Publications More Pharma Firms Entering Deeper Social Waters With Confidence 01/10. While many businesses have raced to build their presence in the online social sphere, pharmaceutical companies have been typically shielded away from these channels over concerns with liability for monitoring adverse events and entering unknown territory. It’s understandable, as, not surprisingly, pharmaceutical is under greater scrutiny than many other industries. But as social media reached a tipping point in 2011, with mainstream acceptance among marketers, we also saw many more leading pharmaceutical firms making broader forays into social media. Here are a few notable examples: Bio-pharmaceutical firm UCB, Inc., and PatientsLikeMe, an online community for people with life-changing conditions, partnered to create an open epilepsy community online to capture real-world experiences of people living with epilepsy in the United States.Johnson & Johnson established an innovative Acuvue Acuminder Facebook application, which reminds people when it’s time to change their contacts.
Wayne Gattinella resigns as CEO of WebMD - PEOPLE. Wayne Gattinella has resigned as CEO and president of US online healthcare information firm WebMD. The has also halted its proposed sale plans and said it expects earnings for 2012 to decrease. Gattinella, who has had been in the position since 2005, will be replaced on an interim basis by current chief financial officer and chief operating officer Anthony Vuolo. Martin Wygod, chairman of WebMD's board of directors, commented: "We thank Wayne for his contributions in making WebMD the leader in health information services. “With my support and that of the management committee, I am confident that Tony will lead a smooth transition as the board conducts a search for a new CEO. " WebMD did not give an explanation for Gattinella's resignation, although the company did say fourth quarter sales activity for advertising and sponsorship products was 'less than anticipated'.
The earnings outlook for 2012 was also disappointing, with revenue expected to be as much as 2-8 per cent lower than 2011. Ad lib - DirectoryLive. FDA Has (Some) Social Media Advice For Pharma - Health Blog. By Katherine Hobson The pharma industry has been waiting for guidance from the FDA on what is — and is not — permitted in terms of marketing online and via social media. (For example — who’s responsible for consumer Tweets about a drug?) Hearings on the topic were held in November 2009 but so far there hasn’t been much information on how companies can adhere to rules about things such as balancing information on risks and benefits when using social media.
Then, late last month, the FDA released draft guidance on at least one topic: “responding to unsolicited requests for off-label information about prescription drugs and medical devices.” Is this the social media guidance we’ve all been waiting for? But as it did with this draft guidance, the FDA can use examples to show how different policies might play out in various electronic media.
Image: iStockphoto. What can be done to help physicians make a difference. Posted 9th January 2012 in Articles | Register to comment Diane Freeman MicroMass Communications, Inc. Three months ago, I had a strange experience at an appointment with a new physician. After a brief consultation, the doctor recommended I start a daily medication.
Noticing my hesitancy, he asked a few probing questions related to my feelings about his diagnosis and the treatment. This was unusual. The physician role in engaging with patients A 2009 study of British and American physicians demonstrated some of the challenges patients face in being active participants in their healthcare. Behaviorists at our company recently surveyed almost 400 primary care physicians and specialists to gain a greater understanding of how they make treatment decisions. While most doctors suggest that they want their patients to be partners in their care, many physicians are falling short of the mark when it comes to actually involving them in treatment decisions.
What role do marketers play? Conclusion. How can pharma increase cooperation with the rare disease community. Posted 5th January 2012 in Articles, Disease Area | Register to comment Wendy White Siren Interactive (Continued from “Rare is different: rare disease patients and caregivers want pharma to participate” ) Due to the nature of the condition, a patient diagnosed with any one of the more than 7,000 rare diseases and disorders is part of a niche population on the margin of medicine. Their treatments establish the border — the edge of the latest medical advancements resulting from significant financial investment, targeted research and relentless patient advocacy. In this sixth and final blog post in the “Rare is different” series, we’ll take a look at how these elements converge to create innovation at the margins.
Pharma means business By the time a therapy receives FDA approval, the pharmaceutical company will have spent several years and hundreds of millions of dollars developing the drug. An unexpected windfall Dr. Chief Medical Officer, National Organization for Rare Disorders U.S. European Pharma Industry Seen Rising From the Ashes in Mid-2012 - Health Blog. By Sten Stovall Investment prospects for Europe’s big drug makers look set to improve dramatically from mid-2012, despite the gloomy backdrop facing the sector as the year begins. In 2012, the $50 billion-plus “global wave” of lost revenues from patent expirations on major blockbuster medicines finally hits the entire pharmaceuticals sector. Tightened government health-care budgets and downward pressure on drug prices will also keep hurting. The sector’s ratings have suffered as a result. But drug companies haven’t been idle. Many large drug companies have also reconfigured their research and development operations, targeting efficiency savings and productivity improvements and renewing their focus on specialty areas such as oncology and autoimmune diseases.
That is finally being noticed by sector experts. Deutsche Bank analysts said in a note to clients last month: JPMorgan echoed that sentiment in a note to clients today: Its analysts said: Image: iStockphoto. How to use SEO correctly - FEATURE - General articles - Marketing and Communications. In the third of our series discussing the practical steps pharma companies can take to establish themselves in a digital environment, we look at search engine optimisation (SEO) - one of the most important factors in getting people to our websites. It's an area that often gets forgotten about by pharma, despite figures that show 150 million people in Europe actively search online for healthcare information every week, while Google says healthcare related topics are its second biggest search terms.
So do you really want to drive awareness of your brand/disease area/product? If 'yes' then read on…. What is SEO? To help your organic search results you need to concentrate on two things: on-site SEO, which is internal coding on your website (both mobile and PC based), and off-site SEO, which includes sites that link through to your website. This off-site SEO can be press releases, related links and social media websites. Top Google search results for 'gout' When you're planning SEO, think... Why pharma engagement on twitter matters! The fact that thousands of stakeholders chose to follow pharma accounts on twitter deserves our attention.
It says that there are people out there genuinely interested in what pharma has to say, that there is media eagerly awaiting to scoop up the newest press release, investors keen to learn more about the pipeline compound, patients looking for support with their treatment, advocacy groups ready to collaborate on disease awareness, health care professionals loyal and open to engage with scientific content about a product. Twitter is the new answer to your old loyalty and outreach program.
It is your free online informed consent giving you access to thousands of high profile target customers. 53, 171 followers now follow pharma on twitter. Engagement is a relationship. This made us wonder: Does it really make a difference whether or not you are following people back and how frequent you tweet? Yes, it does! The pharmaceutical industry is regulated along stakeholder communications. Why your pharma brand doesn’t need a digital strategy in 2012 « Bytesize Pharma.
Last year my New Year post was 5 things I’d like to hear from pharma marketers in 2011, and you may like to know I’ve heard 4 of the 5. (I’ll leave you to guess the one I haven’t heard yet.) This year, 5 things I really don’t want to hear in 2012 or ever again… What do you think? 1. I’m not sure that digital is important to my customers There are a number of problems with this. It might be social media, email, SMS messaging or a variety of other types of interaction, but digital is very important to most of us. 2.
Once again we are making the assumption that digital is somehow a channel when it is not – it is a capability that all communicators should have. Training all communicators to embrace digital in all its forms must be a top priority for companies that are re-organising for the digital economy. 3. Whenever I hear a ‘I tried <interaction-type> and it didn’t work’ I want to shout ‘DON’T BLAME THE CHANNEL’! Also beware of blanket advice from cross-industry digital experts. 4. 5. Pharma social media is much more than just posting information. In the pharmaceutical industry, having an effective pharma social media strategy can be crucial to success in this digital age.
Chances are most of us have heard of, or used one of the following, facebook, twitter, youtube, linked in, or a blog. We all know how convenient these resources are and how nifty they can be. It has helped millions of people across the globe stay connected. Online communities have grown exponentially and the web in general ahs spawned an information revolution. More and more consumers, businesses and even governments have turned to the internet to get information. And as more people turn to these new resources, pharmaceutical companies must make sure that they are as well.
There is one segment of the online world in particular which has seen a boom in recent years and that is social media. Many pharmaceutical firms have been reluctant to join the frenzy. Through an online presence, important branding objectives are accomplished. How Google killed the Pharma Sales Rep – The rise of the e-physician. « portenawak. Before 1995, finding a specific drug related information was not a easy task; you needed to go back to the University and the medical library browsing through the collection of CD of medical publications starting by the most recent ones.
In those days, keeping up with innovation was not an easy task as more than 50 new chemical entities were entering as new drugs the primary market each year. During those years, pharma sales Reps enjoyed their golden years : information had a cost for the MD’s and Sales Reps would meet their knowledge needs. But in 1995, the spread of Internet started to change these fundamentals and the pipeline of R&D’s started to dry out in primary care.
Sales Reps had less innovation to talk about and doctors were already learning about new drugs by themselves or through their patients. Google and on-line sourcing did speed up Sales Reps misfortune as they contributed to limit doctors accessiblity. Is the Sales Rep model dead? Like this: Like Loading... Twittersphere Studies. The pharma twitter study series is the most extensive study undertaken to date: a benchmark of 15 pharma twitter accounts and their over 50,000 followers! All accounts benchmarked were Global corporate communication accounts, except for selected US accounts that were included. The study objectives are to analyze who follows pharma twitter accounts: segmenting followers by stakeholder, activity and therapeutic area interest. Overview of over 50,000 pharma twitter followers Study Description In this report, we quantify the twitter opportunity in order to make a more sound case for twitter versus other traditional media channels.
How does the pharma presence on twitter compare to other industries? To overall twitter followers? Download Table of Content Study (pdf only): € 995 Study + exhibits (pdf +ppt): € 1,450 Benchmark of 15 pharma companies by geography Download Table of Content Benchmark of 15 Pharma twitter accounts by engagement Engagement is a relationship. Download Table of Content. Pharma Advertises With Which Traditional Media? Can You Help Me? What Today's Consumers Want Pharma Marketers to Know. A wake-up call for Big Pharma - McKinsey Quarterly - Health Care - Pharmaceuticals. The good old days of the pharmaceutical industry are gone forever.
Even an improved global economic climate is unlikely to halt efforts by the developed world’s governments to contain spending on drugs. Emerging markets will follow their lead and pursue further spending control measures. Regulatory requirements—particularly the linkage among the benefits, risks, and cost of products—will increase, while the industry pipeline shows little sign of delivering sufficient innovation to compensate for such pressures. These factors suggest that the industry is heading toward a world where its profit margins will be substantially lower than they are today. This dramatic situation requires Big Pharma executives to envision responses that go well beyond simply tinkering with the cost base or falling back on mergers and acquisitions. The case for difficult times ahead is straightforward. Exhibit 1 Enlarge Exhibit 2 The pharma industry’s composition has evolved considerably. Exhibit 3 About the authors. Roche and Pfizer launch pharma's first official Google+ pages | Pharma.
Merck v. Merck Facebook fracas a "tempest in a teapot" says US firm. November 29, 2011 Merck v. Merck Facebook fracas a "tempest in a teapot" says US firm Facebook shut down Facebook.com/Merck after Merck KGaA announced plans to take legal action “based on the apparent takeover of its Facebook page” by its US cousin, Merck & Co. The social media behemoth, which unwrapped plans for an initial public offering today, essentially told the two companies to work it out, calling its assignment of the URL to the US firm "an administrative error.
" “We have removed the vanity URL,” said Facebook's Andrew Noyes, manager, public policy communications. The fracas over the Facebook address is nothing but a “tempest in a teapot,” a spokesman for Merck & Co. said, noting that it hasn't affected the company's Facebook presence since the so-called “vanity URL” simply redirected to the US-based drug maker's page, which remains live (as does the German Merck's.
A Merck KGaA spokesman said “All I can tell you is we are looking into the matter.” Half of doctors to use medical apps in 2012. More than 50 percent of physicians use a smartphone for work purposes, according to a new study by IT industry association CompTIA. CompTIA’s “Third Annual Healthcare IT Insights and Opportunities” study consisted of online surveys of 350 doctors, dentists and other healthcare providers or administrators, along with executives at 400 IT firms that work in healthcare IT. The association conducted the surveys over the summer. Noteworthy metrics from the surveys include: “As mobile devices and applications have become more user-friendly, affordable and powerful, the appeal to businesses of all types, including healthcare providers, has grown exponentially,” stated Tim Herbert, VP research of CompTIA, in a press release.
Want to read stories as soon as they are posted? Follow MobiHealthNews on Facebook.On Twitter? Read the press release below. One-quarter of healthcare providers surveyed report currently using tablets within their practice. Mobility and EMR/EHR About CompTIA. PMGroup appoints Dominic Tyer as managing editor - NEWS - General articles - How can pharma earn the trust of patients? Breast Cancer Clinical Trial | How Clinical Trials Work. What's the future of pharma's Facebook pages.
How can audience participation be encouraged. Pharma-Bytes: Unbranded DTC Advertising: Where’s the ROI? What approaches do you think improve patient adherence. What’s the best way to use Twitter for business. Which pharma digital campaigns show the best planning. How will pharma respond to tighter compliance in Europe. How do you measure the impact of your communications programmes. Studies: a "yea" and a "nay" for pharma Internet sites. Is ‘accelerated word of mouth’ the new pharma model.
Big Pharma behaving badly: A timeline of settlements. Bridging the Digital Skills Gap. The Future of Patients. The Secret Lives of Big Pharma's 'Thought Leaders' - The Chronicle Review. How creative are pharma communications. How will pharmaceutical communication with physicians evolve? #pharma #hcsm #hcsmeu #health20fr #hcsmeufr - Denise Silber's eHealth. Gedeon Richter Raises Revenue Forecast to 5% for This Year, Bogsch Says. How to achieve authority for pharma websites - dynamia.ch.
Pharma HU. Are Pharmaceutical Companies on Twitter Satisfying Patients' Nee. ExL Pharma | Driving Innovation Through Leading Education. Pfizer Think Science Now. More than Medicine. JNJ BTW. AZ Health Connections. Labs: Global Health Care & Medical Research. AstraZeneca International - pharmaceutical company - prescriptio. Home. Co., Inc. - We believe the most important condition is the human. Johnson & Johnson - Health Care Products & Pharmaceuticals. An innovative healthcare products company with pharmaceutical tr. We innovate healthcare. The Future of Detailing « TPS Report: search social media in healthcare. NuvaRing Tops List of Most Visited Sites Via TV. I’m a Rep, Trust me! « Healthcare/Healthcare Marketing Twitter Chat Listing | Living th. Lilly changes course as it shrinks its sales force | IndyStar.co.
Pfizer nearly doubles amount spent on e-detailing - Medical Mark. Pharma twittersphere - who is following you - Part I - whydot ph. PEDE - January 26, 2010 [5] Another look at pharma's Twitter presence - dynamia.ch. Top Twitter Myths & Tips « FutureDocs. Risks of Astroturfing Arise for Big Pharma | Social Media Mafia. IMS Forecasts Global Pharmaceutical Market Growth of 5-8% Annual. Pfizer Presentations. Revisit.