Direct To Consumer (DTC)

Reality stars hawk allergy drugs

Matthew Arnold March 19, 2010

Spring is in the air, and that means, well, sure, robins, daffodils, love and all that, but more importantly, campaigns for allergy drugs featuring endorsements by B-list celebrity sufferers.
 

DTC spend up 4% on launches, aging blockbusters, says Kantar

Marc Iskowitz March 17, 2010

Campaigns touting new drugs -- and mature products seeking a sales boost late in their lifecycle -- nudged spending on consumer drug ads up nearly 4% to $4.8 billion last year, according Kantar Media.
 

Nexium ad campaign promises nighttime relief

Matthew Arnold February 03, 2010

AstraZeneca is answering OTC Prevacid with ads touting Nexium's nighttime benefits and taking a comical look at the lengths to which acid reflux sufferers will go for a good night's sleep.
 

P&G's Prilosec goes deep on social media

Matthew Arnold January 21, 2010

Procter & Gamble is launching a social media initiative for Prilosec as part of its bid to maintain the PPI's leadership position in a crowded market.
 

DDMAC cites fishy Cymbalta fibromyalgia ads

Matthew Arnold January 14, 2010

The FDA issued an untitled letter upbraiding Lilly for Cymbalta consumer and professional ads.
 

GSK launches puckish $15m "Sucks less" effort for Nicorette

Matthew Arnold December 09, 2009

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is taking an irreverent tone with its latest ads for Nicorette, featuring the tagline "Makes Quitting Suck Less."
 

E-samples hijack search, study asserts

Marc Iskowitz December 02, 2009

Many big pharma firms are running e-samples, a form of marketing which researchers say capitalizes on patients seeking health information and may affect prescribers' preference for brands over generics.
 

AAFP pact with Coke distasteful to some

Marc Iskowitz November 05, 2009

An alliance with the nation's largest soft drink maker to sponsor advice on sugar-free alternatives has spurred criticism of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).
 

One-third of all Americans research Rx drugs online, says survey

Matthew Arnold October 01, 2009

The number of Americans researching prescription drugs online has doubled since 2005 to 102 million, according to Manhattan Research data.
 

Rx ad spend down 7.8% for first half of 2009, says TNS

Matthew Arnold September 16, 2009

US advertising spend for prescription drugs declined 7.8% to $2.3 billion for the first six months of 2009 over the same period in 2008, according to TNS Media Intelligence data.
 

Allergan taps Twilight star for acne interactive

Matthew Arnold August 28, 2009

Allergan is tweaking two teen cultural sensations with a High School Musical-themed interactive campaign for its acne medication Aczone, starring Michael Welch of Twilight fame.
 

DTC ads made some cancer patients doubt their docs

Matthew Arnold August 17, 2009

A survey of patients at Harvard's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that 11% said ads for cancer-related drugs had made them less confident in their providers' judgment.
 

Centocor launches online talk show on rheumatoid arthritis

Matthew Arnold July 30, 2009

From the people who brought you the disease awareness documentary comes New Way RA, an online talk show for people with rheumatoid arthritis hosted by Inside Edition anchor Deborah Norville.
 

Last chance to grab glory

June 04, 2009

If you still haven't entered the MM&M Awards 2009, then you'd better move fast--today (June 5) is the final deadline for submissions.
 

Pfizer aims to differentiate Toviaz with patient support program

Matthew Arnold June 03, 2009

Pfizer is launching Detrol follow-on Toviaz with a 12-week patient support program featuring a progress tracker, personalized emails and tips on bladder training techniques. The company said many overactive bladder patients currently suffer from a lack of behavioral intervention.
 

Consider the 'reasonable consumer,' says FDA draft guidance

Matthew Arnold May 26, 2009

DTC drug and device marketers looking to steer clear of FDA ad reviewers should follow the "reasonable consumer standard" and consider the net impression their promotions make on the lay viewer, not just the particulars, FDA said in a draft guidance.
 

DDMAC warns J&J on Ultram webcast

Matthew Arnold May 20, 2009

The FDA hit Johnson & Johnson with a warning letter over a webcast promoting pain med Ultram ER, saying it overstated efficacy and underplayed or omitted risks.
 

SSL taps Saatchi Wellness for Durex US

Matthew Arnold May 18, 2009

Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness won the US integrated marketing account for Durex following a four-way pitch. The assignment spans advertising, digital, retail and CRM and includes the launch of the new Bare condom.
 

Sanofi launches corporate web TV site

Matthew Arnold May 15, 2009

Sanofi-Aventis launched a web TV site, sanofi-aventis.tv, featuring videos ranging from executive interviews to disease information and even a corporate manifesto.
 

DTC spend set to slide, loyalty cards up, says survey

Matthew Arnold May 13, 2009

Marketers anticipate substantial cuts in DTC spend in 2009, according to a Cegedim Dendrite survey in which 58% of respondents said they'd cut consumer ad spend this year. Last year 28% said they'd cut back on consumer advertising.
 

Reps. Moran and Brady call for daytime ban on ED ads

Ben Comer May 08, 2009

Reps. James Moran (D-VA) and Robert Brady (D-PA) introduced a bill, dubbed the "Families for ED Advertising Decency Act," that would ban ED ads on radio or TV between the hours of 6am and 10pm - an edict that would comport, more or less, with existing guidelines of PhRMA and individual manufacturers.
 

Lilly renews speedway diabetes awareness campaign

Matthew Arnold May 06, 2009

Eli Lilly & Co. is taking its Vision Racing Wellness Tour on another lap around the racing circuit, offering fans free diabetes screening.
 

DDMAC study: Serious risks in brief summary don't scare off readers

Matthew Arnold April 29, 2009

The presence of information on serious side effects in the brief summaries of print DTC drug ads seems to have little effect on reader behavior, preliminary results of an FDA study show. The age and health literacy of readers, on the other hand, had a measurable impact.
 

J. Lo joins Sanofi for pertussis awareness ads

Matthew Arnold April 24, 2009

Sanofi Pasteur and the March of Dimes have recruited Jennifer Lopez to serve as the face of a whooping cough awareness campaign.
 

DDMAC raps sponsored links for omission of risk info

Matthew Arnold April 06, 2009

The FDA's Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising and Communications slapped 14 drug companies with untitled letters for sponsored links on Google deemed violative because they omitted risk information.
 

Rx TV ads more memorable in '08, Nielsen says

Matthew Arnold April 02, 2009

TV ads for prescription drugs loosened up a bit in 2008 and exercised greater creativity despite intense scrutiny, The Nielsen Company found in a review of advertising recall rates for 2008.
 

Pharma US ad spend fell 18.4% in '08, says Nielsen

Matthew Arnold March 13, 2009

Pharmaceutical industry ad spend fell 18.4% in 2008 to $4.3 billion in the US, according to The Nielsen Company. J&J, the sole drug company among the nation's top 10 advertisers, spent $1.2 billion on advertising -- a drop of 5.4% from 2007 spend.
 

As patients scrimp, BMS ads offer to pay Orencia co-pays

Matthew Arnold March 11, 2009

Recession got you down? Having second thoughts about filling that prescription? How about some help with your co-pay? That's the tack Bristol-Myers Squibb is taking with its Orencia Promise program.
 

Amgen's Matsuda offers grist for the regulatory rumor mill

Ben Comer March 10, 2009

Marketers may soon need to reconsider their online strategies in light of new regulatory developments, Mas Matsuda, associate general counsel and executive director at Amgen, told attendees at an e-marketing conference today.
 

GSK ads for Avodart are misleading, says FDA

Ben Comer March 03, 2009

Consumer ads in support of GSK's prostate drug Avodart overstate its efficacy and present misleading claims, the FDA said.
 

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