HCPC expands annual event to drive pharma collaboration 39565

DISCLOSURE: UBM Canon is the parent company of Packaging Digest.

The nagging problem of patient adherence to their medicines will be addressed in a novel way at a May event that seeks to bring pharmaceutical industry stakeholders together to review the latest research and collaborate on strategies to improve patient adherence. With RxAdherence 2011, the Healthcare Compliance Packaging Council seeks to foster greater collaboration between marketers and packagers to build a compliance-packaging strategy into the product development and launch process.

For the last 18 years, the Healthcare Compliance Packaging Council (HCPC) has explored the scope of the problem and potential packaging solutions at its annual National Symposium on Patient Compliance. Now HCPC is expanding its lineup of speakers and invited attendees to include pharmaceutical marketing professionals and others involved in pharmaceutical development, branding and market analysis. 

Speakers at the conference will include Vernon Schabert, principal, IMS Health Economics and Outcomes Research, who will review current adherence interventions; Rebecca Burkholder, JD, vp of health policy, National Consumers League, who will explain NCL's national multi-media campaign; and Tom Hubbard, senior program director, the National Network for Health Innovation, who will look at the current state of adherence programs in the context of ongoing health care reform initiatives.

Data from cases in which packaging has played a role in medication adherence will also be shared. Ted Lithgow, Ph.D., chief science officer, MWV Healthcare, will present just-released peer-reviewed pharmacoepidemiological research analyzing pharmacy claims data. Another presentation, by Kamal Jethwani M.D., lead research Scientist, Center for Connected Health, will review a six-month study on the use of an electronic compliance reminder by patients taking an antihypertensive medication. 

Industry peers will come together for a panel discussion in the afternoon on how consumer research, brand marketing, and well-developed compliance prompting packaging brought together early in the process can increase patient refill rate and patient adherence. Featured panelists include Christine Coyne, product director, Endo Pharmaceuticals; Diane Krusko, cardiovascular marketing director, Pfizer; Sander Flaum, CEO, Flaum Partners; Jay Carter, AbelsonTaylor; Justin Schroeder, director, marketing & business development, Anderson Packaging Inc.; and Ted Lithgow, Ph.D., chief science officer, MWV Healthcare. The discussion will be moderated by Christiane Truelove, editor-in-chief, Med Ad News, and Daphne Allen, editor, Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News. Both brands are published by UBM Canon.

Continuing a long-standing tradition, Walter Berghahn, executive director, HCPC, will present HCPC's Compliance Package of the Year Awards Presentation during lunch. (For more details on the competition, visit www.hcpconline.org.) 

The event may expand further as new data and projects come to light, so stay tuned for more at www.RxAdherenceConference.com. 

The event is sponsored by UBM Canon: Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News, Med Ad News, PharmaLive.com and Pharmalot.

Source: UBM Canon

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