr. Burrill says partnership deals will reflect shared risk by smaller up-front payments and larger ones on achievement of milestones. { For more information, visit burrillandco.com. BNA Books, a division of BNA, has announced the release of updates to three pharmaceutical law-related reference books. BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE FEDERAL CIRCUIT, SECOND EDITION, provides a consideration of the entire body of Federal Circuit precedent in the area of biotechnology. The book integrates the court’s decisions in chemical, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical cases with an analysis of the current law and offers full analysis and commentary on recent Federal Circuit and Supreme Court decisions. PHARMACEUTICAL PATENT LAW, SECOND EDITION, offers a practitioner-oriented treatment of pharmaceutical patent law from the perspective of both patent law and the food and drug laws. The revised edition examines how courts, federal agencies, and legislative organizations interact with each other regarding patent regulation and analyzes how they will impact strategies within a practitioner’s core area of expertise. THE 2010 CUMULATIVE SUPPLEMENT TO PHARMACEUTICAL LAW: REGULATION OF RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND MARKETING provides commentary on a range of pharmaceutical law issues, such as off-label marketing and antitrust and compliance violations. New topics featured in the 2010 supplement include compliance and reporting obligations and risks likely to emerge from the new SEC whistleblower provisions; discussion of the congressionally approved pathways for generic manufacturers to develop and market bioengineered drugs; and growing fraud and abuse risks under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other government initiatives. { For more information, visit bnabooks.com. Ashgate/Lund Humphries Publishing’s EPRO-ELECTRONIC SOLUTIONS FOR PATIENT-REPORTED DATA focuses on the ongoing debate with regulators around the use of electronic patient reported outcomes (ePRO) in clinical drug submissions. The publication’s editors, Bill Byrom, Ph.D., senior director of product strategy at Perceptive Informatics, and Brian Tiplady, Ph.D., senior clinical scientist at Pro Consulting, address the validation and compliance concerns surrounding the adoption of ePRO and review the new FDA guidance on the adoption of the technology. { For more information, visit ashgate.com. The Laszlo Letter’s 2011 GUIDE TO CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE includes more than 200 software offerings from 95 vendors that enable the clinical development and regulatory approval of new pharmaceuticals, biotech products, and medical devices. The 2011 listing includes critical clinical development solutions such as EDC, CTMS, ePRO, CDM, and IVRS, as well as data analysis, RIMS, CDW, and patient recruitment tools. The listing also reflects the emergence of the regulatory information management category. { For more information, visit thelaszloletter.com.
