Conclusions from the Co-Chairman

The conference was closed by 'answering' the questions posed by Dr Gillen at the head of the two-day session:

1. What value do these [industry-physician] interactions give to benefit medical science and patient care?
2. What key transitions in thinking need to prompt everyday changes in relationship management?
3. What are the everyday improvements and new methodologies that will underpin future interactions?
4. How are companies striving to achieve better transparency?
   

Emma thanked the presenters - in particular the KOLs present -- for their compelling examples and bravery in acknowledging that they are grateful to industry for bringing new treatments to bear that allow them to excel in their commitments to patients. Quoting 'what would we have done differently' from Malcolm Allison during his presentation about working with the only four OLs in the world to find a better treatment for an extremely rare condition, Emma concluded that although there are adjustments to make, fundamentally the benefits that interactions afford medical science in terms of both invention and innovation are truly remarkable.

Transitions will present themselves as changes in communication and approach above all else. Command and control to influence KOLs will elevate to a more enlightened shared-responsibility of engagement and encouragement with the presence not the power of Key Experts - a descriptor that must extend to include industry professionals as experts too. 'Adult' relationships of alignments rather than activities will prevail with reciprocity of candour, trust and clarity to offset unsubstantiated rhetoric and conjecture of the media.

Fair Market Value must be established and industry-wide reporting/databases and methodologies will facilitate transparency; formal contracts to accompany the new era of engagement will protect both parties and eliminate subjectivity from the interactions.

Companies are already working extremely hard to meet Expert's expectations and needs but more must be done to counteract the negative projections of the industry and the way in which it declines from communicating its strengths to the public. It was a grim warning that 'one bad interaction is likely to reach the media' and collectively the conference faculty and participants agreed that the validity of the interactions should be fiercely defended with the passion for engagement re-ignited. Citing Ghandi to empower participants to 'be the change you want to see', the Co-Chairman closed the conference by issuing a simple call-to-action - be proud of what your interactions achieve, be visible about the interactions and celebrate their value.