Get Pharma Out of CME

PHARMA AND THE ACCME

June 2015

PharmedOut publishes an article in the Journal of Medical Ethics titled "Hypoactive sexual desire disorder: inventing a disease to sell low libido." In it, Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman, Antoine Meixel and Elena Yanchar discuss the pharmaceutical industry's use of Continuing Medical Education (CME) to market a disease, in this case Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder, to prime the market for an upcoming drug.

October 2015

Graham T. McMahon, the President and CEO of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Education (ACCME), criticizes PharmedOut's June article, defending his organization’s ability to keep commercial bias out of CME. His commentary also appears in the Journal of Medical Ethics.

January 2016

PharmedOut project manager Alycia Hogenmiller and Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman take on the ACCME directly in a final commentary that exposes the ACCME for hiding and misrepresenting the extent of industry money in CME.