The Pharmaceutical Compliance Forum (PCF) is celebrating a milestone this year with the 20th anniversary of its annual Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Compliance Congress. I have attended the past 12 of these conferences (yikes) and I am consistently impressed with PCF’s ability to create a fresh and relevant agenda while still covering the fundamentals.
The conference is just around the corner (November 6-8 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington D.C.) so let’s get the celebration started with a preview of this year’s sessions.
Day 1: Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Pre-Conference Symposia, 8:00 a.m.
Although the conference “officially” opens at 1:00 p.m., four pre-conference symposia are scheduled from 8:00 to 12:00 Noon as follows:
- Risk Assessment Recommendations Based on DOJ Updated Guidance
- Third-party Interactions, Including Distributors and Non-Distributor Third Party Vendor Compliance
- Investigations: Interconnectivity of Auditing, Monitoring, Investigations, Including Privilege
- Emerging Role of Analytics, Bog Data & AI Opportunities for Life Sciences: Implications for Ethics and Compliance
All the sessions offer valuable and worthwhile content as described in the agenda, and that makes the decision as to which one to attend even more challenging. Pre-conference Sessions 1 and 2 are consecutive so you can attend both, but you still need to decide between Sessions 3 and 4. Session 3, which is focused on investigations, is described as covering “issues for a big company vs. a small company,” so it certainly has broad appeal. My suggestion is to take a “divide, conquer, and share notes” approach if you happen to be attending with co-workers, or can tag-team with friendly colleagues from other companies.
Opening Plenary Session, 1:00 p.m.
The conference officially begins with a welcome and introduction from the five PCF co-chairs (Sujata Dayal of Johnson & Johnson, Jeffrey Kawalek of Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Jennifer McGee of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Donna White of Chiesi, and Joe Zimmerman of Ferring Pharmaceuticals), at 1:00 p.m. I would normally skip over the opening 15 minutes when previewing a conference, but since industry luminaries are involved, I would suggest you stay on high alert for any unexpected and bonus pearls of wisdom.
20th Anniversary Dialogue: Lessons Learned from 20 Years of Pharma and Medical Device Investigations, Prosecutions, Ethics and Compliance, 1:15 p.m.
The celebration kicks into high gear for this 1:15 p.m. session that features no less than seven presenters, including industry leaders Douglas Lankler from Pfizer, and Lori Queisser from Teva Pharmaceuticals, as well as government regulators Daniel Levinson, former Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and James Sheehan of the Charities Bureau of the New York State Department of Law. It’s an impressive array of experience from both sides of the issues.
Keynotes: OIG Update/ US DOJ Update/FDA Update, 2:15 p.m.
At this point, the government’s perspective will be presented in three consecutive keynotes by Mary Riordan of the Office of Inspector General, Brian Benczkowski of the DOJ, and Thomas Abrams of the FDA. The annual discussions of where the industry has been and what will be next year’s likely focus and workplans, always offer clues as to where compliance professionals should be focusing their efforts and future plans.
Annual Chief Compliance Officer Roundtable, 5:00 p.m.
After a presentation on pricing cost containment, the Annual Chief Compliance Office Roundtable closes Day 1. Although the agenda does not detail the topics to be covered, expect the seven industry professionals listed, including Charlene Davis of Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Sunitha Ramamurthy of Loxo Oncology, and Adam Dubow of Bristol-Myers Squibb, to cover a wide swath of relevant and important topics. Keith Korenchuk of Danaher Diagnostics and Thomas Schumacher of Medtronic will bring a welcomed medical device angle to the discussion.
Adjournment and Networking Reception and 20th Anniversary Party, 6:00 p.m.
I typically highlight the conference networking reception as a can’t-miss opportunity to share information and experiences with other compliance professionals, and to form valuable relationships with industry peers. This year’s compliance congress brings the bonus of an anniversary party so let the noisemakers ring and the champagne flow!
Day 2: Thursday, November 7, 2019
Morning Plenary Session, 8:45 a.m.
Following a series of concurrent breakfast roundtables from 7:15 to 8:15 a.m., and the Co-chair’s Welcome and Introductions, Day 2 kicks off with an interview of the Countess of Frederiksborg, Alexandra Christina. In addition to being a Countess, she is the Chairperson of the Ethics and Compliance Board Committee for Ferring Pharmaceutics and co-author of The Sincerity Edge: How Ethical Leaders Build Dynamic Businesses.
U.S. DOJ and U.S. SEC Update on FCPA Enforcement, 9:15 a.m.
The FCPA is back! Or, at least the topic is back on conference agendas after what seems like an extended absence (or at least from the conferences I attended). Presenters include Robert Dodge of the SEC, David Last of the DOJ’s FCPA Unit, and Gary Giampetruzzi, partner at Paul Hastings and former Head of Government Investigations at Pfizer.
AUSA Roundtable, 10:00 a.m.
John Bentivoglio, Partner at Skadden, keeps the enforcement topics going as he moderates the discussion from the AUSA angle with Rachel Honig of the District of New Jersey, Amanda Massenlam Strachan of the District of Massachusetts, and John Claud, from the Consumer Protection Branch of the DOJ.
Mini Summits Block A, 11:15 a.m.
This is where the agenda gets challenging but potentially rewarding. PCF has scheduled four “blocks” of mini summits (A, B, C, and D) right up to the closing plenary session at 4:45 p.m. As with the pre-conference symposia, a “divide and conquer” approach with your colleagues is recommended. Even if those colleagues aren’t from the same company, make friends, then share notes over dinner or via email the following week. For the sake of brevity, I will highlight one mini summit per block, but please review all options in the agenda to determine your best fit based on your interests, compliance challenges, and company risks.
Mini Summit II: Reduce Compliance Risk Using a Portfolio Approach to Training! (Microlearning Alone is Not the Answer)
I may be a bit biased since I have spent the last 12 years building compliance training and my colleague, Dan O’Connor, is moderating this session. But, with microlearning being all the rage, this promises to be a compelling look at what that term really means, and as importantly, why it is not the one and only panacea for making training stick.
If you work in medical device, please consider Mini Summit VII: Annual Medical Device Roundtable. Kudos to PCF for integrating medical device sessions into the agenda.
Mini Summits Block B, 12:45 p.m.
Mini Summit VIII: Lessons Learned from Enforcement Actions
This session stands out as an opportunity to hear an impressive array of industry leaders, including Tom Glavin from Olympus, William Hrubes of ACell, Puja Leekha of Lundbeck, and Kathleen Boozang, Dean of the Seton Hall University School of Law. Legal actions and settlements have long been the guideposts for where and how regulators focus their efforts and they should be an integral component in the planning of a yearly compliance plan and training curriculum.
Note: attendees dealing with the risk that combination (med device/pharma) products bring should alternatively consider, Mini Summit XIV: Issues with Medical Device/Combination Products.
Mini Summits Block C, 2:00 p.m.
Mini Summit XIX: Compliance – Board Communications: Effective Measurement and Reporting Strategies
Expect a deep dive into a topic that has risen to the forefront of industry concern with this look at the most effective methods for integrating the Board of Directors into the compliance program. Expect Katherine Norris of Berkeley Research Group to lead an informative panel that pleasantly includes a current member of the U.S. Board of Directors for Sanofi, Thomas Costa.
Mini Summits Block D, 3:30 p.m.
Mini Summit XXIII: Social Media Engagement by Manufacturers
Social media seems to be such a moving target for the life sciences industry. Hopefully, this team of industry professionals, including Joanne Kwan of Exelixis and Jessica Sergi of EMD Serono, can offer insight and guidance to an audience sure to be hungry for answers to vexing and evolving questions.
Again, the mini summits listed above are only a few of the sessions offered during this year’s conference. Visit the agenda section of the conference website to review the full list and decide which presentations best meet your needs.
After completion of the mini summits, the Day 2 adjourns with an important and sure to be sobering plenary session on “what pharmaceutical/medical device industries can learn from the opioid cases,” followed by a discussion on the “changing face of the qui tam.”
Day 3: Friday, November 8, 2019
Day 3 features an “industry only best practices think tank,” with Sujata Dayal from Johnson & Johnson and Jacob Elberg, Associate Professor of Law at Seton Hall, followed by a benchmarking survey and table discussion breakouts before the conference closes at 12:00 Noon.
It’s Not to Late to Attend!
The Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Compliance Congress offers compliance professionals the rare opportunity, along with CBI’s conference in the Spring, to interact face-to-face with their peers and learn from leaders in the industry and regulators. From a compliance training standpoint, our organization considers it an invaluable opportunity to hear about the challenges facing pharmaceutical and medical device companies directly from those who matter the most, our clients, colleagues, and friends.
If you’re interested in attending, contact me at smurphy@nxlevelsolutions.com to take advantage of our conference sponsor registration discount.
See you in Washington!
Sean Murphy
PharmaCertify by NXLevel Solutions