NLA Policies Regarding
Commercial Supporters/Industry Relationships

Control of Accepted Projects

• The NLA shall maintain full control over the planning, content, quality, scientific integrity, implementation, and evaluation of the activity, and over the selection of speakers, moderators, authors, or other faculty for the activity. Regardless of funding mechanism, the NLA Education Development Committee and Board shall be involved in the development and review process and most importantly, have the final approval of any project developed through a corporate relationship before its production, release or distribution to the public.
• Selection of vendor or production company to furnish services in conjunction with projects adopted shall be discussed and agreed upon by both the corporation and the NLA.

Program Funding Policies

• Grants are asked for in a non-competitive environment. All grant requests will have a budget attached or be solicited for input by NLA in the form of RFP to Industry Council members.
• Multi-sponsored grants are always preferred to avoid situations of perceived conflicts of interest. However, this is not always possible or practical. The goal of the Association is to ensure its funding objectives are met. If a specific company wishes to fund an entire proposal, it will be the final decision of the Board to accept the proposal based upon meeting the stated mission, timeliness, and ethical guidelines.
• Grants shall be made and include funds for project development and distribution and funds for the internal administrative costs associated with NLA management, intellectual property, and administrative costs. These areas will be detailed as part of the overall program budget.

Budget Options

The NLA will pursue projects based on the objective of achieving mission goals. In most cases, it is feasible for the Association to accept a grant to pay for all activities from the proceeds including administrative costs and fees. Conversely, it is possible that the NLA may elect that the corporation pay all expenses and provide a grant to the NLA to cover internal costs and administration. This fee shall be determined and payment mechanism approved by the NLA Board.

Ethical Considerations

All entities are expected to behave ethically and with respect toward the needs of each organization, which preserves integrity and avoidance of accusations of special interest.

Corporations

• All relationships with corporations shall be conducted in accordance with the FDA Final Guidance on Industry-Supported Scientific and Educational Activities (December 1997), the AMA regulations regarding the Physician's Recognition Award, the AMA Opinion 8.061: Gifts to Physicians from Industry, AMA Opinion 9.011: Continuing Medical Education (if accredited), and the PhRMA Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals (July, 2002). A letter of agreement between the grantor and NLA shall be signed regarding the terms of the grant and project considered.
• The corporation shall receive appropriate recognition of the grant in all materials developed.
• The activity shall be focused on educational content, and free from commercial influence or bias that directly affects sales of product. Information presented about commercial products shall be objective and based on scientific methods generally accepted in the medical community.
• The corporation shall not suggest speakers, moderators, or authors who are or were directly involved in marketing of the company's products or who have been the subject of complaints regarding misleading or biased presentations.
• No condition, outside the agreement, shall be placed on the NLA in recognition of support for the program or activity.
• The use of any materials or rights to materials owned by the NLA prior to or arising out of this Agreement does not confer upon the corporation the right to use such materials for any purpose not related to this Agreement.
• Any copyright or publication rights arising from any materials used in connection with this Agreement shall belong to the NLA unless otherwise agreed.

Presentation of Corporation's Products

• The activity shall present discussion of multiple treatment options, and shall not be expected to focus on a single product, except when options are so limited as to preclude meaningful discussion on the topic area.
• The NLA will not allow the direct sale of any product through the mechanism of the education program presented. Therefore, no direct endorsements or advertisements of a particular product will be made in the program and the corporation will understand the need of NLA to provide a disclaimer in the education programs it offers.
• The NLA shall determine the acceptability of product support material integration (such as product brochures or samples) as part of the overall package presented to the public. If materials or samples are allowed, they shall be presented in a benign way that reinforces an education concept but not a marketing goal. The NLA Board shall evaluate the appropriate level of integration and have final approval of any materials created or included for this purpose.
• At meetings sponsored by the NLA, direct marketing efforts, such as the presentation of visual displays, written materials, audio, samples of product, etc., will be allowed only in a setting that clearly identifies this as a commercial area. All relevant companies wishing to present promotional materials will be given equal access to provide such materials in the designated area.

Board Members, Committee Members, Staff and Faculty

• Should Board members, committee members or staff have a conflict of interest, which may bias the decision for or against a specific proposal, they shall make this conflict known to the NLA Board prior to any Board action.
• All faculty members shall declare any conflict of interest relative to the proposal or the education program.
• Honoraria, when approved by the Education Development Committee and the Board, may be granted for work performed in conjunction with the project. This amount shall be budgeted as part of the NLA administration grant.
• Expenses incurred in conjunction with the project shall be reimbursed. Funds for reimbursement shall be part of the administrative grant to the NLA.