Search

The pharmaceutical industry requires a highly qualified workforce with diverse skillsets. Medical affairs pharmaceutical physicians (MAPPs) have unique qualifications among pharmaceutical company employees, but the exact contribution of their education and training is unknown. This study aimed to identify the medical education and training competencies MAPPs use in the pharmaceutical industry in relation to the four external stakeholders, regulators, payors, prescribers, and patients. Ten MAPPs were recruited using convenience sampling via professional networks. A systematic literature review and the Jandhyala method, a two-stage qualitative online consensus method, identified which of MAPPs' medical education and training competencies they used in their work with each external stakeholder. Statistical analyses determined heterogeneity in the relevance of competencies and competency categories to each stakeholder. Nine MAPPs completed the study. Of the 59 competencies identified, 54 were relevant to all external stakeholders. Relevance of competencies varied significantly between external stakeholders (p =.0434). Binary competency scores varied significantly for three pairs of stakeholders, "patient vs. payor" (p =.025), "prescriber vs. regulator" (p =.013) and "prescriber vs. payor" (p =.008). Between-stakeholder overall frequency count varied significantly for two of the nine competency categories. MAPPs develop a highly specialized set of competencies during medical education and training from which they use distinct subsets to meet the needs of external stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry. Undergraduate and postgraduate competency-based medical education appears to prepare MAPPs for cognitive and technical work. Further exploration may aid understanding of how they develop soft skills. Medical affairs pharmaceutical physicians (MAPPs) are of key importance in promoting patient centricity in the pharmaceutical industry. Their competency-based medical education and clinical experience give them a unique skillset among pharmaceutical company employees. MAPPs utilize their training to benefit pharmaceutical companies as well as the four external stakeholders in medicine adoption: regulators, payors, prescribers and patients. Previous work has suggested that their education and training may account for their ability to benefit all external stakeholders; however, this has not been explored in detail. The aim of this study was to identify competencies MAPPs develop during medical education, training and clinical experience and which of these they use in their work with each of the four external stakeholders. To do this, first, we reviewed the literature and asked MAPPs to self-report the competencies they developed during medical education and training, and which were relevant to their work with each of the four stakeholders. We found that 54 of the 59 identified competencies were relevant to work with all external stakeholders. However, the relevance of individual competencies varied between external stakeholders, with further analysis showing that the difference appeared to be accounted for by differences between three main pairs of stakeholders. These were "patient vs. payor", "prescriber vs. regulator" and "prescriber vs. payor. In other words, MAPPs were likely to use different competencies in their work with each stakeholder. With our analysis of competency categories, we concluded that MAPPs use a highly specialized combination of competencies adapted to each external stakeholder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is limited understanding on patterns of systemic treatment in adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in the UK. Objective: To characterize treatment patterns in adult AD patients prescribed immunosuppressants (IMMs) in the primary care setting. Results: Six hundred and fifty-six patients with AD (6.6%) were prescribed IMM in the analysis (mean age 52.1 years; 59.1% female; age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index 1.4). Most prevalent (>5%) conditions at baseline were depression (10.8%), contact dermatitis (10.7%), rheumatological disease (7.9%), skin/subcutaneous tissue disorders (6.4%), upper respiratory disease (5.8%), and psoriasis (5.2%). At baseline, up to 50% of patients were prescribed ≥1 IMM. During follow-up, 42.7% of patients were prescribed oral corticosteroids (OCSs), increasing in line with IMM exposure. The most commonly prescribed IMM was methotrexate (43.3%). Ciclosporin, the only approved IMM for AD, was prescribed to 16.9% of patients. Conclusions: The prevalence of comorbidities and high rate of IMM prescriptions demonstrate the impact of AD on quality of life. The frequency of OCS prescribing in AD patients treated with IMMs suggests a lack of disease control with existing therapies, and an unmet need for safe and effective targeted agents for long-term disease control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have established that human tenocytes can differentiate in the absence of exogenous fetal bovine serum (FBS) but in the presence of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and transforming growth factor-β3 (TGF-β3). The extent of tenocyte differentiation was assessed by examining cell survival, collagen synthesis, cell morphology and expression of tenocyte differentiation markers such as scleraxis (Scx), tenomodulin (Tnmd), collagen type I (Col-I) and decorin (Dcn). Our results indicate that 50 ng/ml IGF-1 and 10 ng/ml TGF-β3 (in the absence of FBS) were capable of maintaining in vitro human tenocyte survival in 14-day cultures. The extent of collagen synthesis and messenger ribonucleic acid expression of Scx, Tnmd, Col-I and Dcn were significantly upregulated in response to IGF-1 and TGF-β3. These findings have shown for the first time that human tenocytes can be maintained in long-term culture, in serum-free conditions, making this approach a suitable one for the purpose of tendon tissue engineering., (Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.)