Policy Research Media Morhamburn

A leading medicines company approached us to set up an advisory panel to allow them to present information and seek advice from the top clinicians and academics in a particular area of healthcare where they have a licensed product. Among their needs, they had to ensure that the feedback they were given on their proposed use of the product and the data they had amassed from different studies was clear, robust and credible in the eyes of those who know most about the illness and its treatments.

Approach

A wide literature search came up with a list of a dozen leaders in the field and conversations with each allowed us to bring together a group whose membership reflected a valuable mix of expertise, experience, clinical practice and cutting edge research. We gathered this group in a Glasgow hotel for a couple of hours and, with us acting as moderators, guided the conversations to cover the areas of interest and concern to the company.

Outcome

The representatives of the company reported that the friendly, relaxed but frank atmosphere we had created had allowed the group to discuss the issues at a very high level. The experts themselves all reported enjoying the meeting and having found the conversation stimulating and an important opportunity to discuss evidence, practice and policy with their peers.