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So you just dropped a tidy sum to attend a seminar or some other three-day event. Now it's over and you're exhausted. Your client work is backed up. You have a fistful of business cards to connect with. And your family would like some face time. Time to get back into the swing of life, right? Wr

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

ong.

I go to A LOT of seminars. Rubbing shoulders with my colleagues, talking over dinner and debating our hottest industry issues at a live event is honestly one of my secret weapons to success.

Here's a checklist of 12 lessons from any seminar you can apply to future events to maximiz

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

your momentum:

Collect business cards - Just remember these are not "business cards". They are "people". Each card you collect is attached with an obligation to listen to that person and follow up.

Write a note to niggle your noggin - Take a seco

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

d right then and there to write something on the back of their business card that will remind you of your conversation. Don't trust yourself to remember. These events can be draining. Just make a note.

Categorize each business card - Take 4 rubber bands and put each card

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

into one of these categories: a) potential client, b) joint venture, c) general and d) stalker/creepy person (hopefully this is a small pile). Piles "a" & "b" should be a priority for you to follow up with when you get home. Pile "c" can take a few days but don't forget them. And pile "d" you c

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

n destroy privately.

Keep a portable notebook or recorder with you - You're going to get some brilliant ideas. Save them for posterity immediately. Also make sure you make a note of any follow up action you promise. Personally, I keep a spiral bound index card booklet w

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

th me. The paper is firm enough it doesn't rip. Then I can detach them at home and sort out my thoughts.

Some people actually keep a small digital recorder around their necks. Great idea!

Take lots of pictures and upload online - I have the tiniest little Casio Exili

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

m camera that's no bigger than a credit card! And I take a ton of pictures. People LOVE seeing them later. Be sure to get their name, business and website (A lot of folks have more than one website. Ask first).

Show genuine curiosity - You never know when you are a go

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

d fit for someone's business. Or if you might form a new friendship. Ask about them. Then shut your mouth and really listen. (It's good practice).

Do something unexpected - This isn't just some karmic ideal. It's a very real business (and life) principle. A great exam

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

le of that was what my husband, John did for Marlon Sanders. In a nutshell, John was just being John -- paying attention to his surroundings and responsive to people. He had no idea who Marlon "was". Well he helped get Marlon out of a bind before his presentation without any expectation. Marlon

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

ot only mentioned my business from the stage in front of over 400 people, but he dedicated an entire ezine to lionizing John, including a link to my site. (Thanks to Marlon, John now has god-like status in our house).

Get away from the same old crowd - It's tem

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

pting to hang with the people you know. Especially when you don't see your online friends that often. That's fine. Just make sure you take some spins around the hallway and forge some new friendships, too.

Take mini breaks - You're getting bombarded with a lot of info

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

mation and a lot of different energies. It's easy to get depleted. Mini breaks will keep you going. But don't miss an entire presentation if you can help it. You will undoubtedly miss the biggest aha moment of the seminar.

Do NOT make deals or promises - The excitemen

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

makes this a hotspot of deal-making, but don't. Not yet. Talk about it. Brainstorm. Come up with different scenarios. But don't talk money or legal issues until you're back in a sane, stable environment -- like home.

DO buy extended packages from the speakers - I did

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

n't "get" this when I first started going to seminars. First of all, you will never remember everything you heard from a speaker. Total immersion is the only way to really get those lessons to soak in.

Secondly, you always get a much better deal onsite! If you're moved by a speaker, then

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

et that person teach you his or her expertise. Seminars are the best places to find and connect with your mentor. (Now that I think about it, every mentor I've had I met in person at a seminar first. Hmmm. I don't know if that's so for everyone, but I believe in the power of taking a piece of a

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

ynamic, successful speaker home with you.)

Plan to take 1-2 days off work for follow up -Here is where 90% of the people miss the boat. You have all those business cards and connections. Remember the categories and the notes we made? Now it's going to be easy for you to fol

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

low up. Send out a short, friendly email to categories, "a", "b" and "c". (I try to add a personal touch to each one, but you don't have to. It's time well spent, though. Taking that extra minute really separates you from the masses.) However, if you send out a group blast, be sure to use the BC

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

(blind carbon copy) so you don't expose everyone's emails - that is a huge pet peeve of mine. This is a nice time to have those photos uploaded.

Warning: Do NOT sign them up automatically for anything, even f~ree stuff like an ezine or e-course. It's okay to include a link

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

o your site in your signature line or the P.S., but don't assume they want your materials unless they opt in. A phone call or a postcard will make you stand out even more.

Like I said, seminars have become my business bread and butter. They can work for you too. Will I see you at the next event

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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When planning an event, there are many things to consider. Even if this event is as plain as any simple event could get, it still needs planning and preparation. An event falling flat on its face is something that you would really like to avoid at all costs. Of course, who would like to be part of an event that nobody is enjoying? People would rather be in some other place rather than at a boring event.

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