GUIDELINES FOR SOLICITING/ACCEPTING COMMERCIAL SUPPORT FOR ACCREDITED CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION ACTIVITIES
Funds from commercial source should be made payable to CME provider (MCW) and no funds should flow directly to any speaker or other CME activity participant
Product names should not appear in any promotional material for the educational activity, but acknowledgment of the grantor is permissible, including corporate logo
Educational activities should be balanced and planned with an absence of commercial bias
There should be a definite separation of promotion from education (no selling or advertising in the room in which education is taking place)
A signed commercial support agreement should be obtained from each source of funding
Speakers are required to inform the audience when they discuss off-label or non-FDA approved uses of medications
Generic names are preferred and if brand names are used, multiple names/therapies should be mentioned
Commercial supporters cannot control the planning, content or execution of accredited CME activities
Social activities should not compete with or take precedence over the educational portion of the activity
The CME provider may request assistance from commercial supporters with preparation of slides and other materials, but the content or format of such materials cannot advance the proprietary interests of the commercial supporter
Commercial supporters may recommend a speaker to the CME provider, however, acceptance of such advice or services cannot be a condition of providing support
The CME provider should be ready to report back to the commercial supporter, upon request, how the funds were expended
Exhibit placement should not be a condition of receiving commercial support
Commercial support cannot be used to pay the expenses of non-speaker attendees except for modest hospitality (meals and social events)
Use of funds for resident or student scholarships to attend activity is permitted only if CME provider decides how to allocate.