Consequences of PhRMA Code on the Annual AAAAI Meeting

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents research-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. There were recent changes in the PhRMA Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals which will affect how scientific meetings are organized and CME is provided in the future.

Twitter is a microblogging service where people answer the question "What are you doing?" via 140-character messages from their cellphone, laptop or desktop.

Twitter works well for creating a searchable, "no login required" archive of notes. As a bonus, you can use it later for blogging ideas. A hash tag is the little code preceded by a "#" that people use to indicate the topic about which they are Twittering. The idea is to ensure that tweets on the same topic can be found and aggregated more easily. Simply search for a particular hashtag on search.twitter.com. In order to make the Twitter postings (or "tweets") easily searchable, I included the hash tag "#AAAAI" with each tweet.

See some Twitter updates and discussion below (the oldest post is at the bottom, the newest at the top):

	AllergyNotes @DrGourmet #AAAAI "Excellent! Good job AAAAI" -- Please see this response: http://twitter.com/wheezemd... 1:29 PM Dec 5th from web in reply to DrGourmet
	AllergyNotes @adistas #AAAAI "Consequences of the PhRMA code are a good thing, no?" - See this response: http://twitter.com/wheezemd... 1:28 PM Dec 5th from web in reply to adistas
	AllergyNotes @wheezemd "The major problem will be funding for CME. Where is it going to come from in the future" -- I agree. 1:26 PM Dec 5th from web in reply to wheezemd

wheezemd @AllergyNotes It is a new world for MDs out there. The major problem will be funding for CME. Where is it going to come from in the future. 1:08 PM Dec 5th from web in reply to AllergyNotes

AllergyNotes My posts are currently the only results for #AAAAI -- expect to see more as meeting approaches http://tinyurl.com/62kjgo 12:42 PM Dec 5th from web

	DrGourmet @AllergyNotes Excellent! Good job AAAA 12:38 PM Dec 5th from web in reply to AllergyNotes
	AllergyNotes #AAAAI Consequences of PhRMA Code: No CME credit for poster and oral abstract sessions if authors work for pharm or biotechnology companies 12:36 PM Dec 5th from web

AllergyNotes #AAAAI Consequences of PhRMA Code: AAAAI will try to save $400,000 in lunch and transportation expenditures. 12:35 PM Dec 5th from web

	AllergyNotes #AAAAI Consequences of PhRMA Code: No box lunches 12:33 PM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #AAAAI Consequences of PhRMA Code: no shuttle bus service and cheaper registration bags 12:32 PM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #AAAAI Major implications of the new Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Code on the annual AAAAI meeting. 12:31 PM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #AAAAI is American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology http://www.aaaai.org/ 12:30 PM Dec 5th from web
	AllergyNotes #AAAAI Will publish some updates before the AAAAI meeting with the hashtag #AAAAI 12:29 PM Dec 5th from web

References:
Twitter Updates from the Severe Asthma Workshop at the 2008 Annual Meeting of American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI)
Twitter Dispatches from the New England Journal of Medicine's Horizons Conference. The Efficient MD.
I will be attending NEJM Horizons Conference to push the boundaries of traditional medical publishing, suggestions welcomed
Allergists Can Use Twitter Microblogging Service to Send Patient Reminders
Using Twitter to Microblog a CME Meeting
A Doctor's Opinion: Why I Started Microblogging on Twitter