One-On-One with ACMA Founder and CEO Dr. William Soliman

The pharma industry is a field that relies heavily on credibility. But it has been struggling with trust for a while. The public perception of the pharmaceutical industry is largely shaped by issues like the supposed dangers of vaccines, corporate greed and prescription drug abuse, which have contributed to the growing gap in the industry. Is there a better solution to bridge this gap and help those in the industry? Dr. William Soliman discusses credibility in the pharmaceutical industry and what can be done differently.

Dr. Soliman is the founder and CEO of the Accreditation Council for Medical Affairs (ACMA). He has been in the pharma industry for years and has worked in different fields, including medical affairs, as a medical science liaison and management consulting. Dr. Soliman is also a television personality. He is regularly featured on TV as an expert on the pharmaceutical industry.

According to Dr. Soliman, the issues of credibility in the pharma industry can only be solved if everyone is willing to participate and industry players provide the necessary resources. Dr. Soliman explains that the pharmaceutical industry is highly unexplored in some fields, and there isn't a uniform set of standards in medical affairs and the medical science liaison profession.

This is part of the reason he started the ACMA. Dr. Soliman wanted to create a standard and close the gap between manufacturers and the public. The ACMA developed the first ever Board Certification program for medical affair and MSL professionals. The Board Certified Medical Affairs Specialist (BCMAS) program is the first and only accredited board certification program for both medical affairs and MSL professionals. Additionally, the ACMA offers data and tech solutions for medical affairs and the MSL space in the life sciences industry. ACMA has a predictive analytics tool, ACMA Trends, a cloud based market research application and ACMA Engage, a medical affairs-specific CRM platform.

ACMA also supports young practitioners to access better education and navigate the industry. ACMA has a medical scholarship program for those interested in pursuing careers in the pharmaceutical industry. The organization has established the first ever MSL/medical affairs scholarship fund at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Pharmacy, where pharmacy graduates are awarded a scholarship to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry as a medical science liaison or medical affairs professional.

"Credibility is everything when it comes to pharmaceuticals and profoundly affects the relationship between manufacturers and consumers," says Dr. Soliman. Unfortunately, the actions of a few bad actors continue to cast a cloud of mistrust and slow down the growth of the entire industry.

To close this growing gap, Dr. Soliman believes that the sector needs to establish more regulatory bodies and introduce standards in the manufacturing and training of these professionals. Dr. Soliman has been doing this through his organization, the ACMA.

The ACMA established the first-ever board certification for MSL and medical affairs professionals in the world. The ACMA also has the first-ever prior authorization certification program.

While there is still a long way to go before manufacturers and other players close this gap, we can agree that there is hope, especially with pharma experts like Dr. Soliman. Dr. Soliman is leading the discussion and providing a solution as he helps those in the industry raise the bar.

The ACMA operates in over 80 countries, and Dr. Soliman has appeared on different pharma forums to discuss how stakeholders can improve the industry. Dr. Soliman was invited by the U.S. Congress Health Subcommittee, where he got to speak about the ACMA and the importance of certification standards for medical affairs and medical science liaison professionals in the pharmaceutical industry.