• Jinhyun Jung and Adriane Fugh-Berman.
• From the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Chapel Hill, NC (JJ); Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC (AFB).
• J Am Board Fam Med. 2020 Mar 1; 33 (2): 240-251.

BackgroundIn 2015, Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine) became the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for binge-eating disorder (BED), a condition first recognized by the DSM-V in 2013. Because pharmaceutical companies use continuing medical education (CME) to help sell drugs, we explored possible bias in CME modules on BED.MethodsWe utilized a qualitative thematic analysis research approach to identify and classify patterns in CME activities focusing on BED.ResultsWe identified 27 online CME activities on BED in 2015. All were funded by Shire, which manufactures lisdexamfetamine. Seven of 16 presenters disclosed financial ties with Shire. Twenty-nine slides recurred in at least 2 CME modules, and 12 slides were repeated in 5 or more modules. Diagnosis-related themes included: BED is a real, treatable disease; BED is highly prevalent but often missed; BED can occur in anyone; BED results in poor quality of life; many patients with BED are obese; and BED makes losing weight difficult. Treatment-related themes included: lisdexamfetamine is highly effective; topiramate is limited by substantial adverse effects; and other therapeutic options for BED are inferior to lisdexamfetamine because they do not cause weight loss. Although amphetamines can cause addiction, myocardial infarction, stroke, and death, no module mentioned these serious adverse effects.ConclusionsIt seems that CME is being used to promote lisdexamfetamine for weight loss (a contraindicated use) and to highlight benefits of lisdexamfetamine while underplaying the risks.© Copyright 2020 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

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