from march 25th to 28th, 2012
Vancouver, BC, Canada

March 2012, Vancouver (Canada)

ISDB General Assembly 2012 Vancouver- Schedule
 

Saturday 24 March
11:00 - 15:00 Pick up from Airport
18:00 - 19:30 Dinner
19:30 - 21:30
Welcome words by
Jim Wright, Director of Therapeutics Initiative
Jörg Schaaber, ISDB President
Fun Activity + Socializing
Introduction of new members
 

Sunday 25 March
07:30 - 09:00 Breakfast
09:00 - 10:30
25 years ISDB: success stories, challenges
 The first decade – nurturing ISDB: Andrew Herxheimer (former chief
editor of DTB and co-founder of ISDB, UK) (via videoconference)
 What to gain from an international network?:
Pijus Sakar,Chief editor of Bodhi, India
 It’s all about the evidence – communicating benefit and harm:
Mary Hemming & Rob Moulds, Therapeutic Guidelines, Australia
Moderator: Benoit Marchand - Report: Nuria Homedes
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 - 11:30
Focus on ISDB activities during the 3 last years. Reports by
 ISDB President Jörg Schaaber (Pharma-Brief, G)
 ISDB Treasurer Isidro Sia (RDU Update, Ph)
 ISDB webmaster Maria Font (Dialogo sui Farmaci, It) and
 ISDB Secretary Florence Vandevelde (Prescrire, F)
11:30 – 13.00
Report on the ISDB working group achievements by working groups
moderators and/or regions followed by Q/A. Focus themes:
 Direct to consumer advertising
Barbara Mintzes, TI; Teresa Alves, HAI Europe
 Working on EU issues: pharmacovigilance
Florence Vandevelde, Prescrire
 Clinical trials and ethics in 3rd world countries / Focus on Latin
America
Nuria Homedes, Boletin Farmacos, USA
Moderator: NN - Report: NN
ISDB General Assembly 2012
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 15:00
Bias in reports of drug studies: Why are independent drug bulletins
important?
Keynote-speaker: Lisa Bero, University of California, San Francisco
Moderator: NN
15:00 - 15:30 Coffee Break
15:30 - 17:00
Workshops I: Brainstorming on ISDB in 2020
(role, wishes, and expectations)
A. Resource person: Mary Hemming & Andrea Tarr; Report:
B. Resource person: Florence Vandevelde (Prescrire, France) & Natalia
Cebotarenco (Corsum, Moldova) Report: NN
C. Resource person: Maria Font & Chris Adlpavar (Spanish Group) Rep:
17:00 - 18:00
Report and discussion in plenary
Moderator: Jörg Schaaber
18:00 - 19:30 Dinner
19:30 - 21:30 Fun Activity + Socializing
 

Monday 26 March
07:30 - 09:00 Breakfast
09:00 - 10:30
New drug assessments and cost-effectiveness assessments: methods
and their rationale
 Comparative drugs assessments: benefits and pitfalls.
Stefanie Reken, IQWiG, Germany
 Critical appraisal of Clinical Studies
Ken Bassett, TI and University of British Columbia
 30 years of exhaustive assessments of new drugs in France
Gilles Mignot (Prescrire, France)
Moderator: Jim Wright
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 - 13:00
Managing Key Opinion Leaders and their Publications
Keynote speaker: Sergio Sismondo, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
Conflict of interests’ policy: why and how it contributes to
sustainability
 At the bulletin level: results of the ISDB survey; sharing best practices.
David Menkes (Healthy Skepticism, NZ, moderator of ISDB Conflict of
interest working group)
 Agreement on ISDB standards for CoI
Moderator: Barbara Mintzes, TI
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 16:00 Outdoor Activities
16:00 – 17:00
Workshops II: Skills training 1
A. Creating and updating a website for your bulletin Facilitator: TI
B. Making your website an effective communication tool
Facilitator: CA
C. Writing for lay people (themes, editorial methods)
Facilitator: Allan Cassels, TI tbc & Jörg Schaaber, GPSP
D. Building alliances and coalitions
Facilitator: Teresa Alves & Natalia Cebotarenco
17:00 - 18:00
New Committee election:
Presentation of the new team candidates; Vote
Photos: Old Committee, New Committee, All Participants
18:00 - 19:30 Dinner
19:30 - 21:30 Fun Activity + Socializing
[Meeting of the New Committee]
 

Tuesday 27 March
07:30 - 09:00 Breakfast
09:00 - 09:45
The risk proliferation syndrome
Keynote Speaker: Donald Light, University of Medicine and Dentistry of
New Jersey, USA
Moderator: Dulce Maria Calvo Barbado, Cuba
09:45 - 10:30
ISDB’s new Committee priorities and working methods for the next 3
years
 Presentation by the New Committee
 Exchanges with participants to seek for their advice/motivation
 Constitution of working groups: listing the new ISDB working groups
Moderator: Natalia Cebotarenco
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 - 12:00
ISDB Working groups’ first meeting
For each working group: - Collectively defining the aims of the working
group & Identification of a working group Convenor/Coordinator.
12:00 - 13:00
Report of ISDB working groups in plenary
by the rapporteurs of each working group
Moderator: ISDB New President, Secretary: ISDB New General Secretary
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 15:00
Surrogate endpoints: Do we really need them?
Speaker: David Menkes, Healthy Skepticism
Moderator: Florence Vandevelde
15:00 - 15:30 Coffee Break
15:30 - 17:00
Workshops III: Skills Training 2
A. Why and how to make the content of your bulletin fit for health
professionals’ continuing education programmes and e-learning
(content)? –
Prescrire & Benoit Marchand, AIS, Nicaragua
B. Why and how to make the content of your bulletin fit for new
technologies
(e-journals, prescription helpers, hospital databases, apps for mobile
devices: iPhones, Android & iPads)? – Therapeutics Initiative
17:00 - 18:00
Hidden agendas: Drug industry’s invisible influence on prescribers
Speaker: Adriane Fugh-Berman, Georgetown University, Washington DC,
USA
Moderator: Isidro Sia
18:00 - 19:30 Dinner
19:30 - 21:30
Conclusion of the General Assembly
 Messages and tasks to take home by the new ISDB President
 Closing word by the organizing host Ciprian Jauca (TI, C).
Fun Activity + Socializing
 

Wednesday 28 March
07:30 -
09:00 Breakfast
09:00 -
12:00 Check Out & Outdoor Activities
12:00 -
13:00 Lunch
13:00 -
18:00 Drop off at Airport and/or Downtown