The MeltDown of Paula Deen Continues
Just when you thought the latest Paula Deen news cycle is over, up pops a new article about the celebrity chef's fall from grace.For example, I found this image of a Paula Deen butter sculpture melting in a skillet in the July 2, 2013 issue of Bloomberg Businessweek (see "For Paula Deen, Management Mess Leads to Career Meltdown").I had to enhance it a bit so you can better see Deen's face and the crocodile tears of melting butter.BTW, be sure to try "Paula's Fried Butter Balls." You can still find the recipe on the Food Network Web site here, although Deen's contract with the Food Network has not been renewed. The never-en...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - July 10, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Victoza Novo Nordisk butter sculpture Paula Deen Source Type: blogs
FDA is Lax in Enforcing Law Regarding Prescription Drug Postmarketing Studies
The Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act (FDAAA), passed by Congress in 2007, authorized the FDA to require postmarketing studies for a prescription drug’s approval. Many drug approvals were fast-tracked on the promise that pharma companies would meet study deadlines and supply the FDA with data about any adverse events discovered via observational postmarketing studies after market approval.So, how well has the FDA held pharma companies feet to the fire regarding postmarketing commitments under FDAAA jurisdiction?Not very well at all, according a Research Letter published in the July 10, 2013, issue of JAMA. The ...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - July 9, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Drug Safety FDA Source Type: blogs
EU Pharma Industry May Ban "Tchotchkes" Outright! Tchotchke Makers Threaten to Sue.
According to the Financial Times (here), the European Promotional Product Association (EPPA), a trade body representing "tchotchke" makers, is threatening to sue the EU pharmaceuticals industry over its plans to ban the widespread use of cheap branded promotional items.The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) is expected to revise article 10 of its EFPIA Code on the Promotion of Prescription Only Medicines To, And Interactions With, Healthcare Professionals (HPC Code). Instead of allowing "inexpensive" branded promotional items to be given away if they are "relevant to the practice of m...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - July 9, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: tchotchkes PhRMA Guidelines EFPIA Europe Gifts to Physicians Source Type: blogs
Graduation Day at Roche Digital Academy: What's Next?
The Roche Digital Academy concluded with a Graduation day on July 1. This training program, developed by the Digital Team Roche Italy, in collaboration with the School of Communication and Iulm in Milan, was attended by 80 professionals working in the company. Graduates received a Master in Digital Marketing, specifically designed for the pharmaceutical industry.I was a guest "lecturer" at the Academy in June (see here) and received the Academy's 2013 Award for "Performance in Excellence in Social Media Regulatory Management." (Left to right: Alessia Ferrario, eLearning Specialist; Gaetano Vancheri, eMarketing Specialist;...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - July 3, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Roche Digital Pharma Source Type: blogs
Seen on Vine: Loopy 6-Second Pharma Videos
Have you heard of or used "Vine" yet?Vine is a new app from Twitter that allows users to record six-second videos that playback in a continuous loop. Of course, I joined Vine and so have a few pharma companies that have actually uploaded videos. Of course, practically no one has a Vine account, so the main benefit of using Vine is the ability to share your videos on other social networking sites such as Blogger. On that note, I'd like to "Vines" created by Boehringer and Abbott: It's a bit of a technical challenge to create these videos. According to actor Adam Goldberg (here): "In order to make a great Vine I suggest, ab...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - June 28, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Boehringer Ingelheim Abbott Vine Source Type: blogs
Lack Sexual Desire? Try, Try Again!
Boehringer gave up on flibanserin -- so-called "Female Viagra" -- after the FDA refused to approve it for female sexual arousal disorder, also known as hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), which is a relatively new diagnosis.Recall that I blasted the trial data Boehringer submitted to the FDA before the FDA decision (see here). The data from that trial showed that women taking flibanserin experienced 0.8 more "satisfying sex acts" per month than did women taking a placebo. By the way, a "satisfying sex act" can include ... wait for it ... masturbation!Now, Sprout Pharmaceuticals is trying to get this drug approved. Sp...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - June 27, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Sexual Performance Drugs Source Type: blogs
Rev Run, Rapper, Minister, Former Kool-Aid Brand Ambassador: Now Diabetes Screening Spokesperson for Novo Nordisk. Hallelujah!
Novo Nordisk has gone through the PR wringer over its choice of Krispy Creme donut loving celebrity chef Paula Deen as its Victoza diabetes drug spokesperson. The latest Deen brouhaha is about her alleged racism and use of the "N" word (see "Should Novo Nordisk Dump Deen?").Given that, you might think Novo would be more conservative in its choice of future diabetes spokespeople. I just learned, however, that Novo recently signed hip-hop demigod Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons, the cofounder of Run-DMC, as a spokesperson for its "Ask. Screen. Know." (ASK for short) type 2 diabetes screening initiative. If you do a bit of resea...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - June 25, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Victoza Novo Nordisk Celebrity Endorsement Rev Run diabetes Source Type: blogs
Should Novo Nordisk Dump Deen?
By now everyone should know that Paula Deen -- celebrity chef and Novo Nordisk's Victoza diabetes drug spokesperson -- admitted in a videotaped deposition as part of a discrimination suit that “Yes, of course,” she has used the "N" word.As a result, the Food Network has opted not to continue her contract. Should Novo also "dump Deen?"Some time ago, before this latest Deen PR fiasco erupted, I asked if the Novo Nordisk deal with Paula Deen was "Brilliant or Dumb?" (see here). To date, the responses are evenly split between "brilliant" and "dumb." If you haven't already taken this poll, here it is again: From a marketing...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - June 24, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Victoza Novo Nordisk Celebrity Endorsement Paula Deen diabetes Source Type: blogs
Overcoming Pharma’s Social Media Challenges: My Roche Digital Academy Presentation
I spent the last two weeks or so touring Germany and Italy -- specifically Berlin, Munich, and Milan -- stopping along the way to give presentations at Bayer Health in Berlin (see here) and at the Roche Digital Academy in Milan (see here). I met many digital pharma people working inside and outside these companies who are very passionate about what they are doing. I hope to highlight some of them in future posts and interviews. Right now, however, I will document my Roche Digital Academy visit with photos and the presentation itself.The Roche Digital Academy is a project that has enrolled over 80 Roche employees who are pa...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - June 22, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Roche Digital Pharma World Tour Source Type: blogs
Pharmaguy EU Tour 2013 - The Infographic
The following infographic was created as I was making my presentation -- "Overcoming Pharma's Social Media & Mobile Challenges" -- at Bayer Healthcare in Berlin last week. See here for more details about the venue and download the presentation here (pdf).It's less an infographic than a word/tag cloud. Can you find my name hidden in this image?Here I am with my hosts at Bayer. That's me in my Hawaiian shirt. Dr. Jesus del Valle (@yeysus) is on my right and Stefan Flueckiger (@s_flueckiger) on my left.Today, I am speaking at the Roche Digital Academy just outside Milano, Italy. For more about that, see here.Today will be...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - June 19, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Bayer Roche Digital Pharma World Tour Source Type: blogs
Bayer Pharma Meets Pharmaguy Meets Healthcare App Startups: A Call for Best Practices
In a couple of days I will be leaving for the "Pharmaguy European Tour 2013."I will visit Berlin, Munich, and Milan and return on June 21, 2013. Part of my time will be spent meeting "old" friends like LenStarnes (@lenstarnes) and making new friends like Dr. Jesus del Valle (@yeysus), project leader of the Bayer HealthCare Grants4Apps™ (@grants4apps) program.Bayer HealthCare Grants4Apps™ invites health app developers to submit their innovative app ideas for novel software that contributes to improving health outcomes or pharmaceutical processes. Bayer HealthCare considers an "App" as software solution based on any plat...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - June 5, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Bayer mobile medical app guidelines Source Type: blogs
How Did the uChek iPhone Urine Analysis App "Come to FDA's Attention?"
"An iPhone application that lets users check levels of blood, protein and other substances in their urine is the first target of U.S. regulators seeking boundaries in a burgeoning industry for medical diagnosis on-the-go," reports Bloomberg (here). The app is uChek and it is free -- but you have to buy the test strips and the special "Cuboid" box that positions the iPhone's built-in camera over the test strip (see the video below).FDA sent the developers, Biosense Technologies Private Limited, a "It Has Come to Our Attention Letter," which is a species of FDA communication not previously known by experts like Eye On FDA bl...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - May 29, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: mobile medical app FDA uchek Legal/Regulatory Source Type: blogs
Another BI "Educational" Game That I Don't Get -- Literally!
Have you heard that Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) and Lilly have "stepped up their joint efforts to raise awareness of diabetes, launching the new educational game Complications Combat?" (see here).Of course, I had to be the first kid on the block to try it out. OK, maybe not the first ... according to the Leaderboard on the browser version, at least 4 people have tried it. The top 7 scores are owned by "SAI," whoever that is.The goal of the game or "task" you must perform is to "effectively manage Type 2 Diabetes and its complications before your patient's health level deteriorates. The longer your patient stays healthy, the ...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - May 28, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: gamification Boehringer Ingelheim Games Lilly diabetes Source Type: blogs
J&J Embraces "Special K" for Depression - Why Not Medical Marijuana?
Current antidepressants take weeks or months to have an effect, and then only in 30% of patients, notes Matthew Herper, Forbes, in a recent post (see here).Herper reports that J&J is "reinventing" ketamine as a product for the rapid treatment of depression just like your kids have been using it for years as a party drug under the name "Special K".It is suggested that J&J's embrace of ketamine as a product is courageous and that not many other corporate executives would be afraid of trying to turn ketamine as a product.If it is courageous to consider party drugs to treat depression, it would be even more courageous ...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - May 24, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: medical marijuana antidepressants Johnson and Johnson ketamine Source Type: blogs
Tablet Detailing Evolution According to Roche Italy
I'm preparing for my presentation at the Roche Digital Academy in Milan on June 19, 2013 (see "Pharmaguy to Present at the Roche Digital Academy"). The Roche "Team Italy" (see below) sent me a nice infographic that provides some details about the current and future digital efforts of Roche Italy -- including some data regarding digital marketing spend by various brands.I want focus on the section about "Tablet Detailing," which is shown in the following graphic:It seems that Roche Italy is well on the way to fully integrating the iPad into its sales process, overcoming the dreaded "No iPad For You" attitude of some pharma ...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - May 23, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: Roche iPad eDetailing Source Type: blogs
