Set Your Sights - A Novartis Facebook Connect App. Is It the First of Its Kind?
When Stacey Bernstein (@StaceyBernstein), Senior Vice President, Director of US Digital Health at Weber Shandwick, asked me for my thoughts on "Set Your Sights" -- the 1st FB connect app for Novartis -- I was a bit wary. First, I didn't quite understand what a "FB connect app" was. Did I have to download it to my iPhone or iPad? I've got enough apps on those devices that I've used only once and nevermore!No, it's not a mobile app. According to Facebook (here) "Facebook Connect is the next iteration of Facebook Platform that allows users to "connect" their Facebook identity, friends and privacy to any site. This will now en...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - October 10, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: i Apps FaceBook Novartis Source Type: blogs
Purple Haze: How the Purple Pill is Fighting Maine on Cheap Canadian Imports
In case you haven't heard, the pharmaceutical industry -- i.e., PhRMA -- is suing Maine, attempting to block a new law that goes into effect today. "The law, the first of its kind, sanctions the direct purchase of mail-order drugs from some foreign pharmacies. It has ignited a court battle with the pharmaceutical industry and set the stage for a broader fight over access to less-costly medication" (see here for the story plus a copy of PhRMA's complaint and Maine's motion to dismiss). PhRMA contends that the practice could expose residents to tainted or counterfeit medication. "It's not a safety issue," Republican Gov. Pau...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - October 9, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: PurpleZone AstraZeneca Drug Importation Purple Pill counterfeit medicine Source Type: blogs
Pay to Play is the FDA - No, the AMERICAN - Way!
FoxBusiness asks if Pharma and FDA are too close for comfort in an interview (view it here) regarding how some some of the nation's leading pharmaceutical companies paid "entry fees running into the tens of thousands of dollars to attend invitation only conferences with FDA and NIH officials" (access the MedPage story here). Fox reporter/commentator Gerri Willis exclaims "this stinks!" and "we need an investigation to figure out exactly what's going on here." Pretty strong words from a Fox reporter/commentator.Obviously, however, there will be no investigation as long as the government is shut down.In an interview, Do...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - October 8, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: User Fees PDUFA FDA Source Type: blogs
@GilenyaGoUSOnly: Another Rx Branded Twitter Account. Side Effects Sidebar is a Problem... Again!
Shame on me! I was unaware until today of @GilenyaGoUSOnly, an Rx-branded Twitter account run by Novartis, which markets Gilenya for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This Twitter account has been "active"since November 22, 2012, when it published its first tweet. To date the account has posted only 121 tweets (an average of 10 tweets per month), follows nobody, but has over 3,000 followers (I just became a follower this morning).For the record, here's a screenshot of the Twitter account (click on it for a full-sized view):When the FDA, this past August (29 AUG), issued a warning for patients who take Gilenya ...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - October 4, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Drug Safety PhRMA Guidelines Gilenya Novo Nordisk Race With Insulin DTC Advertising Twitter Risk Communication Novartis Source Type: blogs
Can Anonymous Patient Posters on Health Forums be Identified?
Remember Sara Baker, a "fake" patient created by MedSeek, a health IT company? See "Nobody Knows You're a Fake Patient on the Internet!" Identifying fake patients who post to health forums is pretty straight forward. I have been very successful doing it for years (read "Web 2.0 Pharma Marketing Tricks for Dummies," for example).Some time ago, PatientsLikeMe had to take action against a "fake patient," which was actually a software bot trolling the site reading and analyzing posts. "This user was not a patient," said Ben Heywood, co-founder of PatientsLikeMe, "but rather a computer program that scrapes (i.e. reads and store...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - October 3, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: fPatient Discussion Forum patientslikeme Source Type: blogs
A Crestor Blog Ad About a Crestor TV Ad About a Crestor TV Ad. Humor Fails to Educate.
AstraZeneca just posted a Crestor ad about a Crestor ad about a Crestor ad on AZ Health Connections, which is "A blog for AstraZeneca's US business." The blog post -- see screen capture below -- was written by Rod Wooten, Commercial Brand Leader, CRESTOR. It's an authentic direct-to-consumer (DTC) ad and includes all the FDA-required information, including the brief statement about major side effects.The post is titled "AstraZeneca Takes a New Advertising Approach to Engage & Educate Consumers" (find it here). I have a few words to say about the "new" approach below, but right now let's just savor the "unique" approach...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - October 1, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: corporate blogs AstraZeneca Cholesterol Crestor DTC Source Type: blogs
You Might Be A Pharma Social Media Pioneer If...
IF... Your boss decides that you are a "pioneer" and puts you in charge of ALL the company's social media campaigns -- of which there are ZERO! IF... Pharmaguy says you are a pioneer, then criticizes your effort on Pharma Marketing Blog. No, no. Let’s get serious! Here's why I think the following 5 pharma people MIGHT be Pharma Social Media Pioneers. You Might Be A Pharma Social Media Pioneer If...You spearheaded the development of a pharma corporate blog like Amy O'Connor (@Modernmeds), Director, Digital Government Affairs, did with LillyPad. "LillyPad was a pioneer platform in bringing a personal voice t...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - September 30, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Awards Pharmaguy social media award Social Media Pioneer Award Digital Pharma Source Type: blogs
Dozens of Currently Available Dermatology Mobile Apps May Fall Outside FDA’s “Enforcement Discretion” Safe Harbor
Perhaps 27% of the 229 dermatology-related mobile applications (apps) that are available today may be subject to FDA regulation despite the agency’s "enforcement discretion" safe harbor, which exempts most mobile apps that "pose minimal risk to consumers." A study by Ann Chang Brewer, M.D., of the University of Arizona, Phoenix, and colleagues, published today in JAMA Dermatology ((JAMA Dermatol. Published online September 25, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2013.5517), identified 229 dermatology-related apps in several categories, including: general dermatology reference (61), self-surveillance/diagnosis aids (41), disea...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - September 25, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: mobile medical app FDA Legal/Regulatory dermatology Source Type: blogs
Can Rx Drug Trash Talk - Litany of Side Effects - in DTC Ads Increase Sales?
"Warnings of serious side effects in drug advertising can actually improve consumers’ opinions and increase sales, rather than frightening them away, new research finds." That was the opening statement in a recent PharmaTimes article ("Serious side-effects warnings can increase drug sales: study").All you have to do -- which a LOT of people NEVER do -- to discover that this statement is rubbish -- i.e., a non-sequitur conclusion based on a faulty interpretation of the data -- is to read the original research paper or even just the abstract, which you can find here in case you actually care to read it. Here, let me force ...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - September 25, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Drug Safety DTC Advertising side effects Source Type: blogs
These Mobile Apps Are Subject to FDA's "Enforcement Discretion." Whaaa?
When I read Dominic Tyer's blog post ("FDA takes 'tailored' approach to mobile app regulation") about FDA's final guidance for regulation of mobile medical applications, the following segment gave me pause:"The FDA's guidance gives the following examples of apps that it intends to regulate [my emphasis]:Mobile apps that provide or facilitate supplemental clinical care, by coaching or prompting, to help patients manage their health in their daily environmentMobile apps that provide patients with simple tools to organise and track their health informationMobile apps that provide easy access to information related to patients...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - September 24, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Drug Safety FDA Guidance mobile medical app Source Type: blogs
OMG! Rich People Don't Want to Die! My Take on Google Calico
Time Magazine should die -- it's too old and stodgy, plus it sensationalizes news with cover stories titled "Can Google Solve Death?"Of course, that story is about Calico, Google's latest foray into health after it unceremoniously shut down Google Health, perhaps because of oldsters as advisors (see "Google's 'Old School' Health Advisory Council").Calico also has an "oldster' in charge -- Arthur Levinson, the former chief of Genentech. Levinson was born in 1950, which makes him 63 years old or about 15 years away from a statistical death. By which I mean, in 15 years Levinson will reach the AVERAGE U.S. life expectancy of ...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - September 23, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Google Life Expectancy Source Type: blogs
The Hawaiian Shirt is Ready for the Next Pharmaguy Social Media Pioneer Award Recipient!
In just a few weeks, I will be announcing the recipient(s) of the 4th Annual Pharmaguy Social Pioneer Award at the Digital Pharma East conference in Philadelphia. s part of the ceremony, I will pass on the famous -- or infamous, depending on your viewpoint -- Hawaiian shirt that is a symbol of "standing out from the crowd." Last year's recipients -- Dennis Urbaniak, Joan Mikardos, and Laura Kolodjeski (Sanofi US Diabetes Team) -- returned the shirt and I just picked it up from the cleaners, ready for this year's recipient(s). You can see the top 10 contenders in the image below (click on image for an enlarged view): Altho...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - September 22, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Pharmaguy social media award Jerry Matczak Source Type: blogs
Hooray for Apple! Apple Demands - er, Asks - That App Developers Provide Sources of Medical Information
An iMedicalApps "exclusive" reports "information has now become available that suggests Apple is now looking to ensure the information contained in each medical app is appropriately validated" (see "Exclusive: Apple now asking app developers to provide sources of medical information")."This is an exciting development from Apple as it suggests they are concerned about the potential for misinformation contained in medical apps. By asking developers to verify the information contained in the app, Apple will encourage developers to cite the sources of the information contained — similar to how medical journals are written. W...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - September 18, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Source Type: blogs
Not Lost in Translation: Barcelona, Catalonia, and Global Pharmaguy
I recently attended the 3rd Annual Pharma eMarketing Congress hosted by Fleming Europe in Barcelona, Spain. While there, I managed to mix business, fun, and politics in the same trip.This Congress has never failed to deliver and proves to me that in order to reap greater profits -- i.e., learn new things, meet new people -- you have to "outsource" yourself and travel to Europe, Asia, and South America. At least that's my strategy as a "Global Brand." The pharmaceutical industry, after all, is a global industry.On the day I arrived -- without my luggage! -- I was interviewed by Teresa Bau Puig (@tbau_uoc), a free-lance jour...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - September 17, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Conference Europe pharmaguy social media Source Type: blogs
Do You Trust This Man? Pfizer CEO Says Lack of Trust in Drug Industry a Matter of "Perception Gap"
He is Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Ian Read.I wasn't one of the reporters "invited" to Pfizer headquarters in New York to listen to company leaders discuss improvements to research and development of vaccines.At that meeting, Read addressed the lack of trust in the drug industry, which according to Read, is "a perception gap" (see "Pharmaceutical companies have an image problem and now say they care more about it").He also said "We sell that we've done the research, done the clinical trials, that the data is done to a very high standard and is believed. The trust in society on quality is important to us. This trust is no...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - September 13, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: trust Source Type: blogs
