Industry Taskforce (ITF)

The APSR seeks funding from industry to further its objectives in advancing science and education in the field of respiratory medicine. It is envisaged that funding will be generic (rather than specific to any particular company) and open to all interested industry partners.

The APSR Industry Taskforce (ITF) is to enable stakeholders to discuss and provide open and transparent recommendations to the APSR to develop collaborative initiatives to achieve the mission and vision of the APSR. The APSR is advised by its ITF to discuss projects that are beneficial to lung health in the Asia-Pacific region, which are open and transparent and strictly adhere to pertinent laws, regulations and guidelines. The ITF will therefore make recommendations to the APSR Executive Committee and will not make decisions on behalf of the APSR.

The ITF is headed by co-chairs; one of whom is from the APSR and appointed by the APSR Executive Committee, and the other is from Industry and appointed by the ITF.

Other members of the ITF are APSR representatives from:

• Executive Committee (one member)
• Education committee (one member)
• Research Committee (one member)
• Central Congress Committee (one member)
• Local Congress Committee (up to two members)

plus

• nominated members from industry partners with registered products/medicines pertinent to the practice of Respiratory Medicine (up to two members per commercial entity).

• Maintain clear and accountable operational framework for governance and terms of reference of the ITF including policy for declaration of interest and disclosures to ensure transparency
• Chair the Industry Taskforce meeting at the annual APSR Congress

Independence

• The APSR will ensure that educational activities, scientific programmes and advocacy positions are independent of Company influence.
• The APSR will separate its efforts to seek corporate sponsorship from its programmatic decisions; i.e., The APSR will first make an independent assessment that a programme is needed, then only assess the availability of funds.
• The APSR will be guided by its Industry Taskforce and others in terms of APSR's interactions with Companies.
• Key APSR leaders (President, President-Elect/Secretary General and Immediate Past President) should not have direct financial relationships with Companies during his or her term of office.
• A direct financial relationship is a relationship held by an individual that results in wages, consulting fees, honoraria, or other compensation (in cash, in stock or stock options, or in kind) whether paid to the individual, or to another entity at the direction of the individual, for the individual's services or expertise. The term does not include stock ownership or intellectual property licensing arrangements.
• The APSR will use written agreements with Companies for corporate sponsorship.

Transparency

• The APSR will make declaration of interest policies and/or forms available to its members and the public.
• The APSR will disclose Company support and make this information available to its members and the public.
• The APSR will use the disclosed information to manage conflicts of interest in decision-making. The APSR will require volunteers to update disclosure information at least annually and when material changes occur. New disclosures can tabled at time of introductions during the APSR Congress sessions or other meetings.

Accepting Corporate Sponsorships

• The APSR will only accept corporate sponsorship of an item or programme if the item or programme is aligned with the APSR's strategic plan and mission.
• The APSR will make reasonable efforts to seek multiple corporate sponsors for sponsored items or programme.

APSR/Industry Interaction – Policy/Code of Conduct

• APSR Educational and Informational Programmes including annual Congress
  • When providing APSR CME, the APSR will adopt policies and procedures designed to identify and manage conflicts of interest in APSR CME programmes.
  • In providing APSR CME, the APSR will not seek support for product-specific topics.
  • The APSR will make reasonable efforts to achieve a balanced portfolio of support for each APSR CME programme.
  • The APSR will retain control over the use of educational grants and implement safeguards designed to ensure that educational programmes are non-promotional and free from commercial promotion and bias.
  • The APSR will appoint its own planning committee to select the objectives, content, faculty and format of educational activities, in a manner that is consistent with the APSR's mission.
  • The APSR will not solicit Companies' suggestions about programme topics, speakers or content.
  • The APSR will prohibit presenters from using Company-controlled presentation materials, and from using slides with Company logos.
  • The APSR will require presenters to give a balanced view of therapeutic options, and will encourage presenters to use generic names in place of product trade names.
  • The APSR will clearly distinguish their non-Informational/Educational Programmes from APSR CME.
• CME-Accredited Satellite Symposia
  • The APSR will require Satellite CME Symposia to undergo an application and selection process.
  • The APSR will require Satellite CME Symposia to comply with local CME regulatory standards.
  • The APSR will ensure that Satellite CME Symposia are clearly distinguished from APSR CME in APSR meeting programmes and promotional materials.
  • The APSR will require third party organisers of Satellite CME Symposia to use appropriate disclaimers to distinguish the Symposia from APSR CME programmes in Symposia advertising and programme materials.
  • The APSR will not permit Key APSR Leaders to participate in Satellite CME Symposia as faculty members, presenters, chairs, consultants, or in any other role besides that of an attendee who receives no honoraria or reimbursement.
• Company Informational / Educational Programmes
  • The APSR will require Company Informational / Educational Programmes to be clearly distinguished from CME.
• Exhibits
  • The APSR will adopt written policies that govern the nature of exhibits and the conduct of exhibitors, including by requiring exhibitors to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and guidance.
  • The APSR will only permit exhibitor giveaways that are educational and modest in value.
  • The APSR will make reasonable efforts to place exhibit booths out of attendees obligate path to APSR CME sessions.
  • Key APSR Leaders will not participate as leaders or presenters in Company promotional / marketing events held in exhibit space.
• Award of Research Grants
  • The APSR will not permit Companies to select (or influence the selection of) recipients of research grants.
  • The APSR will appoint an independent committee to select the recipients of research grants based on peer review of grant applications.
  • The APSR will not require the recipients of research grants to meet with Company supporters.
  • The APSR will not permit Companies that support research grants to receive intellectual property rights or royalties arising out of grant-funded research.
  • The APSR will not permit Companies that support research grants to control or influence manuscripts that arise from grant-funded research.
  • If the APSR receives programmatic support (e.g., an educational grant or charitable contribution) from a Company to support the APSR's own research, the APSR will disclose the Company's support. The APSR will act independently in the selection of research topics and the conduct of the research itself.
• Clinical Practice Guidelines
  • The APSR will base Clinical Practice Guidelines on scientific evidence.
  • The APSR will follow a transparent guideline development process that is not subject to Company influence. The APSR will publish a description of its Guideline development process for Guidelines and Guideline Updates, including the process for identifying and managing conflicts of interest, in APSR journals or on the APSR's website.
  • The APSR will not permit direct Company support of the development of Clinical Practice Guidelines or Guideline Updates.
  • The APSR will not permit direct Company support for the initial printing, publication, and distribution of Clinical Practice Guidelines or Guideline Updates. After initial development, printing, publication and distribution is complete, it is permissible for the APSR to accept Company support for the APSR's further distribution of the Guideline or Guideline Update, translation of the Guideline or Guideline Update, or repurposing of the Guideline content.
  • The APSR will require all Guideline development panel members to disclose relevant relationships prior to panel deliberations, and to update their disclosure during the Guideline development process.
  • The APSR will develop procedures for determining whether financial or other relationships between Guideline development panel members and Companies constitute conflicts of interest relevant to the subject matter of the Guideline, as well as management strategies that minimise the risk of actual or perceived bias if panel members do have conflicts.
  • The APSR will require that a majority of Guideline development panel members are free of conflicts of interest relevant to the subject matter of the Guideline.
  • The APSR will require the panel chair (or at least one chair if there are co-chairs) to be free of conflicts of interest relevant to the subject matter of the Guideline and to remain free of such conflicts of interest for at least one year after Guideline publication.
  • The APSR will require that Guideline recommendations be subject to multiple levels of review, including rigorous peer-review by a range of experts. The APSR will not select as reviewers individuals employed by or engaged to represent a Company.
  • The APSR's Guideline recommendations will be reviewed and approved before submission for publication by at least one APSR body beyond the Guideline development panel such as a committee or the Board of Directors.
  • Guideline manuscripts will be subject to independent editorial review by a journal or other publication where they are first published.
  • The APSR will publish Guideline development panel members' disclosure information in connection with each Guideline and may choose to identify abstentions from voting.
  • The APSR will require all Guideline contributors, including expert advisors or reviewers who are not officially part of a Guideline development panel, to disclose financial or other substantive relationships that may constitute conflicts of interest.
  • The APSR will recommend that Guideline development panel members decline offers from affected Companies to speak about the Guideline on behalf of the Company for a reasonable period after publication.
  • The APSR will not permit Guideline development panel members or staff to discuss a Guideline's development with Company employees or representatives, will not accept unpublished data from Companies, and will not permit Companies to review Guidelines in draft form, except if the APSR permits public or member comment on draft guidelines as part of the APSR's published guideline development process.
• APSR Journals
  • APSR journals will maintain editorial independence from the APSR and from Advertisers.
  • APSR journals will require all authors to disclose financial and other relationships with Companies.
  • APSR journals will require editors and reviewers to disclose financial and other relationships with Companies.
  • The Editor in Chief of each APSR journal will have the ultimate responsibility for determining when a conflict of interest should disqualify an editor or reviewer from reviewing a manuscript, according to established policies.
  • APSR journals will adopt policies prohibiting the submission of 'ghost-written' manuscripts prepared by or on behalf of Companies.
• Sponsorship of Data Registries
  • The APSR will prohibit the Company from participating in the direct management of the registry unless the data registry is in part operating as a public/private medical society, device / drug manufacturer and government partnership or for the purpose of meeting regulatory objectives of device/ drug surveillance and patient safety.
• Standards for Advertising
  • The APSR will adopt written policies that set standards for advertising.
• Standards for Licensing
  • The APSR will adopt standards for licensing that are intended to prevent misuse, unintended use, and modification of licensed materials, prohibit modification of licensed materials in a way that would change their meaning, and prohibit use of APSR trademarks to imply APSR endorsement of Company products or services.
• APSR-distributed items; e.g., non-educational 'reminder' items such as bags, lanyards, highlighters, notebooks and luggage tags
  • The APSR will not place the name of Companies on products that Companies are not permitted to give directly to healthcare professionals under generally accepted standards for ethical interactions.

For further information, please contact the APSR Secretariat: APSRinfo@theapsr.org