MEDAMETHEUS LLC

?? !! HAPPY THANKSGIVING !! ?? While this year’s Thanksgiving post is much more lighthearted than previous ones, let us not forget that each of us has something for which to be thankful. For me, I am thankful for being able to help pediatric epilepsy patients (aged 2-5) and their caregivers manage acute and unpredictable seizure clusters/acute repetitive seizures more precisely, conveniently, and compassionately. #medicalaffairs #consulting #pediatrics #neurology #thanksgiving

PARANOID OPTIMISM The title suggests this week’s post theme to be something akin to mental health, but it really is not. It is suggested attitude by experts towards the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI)—welcome the benefits of AI while staying alert to its challenges.?? This is not my first AI-themed post, and it probably will not be my last. However, I remember trying to connect on Facebook with some people with whom I grew up. Naturally, I reached out to a mutual friend on the platform for information on the whereabouts, and he sarcastically wished me luck as they are “luddites.” I pride myself a bit on my vocabulary, but I had to look that one up.?? Courtesy of Microsoft Copilot, (uh . . . DUH!??):?“The term ‘Luddite’ comes from the name of a mythical figure, ‘General Ned Ludd’ or ‘King Ludd,’ who was said to have led the Luddites, a group of English textile workers who protested against new machinery in the early 19th century. The Luddites were active from 1811 to 1817, and their protests, known as the ‘Luddite riots,’ involved destroying labor-saving machinery in the wool and cotton industries. The Luddites believed that automation would destroy jobs. Today, the term ‘Luddite’ is often used as a derogatory term to describe people who are opposed to new technologies.” Unlike knitting machines, AI can affect almost every industry. Research shows that 80% of U.S. workers could see at least 10% of their tasks influenced by tools like Large Language Models (LLMs). While AI brings innovation, it also raises big questions about its effects on jobs. Hence, the expert-recommended “paranoid optimism.”?? Personally, I see tremendous applications for AI in several medical affairs domains (e.g., medical information, publications, clinical development, field medical). I have some thoughts on how it will influence medical affairs in the future, which I have shared at a very high level here previously. How do you feel about AI in your workplace? Is it necessary or a nightmare? #medicalaffairs #consulting #paranoidoptimism

In addition to celebrating Thanksgiving later this month, I am thankful to be in a position with a company that is "all in" on helping children suffering from seizure disorders/epilepsy.??

I have been immersed in the [pediatric] neurology space for 3 weeks now (seems longer). It is my first time working in the pediatric space, and it has its own nuances compared with the adult space. ?? In addition to celebrating Thanksgiving later this month, I am thankful to be in a position with a company that is "all in" on helping children suffering from seizure disorders/epilepsy.?? #epilepsyawarenessmonth

THE SOUND OF SILENCE . . . ?????? It is my opinion that the media channels we rely on are largely responsible for what I will term “stirring the pot” with “spin” or blatant misinformation. Chasing the almighty optimal viewership metrics and advertising dollars are apparently the driving objectives for disingenuous messaging. However, as consumers of this messaging, we have the freedom to choose how to process what information we consume then how to react. Unfortunately, not everyone has the desire or ability to offset the visceral triggering with thoughtful contemplation. Rather, their emotions disproportionately drive their reaction. This protocol often results in the devolution of dialog, especially during a tense political season, and mutual lack of understanding. I am afraid that I have not seen many examples of where our dialog “recovers” its integrity and thoughtfulness in between these setbacks, which I believe are deliberately facilitated by our “media machine.” To temper emotions in disagreement is no small feat, and frankly, downright exhausting, especially when it concerns honest and open discourse about differences of values/opinions. Though, if individuals or groups on opposing sides of an issue are willing to consider the vulnerability of their respective positions, I think we would come to realize that we have more in common than we might think. Finally, to quote a social media post Wednesday by of one of my friends: “This morning one half of the country woke up relieved, and one half woke up thinking the country was doomed. Had the election gone the other way, the above statement would still hold true. Maybe we shouldn’t be listening to the folks feeding us this nonsense.” Try to rejuvenate this weekend. Be well or get well. #medicalaffairs #consutling #TGIF #soundofsilence

???? NOW THAT “CANDY CRUSH” HAS ENDED . . . ??????♀? As an entrepreneur, I am naturally curious. This curiosity, along with versatility and adaptability, has underpinned my professional success and continues to drive me forward. That said, I had been prospecting new clients for MEDAMETHEUS for Q1 2025. This prospecting led me to a unique and successful small pharmaceutical company advancing medicines to solve patients’ problems with current standards of care and provide transformative products to improve their lives.???? After engaging some of the people at Aquestive Therapeutics, I was smitten with the opportunity to collaborate with them. Then, the “universe” manufactured an opportunity for me to formally join them. Aquestive vetted me thoroughly, and I accommodated. As of this past Monday, I am now part of the Aquestive family. Due to the new and exciting challenges ahead, the bandwidth for new projects for and weekly postings by MEDAMETHEUS will be significantly constrained but not completely cut off. Thanks in advance for indulging my enthusiasm for this new and unexpected opportunity!?? #medicalaffairs #consulting #newchapter #AQST #pharmaceuticalinnovation

TWO NEW INFORMATION CHANNEL FRONTIERS? The inspiration for this week’s post came at two unrelated points in time from two separate and distinct newsbytes. One related to cars and the other related to dreams. Now, care to comment here as to your dream car? Ahem! I digress . . . The first inspirational newsbyte came nearly two months ago. It described evolving advertising technology in your car. ?? Now, I am not talking about car wraps, bumper stickers, rooftop signs, window decals, etc. That would qualify as “on” your car. This article was talking about audiovisual advertising IN your car. This frontier was framed as the “fourth screen,” followed by smart devices, personal computers, and finally the original screens, televisions. Just last week, my mind was blown when I learned of a second frontier into which California-based REMSpace has crossed. They have successfully established two-way communication between two people while they were both asleep and lucid dreaming (i.e., REM sleep). ?????? I began contemplating the implications of “dream reading,” and frankly, became a little concerned. However, I regained my composure when I convinced myself that you would have to have this technology physically applied to two or more people. If you are like me and are somewhat overwhelmed already by how much information is pushed to us on a daily basis via multiple channels, then buckle your seatbelts and tighten your bootstraps! I can easily envision a world where omnichannel engineers pursue these two new frontiers if they have not started already.?? Of the two, the car dashboard screen is the lower hanging fruit, but I would not be surprised if REMspace’s technology evolves to the point where ideas and/or concepts can be planted in one’s mind telepathically. Sound too sci-fi to be reality??? There are many examples of movies that essentially foreshadowed advanced technology long before widespread consumer adoption and use today. For example, “Inception” is a 2010 science fiction action film about a thief who steals secrets from people's dreams and is offered a chance to plant an idea in someone's mind. Sleep tight!?? #medicalaffairs #consulting #omnichannel #newfrontiers

TO [B]CMAS OR NOT TO [B]CMAS . . . I am not sure Shakespeare had “BCMAS,” or even “MSL-BC,” in mind when penning his famous, thought-provoking soliloquy in 1601. The “should I/should I not” get a medical affairs certification gets discussed among peers and colleagues, as well as asked of me directly.?? While “BCMAS” works better for the title, I offer impartial commentary for readers of this post. My simple recommendation is to do your own due diligence. Your opinion (and ultimate decision) will be largely influenced by four things (in no particular order of influence): ·??????Professional life cycle stage ·??????Depth of current medical affairs experience ·??????Short- and long-term expectations from certification ·??????Current and/or potential employer/business culture The assessment of all these domains at a given time will impute an intangible value on medical affairs certification for you at that time. Your decision should consider this and align accordingly. Baked into this decision algorithm should be your motivation for professional development. Easy-peasy, right?!?? Hovering all around this is the percolating debate about whether or not industry medical affairs should establish universal standards. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) promulgated its initial set of standards for commercial life sciences industry more than two decades ago. By the way, those guidelines have been formally updated twice since then. These “PhRMA Guidelines” are the closest thing we have to a universal medical affairs standard, as it underpins every commercial life science organization’s medical affairs SOPs, with some freedom of interpretation to accommodate specific organizational opportunities and challenges. Subsequently, advocacy groups like MAPS, MSLS, and IPHO are active in the periphery stoking this debate and ostensibly influencing organizational SOPs, which is not necessarily a bad thing. For now, certification is not the rule. Only the future will determine if it remains the exception, or not. Importantly, certification requires an investment of time and money by the individual and/or the employer. Both will need to weigh their respective investments against their respective base cases for anticipated relevant “returns.” Again, do your own research. Ask questions of yourself, peers, colleagues, including superiors, if appropriate. Be thoughtful, genuine, resolute, and thorough in your approach. Only then can you accurately determine the value of a medical affairs certification relative to how you and/or your employer want to manage your professional development and trajectory.??? #medicalaffairs #consulting #professionaldevelopment #upskilling

WE HAVE OUR OWN . . . MONTH?! ?? Honestly, if were not for social media, I do not think I would be aware hardly any professional tribute days or months. Pharmacy had a DAY last month, now this MONTH . . . the WHOLE month??? Then, I suppose a little shameless horn-tooting is in order for this week’s post!???? MEDAMETHEUS being started by me, a licensed pharmacist who still actively practices here and there, and with inspiration from my alma mater, this is a tribute to all my pharmacy peers and colleagues—collectively referred to in contemporary lexicon as a “pharmily.”?? Along with other collaborating disciplines, pharmacists play a vital role in our national healthcare landscape and in all areas of healthcare, including . . . you guessed it . . . the pharmaceutical industry—in and outside of medical affairs. In my travels around the country, and even internationally, I have enjoyed engaging my “pharmily members” in a variety of healthcare sectors, especially sectors in which I have not specifically practiced/worked. Although, that list is shrinking! I enjoy their insights and learning about their journey and perspectives. It is pause for me to reflect back on where I started and where I am today. Where am I going, you ask? I will let you know when I get there! ????? #medicalaffairs #consulting #APhM2024 #pharmily #URICOP #URXI

“I AM PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE . . . THAT MY IDENTITY HAS BEEN STOLEN!” Regrettably, you may actually see this posted someday, as unethical hackers attempt to steal critical personal information from you through extremely realistic job postings, including false recruiter profiles, all created with the help the newest wonder tool, AI.?? Korn Ferry recently published an exposé concerning some unethical job posting practices which coincided with a seeming plethora or recent announcements on LinkedIn about members achieving new milestones in their professional progress. This is not raining on anyone’s parade, because those who have actually signed new employment agreements were not duped. This week’s post is more of a PSA than anything else.?? Korn Ferry skims the surface of this topic, which is distinct from and not to be confused with an earlier MEDAMETHEUS commentary about “ghost jobs,” posted about four months ago. The Korn Ferry commentary featured below describes elaborate but fraudulent schemes fueled by hackers’ use of AI tools to fabricate “too good to believe” job postings enticing applicants to apply. The application process acquires personal information that can be used to steal the applicant’s identity.?? Give it a read here and consider sharing for the greater good: https://lnkd.in/d9E3b8Tt #medicalaffairs #consulting #identitytheft