Pharma Medical Education in the GCC: Lessons from Rheumatology

In my immunology years at Janssen, as EMEA Emerging Markets Product Manager for biologics, I learned where specialty brands are really built: in medical education. I was at the first GCC Rheumatology Conference in Kuwait, at the Janssen Rheumatology Forum and at the Kuwait SpA management guidelines meeting, and I was honoured on stage at the first Rheumatology in General Practice conference in Kuwait in 2018. These are the lessons I take into every healthcare launch.

Why medical education matters most for specialty medicines

Biologics and other specialty medicines are prescribed by a small number of specialists, for complex conditions, often after a long road to diagnosis. Patients only reach those specialists if someone recognizes the disease early. Advertising cannot do that work. Education can: it helps specialists apply the latest evidence, and it helps general practitioners recognize, refer and co-manage patients.

1. Start from a real gap in practice

The best programs start with a question doctors actually have. In rheumatology, one example is diagnostic delay. Axial spondyloarthritis is often diagnosed years after symptoms start, because chronic back pain is common and inflammatory back pain is easy to miss. A gap like that tells you who to educate (general practitioners), what to say (recognize and refer) and what to measure (earlier referrals).

2. Give each format a job

• Regional congresses share evidence and local experience across countries. The first GCC Rheumatology Conference, organized by the Kuwait Association of Rheumatology in 2019, was built around exactly that idea: "Sharing our local experience".
• Specialist forums keep a group of experts learning together over time. Running a forum in waves, as the Janssen Rheumatology Forum did, lets each wave build on the last.
• GP education brings specialty knowledge to the doctors who see patients first. Rheumatology in General Practice, first held in Kuwait in 2018, brings general practitioners and rheumatologists together.
• Guidelines meetings, like the Kuwait SpA management guidelines meeting, bring local experts together on how patients should be managed in their own health system.
• Internal training gives every market the same story. At an Emerging Markets Immunology Team meeting, I presented the new Simponi campaign to marketing managers and directors from EMEA emerging markets, so each country could adapt one core story to local practice.

3. Make it credible

• Accredit it. CME/CPD accreditation signals quality and gives doctors credit for their time. Both rheumatology conferences above carried CME credits; Rheumatology in General Practice, for example, was registered with the Kuwait Institute for Medical Specialization (KIMS).
• Let experts lead the science. Independent experts should develop and present the content, and sponsorship should be disclosed.
• Follow the codes. The IFPMA Code of Practice and local regulations set clear rules for how companies support medical education, from hospitality to speaker fees. Involve medical and compliance colleagues from the first plan, not just at final approval.

4. Measure change, not attendance

Attendance and satisfaction scores are a start, not the goal. Better measures include:

• Knowledge and confidence before and after the program
• The questions doctors ask afterwards, and the follow-up they request
• Referral patterns, where they can be measured appropriately
• How local guidelines and pathways evolve

Agree the measures before the program starts, and review them with medical colleagues.

5. Extend it digitally

A congress lasts two days; learning needs to last all year. Webinars, on-demand recordings, case discussions and HCP portals in Arabic and English keep the conversation going between meetings. I cover the digital side in healthcare and pharma marketing in the digital age.

A checklist for your next program

• Does it start from a real gap in practice?
• Does each format have a clear job and audience?
• Is it accredited, expert-led and compliant?
• Do we know which change we will measure, and when?
• Will the learning continue after the event?

Planning a launch or a medical education program in the Gulf? See how I approach launching a pharmaceutical product and how I support healthcare and pharma companies.