Spit for Research: Will Genentech's Online Promotion Succeed?

According to @Genentech, the official Twitter account of Genentech, “The #DNA in spit from cancer survivors may help scientists better understand cancer.” That being the case, the next logical step is to collect as much spit from cancer survivors as possible. To accomplish that, Genentech teemed up with 23andMe -- the personal genetics firm that aired its first TV ad Monday in a bid to build the audience for DNA sequencing (see here) to launch the InVite Study, which recruits patients online. The goal of the study is to collect spit to find out why people respond differently to Avastin -- Genentech's expensive (up to $100,000 per year per patient) drug for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer, among others.Genentech is using Twitter and Youtube to encourage qualifying patients to submit samples of saliva via a kit supplied by 23andMe. Here's the Youtube promotional video titled "Spit for Science":Information about the study can be found on the 23andMe Web site (here), which proclaims that Avastin is used in the "treatment of locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer, metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer, recurrent glioblastoma, or metastatic renal cell carcinoma." Here's a screen shot (click on it to enlarge):Actually, a couple of years ago, the FDA ruled that Avastin could no longer be marketed as treatment for breast cancer because Avastin’s risky side-effects outweigh its benefits for breast cancer patients. "W...

Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - August 7, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Avastin YouTube R and D Source Type: blogs