Are Speaker programs supposed to be salesy?

Pharmaceutical speaker programs come in two forms: one aimed at promoting a product, and another focused purely on education. Both must be compliant, but many companies blur the lines—leading to billion-dollar fines. Government bodies like the OIG consider these programs “inherently suspect” unless strict criteria are met.

To stay compliant, speakers must have relevant expertise (not just high prescription rates), and every presentation is vetted by a Medical-Legal-Regulatory (MLR) team. Despite all this oversight, violations are common—and patients can report them under FDA’s Bad Ad program.

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