FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 29, 2007
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ADVAMED GENERAL COUNSEL CHRIS WHITE WINS INAUGURAL PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LEADERSHIP AWARD
ADVAMED’S CODE OF ETHICS LOGO PROGRAM HONORED AT MEDICAL DEVICE REGULATORY, REIMBURSEMENT AND COMPLIANCE CONGRESS
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CAMBRIDGE, MASS.- March 28 – AdvaMed’s General Counsel, Executive Vice President and Secretary Christopher L. White, Esq., was the first recipient of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Award for Leadership in the Advancement of Ethics in the Medical Device Industry at the Second Annual Medical Device Regulatory, Reimbursement and Compliance Congress.
PricewaterhouseCoopers inaugurated an annual ethics achievement award for the medical device industry at a banquet on the evening of the conference’s Preconference Symposia at the Harvard Faculty Club in Boston.
The award was given to White to honor his work on the “AdvaMed Code Logo” program. The program allows medical technology companies to self-certify that they adhere to the highest ethical standards and have strong compliance mechanisms in place.
The award was presented by PricewaterhouseCoopers Partner, Peter J. Claude. Associate United States Attorney, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, U.S. Attorney's Office, James G. Sheehan, Esq., spoke about industry efforts to address compliance issues at the banquet.
In June 2006, AdvaMed’s Board voted to further encourage industry adoption of the AdvaMed Code of Ethics for Interactions with Health Care Professionals by authorizing use of an “AdvaMed Code Logo” by device manufacturers that adopt compliance policies consistent with the Code and maintain a robust compliance infrastructure.
White’s achievements include spearheading efforts to educate device companies’ corporate counsel and compliance officers, physicians and other customer groups about the Code of Ethics program. Through this outreach, the logo is recognized as a tangible sign of a company’s commitment to compliance issues. The “AdvaMed Code Logo” program has generated international as well as domestic interest and has become a model for other trade and health industry associations.
Companies that participate in the logo program must certify they meet the eight items outlined in a “Conditions of Use” agreement will be granted a license to display the logo on their corporate Web site, business cards, displays and other marketing materials. The eight elements of the agreement align with the HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Compliance Program Effectiveness Standards and outline specific programs and processes firms must maintain to ensure effective compliance.
To reinforce that a company's commitment to ethical practices must originate at the highest levels, AdvaMed’s program requires that the logo license certification be signed by the CEO.
Access complete information on AdvaMed's Code of Ethics.
White’s other activities in the Conference include participating in a Preconference Symposia panel on Implementing Codes of Conduct on March 28. He will also speak with William Fitzgerald, Esq., director, Global Compliance of Alcon Laboratories, Inc., on AdvaMed’s Efforts to Promote Regulatory Compliance on March 29.
Stephen J. Ubl, AdvaMed’s president and chief executive, gave an address during the conference’s Opening General Session on Advocating for Reasonable Regulation on March 28.
PricewaterhouseCoopers has extensive experience in delivering solutions to a wide range of strategic, financial and operational issues. The Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Industry Groups are part of PricewaterhouseCoopers' larger initiative for the health-related industries that brings together expertise and allows collaboration across all sectors in the health continuum, including pharmaceutical, biotech and medical devices.
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