Independent Medical Education Funding and Application

Amgen completed its acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics plc on October 6, 2023.

To submit a request for Independent Medical Education or Donation support relating to Amgen’s areas of interest, please submit the request via this website.

As part of Amgen's mission to further the advancement of medicine and healthcare, Amgen supports Independent Medical Education ("IME"). IME is professional education given by accredited medical education providers who design and implement programs totally independent of any Amgen influence, as defined by standards such as the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education ("ACCME") guidelines, the FDA's Guidance: Industry Supported Scientific and Educational Activities, and the PhRMA Code.

Funding requests including for live presentations, written enduring materials, online courses, and conference symposia from organizations (e.g. hospitals, universities, societies, medical-education vendors) will be reviewed and assessed in conjunction with Amgen's goal to help physicians and other healthcare professionals to obtain information and insights that contribute to the improvement of patient care and the advancement of medicine.

Areas of Interest to Amgen

Amgen supports IME that address:

  • Alignment of the proposed  IME program to established educational goals focused on unmet clinical, educational or professional practice needs in therapeutic areas of interest
  • Education of health care providers including trainees, allied health professionals and payers
  • Advancing the understanding of the disease state
  • Improving health care providers' understanding of the diagnosis, treatment, outcomes, and co-morbidities
  • Quality, reimbursement, access to care
  • Innovative and biosimilar drug development

Disease States and Areas of Interest:

Global Biomedical Data Sciences

  • Fellowships in Statistics or Biostatistics
  • Annual Society meetings for Statistics, Biostatistics or Statistical Programming
  • Programs in the field of Statistics, Biostatistics or Statistical Programming

Oncology

  • MRD in ALL (or acute leukemia) [especially if reaching pathologists and/or community oncologists]
  • Treatment of pediatrics, AYA and adult ALL patients [especially if within global reach]
  • Importance of biomarker testing in cancer care with emphasis on Lung, CRC or Gastric
  • Management of ITP
  • Management of Relapse Refractory Multiple Myeloma
  • Bispecific T-cell Engager education in solid tumors (e.g, Lung, Prostate)
  • Patient management and monitoring with bispecific T-cell engagers
  • Immunotherapy in Small Cell Lung Cancer

Bone

  • Improving the awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of osteoporosis, among multiple specialties (notably primary care and orthopedics) with varying degrees of expertise including Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and Physician Assistants (PAs)
  • New and emerging treatments in osteoporosis, including the evolved treatment paradigm of anabolic à antiresorptive for patients at very high risk of fracture
  • Conditions other than PMO/MOP associated with bone loss and fractures: CTIBL, GIOP, OP with CKD, OP with diabetes, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, and idiopathic OP
  • Increasing awareness of emerging AI/ML technologies designed to detect or predict osteoporotic fractures, including care pathway implementation considerations

Cardiovascular & Obesity

  • Identification and management of very high risk ASCVD patients
  • Education on the implementation of the 2018 ACC/AHA Cholesterol Guidelines and the 2022 ACC ECDP Nonstatin Therapies for LDL-C in ASCVD
  • Current Dyslipidemia treatment landscape and the importance and urgency of LDL-C lowering in CVD
  • Enhancing patient access to PCSK9 inhibitors and improving Physician perception
  • Prioritization of management of dyslipidemia in patients with DM and/or obesity
  • Unmet needs in obesity care (e.g., Severe obesity, Genetic obesity, Vulnerable populations)
  • Clinical diagnosis and targets in obesity care beyond weight and BMI
  • Obesity phenotypes and personalized approaches

Inflammation & Vasculitis

Education to Increase Awareness of:

  • Rheumatologic diseases with particular interest in: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, and ANCA-Associated Vasculitis (AAV)
  • Dermatologic diseases focusing on psoriasis, other psoriatic diseases, and atopic dermatitis
  • Other inflammatory diseases including lupus and related autoimmune diseases
  • Gastrointestinal diseases focusing on inflammatory bowel disease
  • Respiratory diseases focusing on asthma & COPD
  • Education about the biosimilar approval pathway, biologic manufacturing and biosimilar development

Nephrology

  • Anemia associated with CKD-treatment, consequences, transfusion, risk: benefit of treatment
  • CKD Mineral and Bone Disorder – pathogenesis, consequences, treatment
  • Emerging data (clinical and basic research)
  • Quality improvement in the care of patients with renal disease
  • Healthcare disparities
  • Emerging trends in Pharmacoeconomics and healthcare policy research pertaining to CKD
  • Advancement of the field of pharmacy through education

Neuroimmunology

Education to Increase Awareness of:

  • Diagnosis of NMOSD
  • Burden of disease of NMOSD
  • Treatment options and management strategies for NMOSD

Neuroscience

Migraine education to improve the understanding and awareness of:

  • Diagnosis of migraine
  • Burden of disease and clinical consequences of migraine
  • Treatment options for migraine and its unmet needs
  • Impact of migraine on healthcare resource utilization

Process Development

Programs that support awareness and education of researchers, students and clinicians in the fields involved in process development, of large molecules, oral parenterals and other novel therapeutics:

  • Candidate and molecule selection
  • Manufacture and characterization (upstream and downstream, synthetic) of drug substance
  • Manufacture and characterization of drug product
  • Device development
  • Quality target product profile and identification of critical quality attributes
  • Society activities involved in education, career development, and scientific exchange in process, product, and device development
  • Programs dedicated to educating and training students in the various areas involved in product development

Refractory Gout

Education to increase awareness of:

  • Disease state and common comorbidities in patients with gout
  • Pathophysiology of gout
  • Connection between gout and CVD, CKD
  • Evidence-based guidelines for gout management
  • Referral pathways for patients with gout
  • Medication non-adherence in patients with gout

Thyroid Eye Disease

Education to increase awareness of:

  • Early Thyroid Eye Disease diagnosis and treatment
  • Differentiating Thyroid Eye Disease from Grave's Disease
  • Thyroid Eye Disease burden of illness, treatments and unmet needs
  • Benefit-risk evaluations for clinical decision-making in patient with Thyroid Eye Disease

Translational Sciences

Programs that support awareness and education of clinicians, researchers and patients in the following areas:

  • Comparative Biology and Safety Sciences
  • Medical Sciences
  • Pharmacokinetics and Drug Metabolism
  • Advance field of Translational Sciences focusing on new areas for professional development
  • Education and training of students through didactic and experiential opportunities

Overview of IME Funding Application Process

Amgen is dedicated to making the application process simple and straightforward. Amgen will send an email confirmation upon receipt of your application and documentation.

IME Application Requirements

Amgen's IME funding application process includes:

  • NEW: Effective March 1, 2017 requests for IME funding may be submitted at any time and for any start date, provided that the program start date is 60 days or more from the date of submission. 
  • Amgen requires that an agreement is fully executed prior to the start date of the program content development or activity.  Please plan ahead to ensure a decision and contract execution, if approved, can be completed to meet your deadline.
  • Attachment of the following required documents (in .pdf format) to the application:
    • Letter of Request on the requesting organization's letterhead which includes the following:
      • Must be addressed to Amgen
      • Signed and Dated
      • Program title, date(s), and location(s)
      • Description of the proposed activity
      • Identification of the target audience and projected number of attendees
      • Name of accrediting body and accredited provider, including type and number of medical education credits offered for the proposed activity (program MUST be accredited)
      • If applicable, identification of co-requesting organization(s), medical education partner(s), and/or logistical partner. Please include contact information for these organizations.
    • Needs Assessment (can be included in the Letter of Request)
    • Educational Objectives (can be included in the Letter of Request)
    • Agenda (draft acceptable)
    • Full Program Budget
    • Amgen/ Requested Amount Budget
      (Please Note: Amgen does not prohibit organizers from serving meals at IME events; however, Amgen's IME funds cannot be used to provide meals at IME events)
    • Current IRS W9 form (must be signed and dated within the last 12 months)

Please note that submitting a request does not guarantee you and/or your organization will receive IME funding.

Eligibility Criteria - Important Application Considerations

Independent Medical Education supported by Amgen in the U.S. MUST be:

  • Provided by a United States based accredited provider (e.g. ACCME, ACPE, ANCC) or other organizations authorized by state law to award continuing medical education credits.
  • Paid to a United States based organization

It is important to note:

  • Amgen will not provide IME funding for:
    • Individuals
    • Requests for payments to Individuals
    • Fellowships
    • Overhead Expenses
    • General Operating Expenses
    • Entertainment Expenses
    • Awards/ Travel Awards
    • Costs of travel, lodging, or other personal expenses of non-faculty individuals attending IME, either directly to the individuals participating in the event or indirectly to the event's provider. Funding cannot be used to compensate participants for time spent at the IME event.
    • Meals
      • Amgen does not prohibit organizers from serving meals at IME events; however, Amgen's IME funds shall not be used to provide meals at IME events.
  • Amgen's support for IME programs that meet the Eligibility Criteria is compliant with federal and state laws, as well as guidelines that govern such activities.
  • Amgen commercial staff, including field staff, is not involved in decisions to fund IME programs. For more information regarding Amgen's interactions with healthcare professionals and other customers, (click here).
  • Responsibility and control over the selection, content, faculty, educational methods, materials, and venue for an independent medical education event belongs solely to the organizers of the event in accordance with the accredited provider's guidelines. Amgen will not provide any advice or guidance to the accredited independent medical education provider (even if asked) regarding the content or faculty for any Independent Medical Education program.
  • IME funding decisions will not take into account the current or potential customer status of the IME requestor.
  • Amgen requires that a fully-executed agreement, signed by the requesting IME Provider and Amgen be completed prior to the commencement of the IME program.
  • For funding requests approved by Amgen, the IME funding recipient is required to confirm the completion of the activity and provide documentation of how the funds were used within 60 days after the completion of the independent medical education activity. Documentation should be sent to hccime@amgen.com for reconciliation.

Please note that submitting a request does not guarantee you and/or your organization will receive IME funding.