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January 2007 Issue of MMM

Editor's Desk

Science and other miracles

I really like Merck. There, I’ve said it. I’m probably not the only one who feels this way. The trouble is, I’m not too sure ...

Features

MM&M All-Stars: Company of the Year

Hard to believe that only a couple years ago, analysts were saying last rites for Merck Co. as a plague of trial lawyers sized up ...

MM&M All-Stars: Agency of the Year

FCB HealthCare capped off a year of wins with a big score from GlaxoSmithKline, managed launches for major brands and merged with Draft.

MM&M All-Stars: Marketing Team of the Year, Large Pharma

For cholesterol drug Vytorin, success has come in pairs. A dual mechanism of action, a harmonious partnership between Merck and Schering-Plough, and twin-themed creative combined ...

MM&M All-Stars: Marketing Team of the Year, Small Pharma

A thorough analysis of promotional spending, sales trends and marketing effectiveness lead to our selection of Truvada as MM&M's All-Star Marketing Team of the Year ...

MM&M All-Stars: Media Brand of the Year

Persistence was the secret behind American Medical News' impressive gains in 2006—a year where the growth of many other multispecialty publications' remained flat.

MAHF: Beyond the Past

If you thought the Medical Advertising Hall of Fame was a recreational retreat for retirees, think again. The keeper of industry history is out to ...

Antidote

A few years ago I was researching an article about Pfizer’s new drug therapies, and I had the privilege of meeting with their top lab ...

Washington Insider

As I see it

Reality stared pharmaceutical marketers in the face after the mid-term elections.

Grassley briefs Dems on outstanding FDA issues

Outgoing Senate Finance Committee chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has written Democrat Senate HELP Committee leaders with a laundry list of FDA shortcomings that he hopes ...

Whistleblower pursues Web imposter

In November, FDA drug safety whistleblower David J. Graham and his lawyer were in pursuit of whoever posted an anti-FDA article under his name on ...

Dingell promises drug safety oversight

The new Democratic leadership is poised to conduct more oversight of the Bush administration in 2007, particularly on issues involving Medicare Part D and the ...

Agency pledges focus on post-market safety info

The FDA says drug safety improvements at the agency will focus on the quality of post-market safety information received, new analytical tools and approaches for ...

Hassan: Congress' duty to fund FDA

Schering-Plough chairman and CEO Fred Hassan has set out an agenda for the newly elected US Congress when it convenes in January.

FDA's Arthritis Drugs Advisory Committee recommends Celebrex approval

The FDA’s Arthritis Drugs Advisory Committee has voted to recommend approval of Pfizer’s Celebrex for use in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, despite long-term safety concerns.

FDA won petition to have ruling reconsidered

The FDA has won a petition to have the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reconsider a ruling that mentally competent terminally ...

Roche revises Tamiflu precautions

Roche has revised the precautions on Tamiflu based on reports from Japan about “self-injury and delirium,” according to an FDA MedWatch notice.

Merck responds to Arcoxia approvable letter

Merck has responded to an FDA “approvable” letter for Arcoxia (etoricoxib), an investigational selective Cox-2 inhibitor, with results of the MEDAL program.

Media Notepad

AAFP hires Hanaway to succeed Melton

The American Academy of Family Physicians has named ex-Ascend publisher Stephanie Hanaway to lead its titles, taking over for Joetta Melton, who is retiring.

Wiley, Blackwell to merge forces

John Wiley & Sons joins the dozen or so largest medical publishers with its acquisition of Blackwell Publishing, with scientific and medical titles comprising more ...

Nature Clinical Practice expands sales partnership

Nature Clinical Practice is expanding its sales partnership with Pharmaceutical Media, Inc., which will sell display advertising for Nature Clinical Practice Urology in the US.

Tramuto named president of Allscripts group

Allscripts named Donato Tramuto president of its Physicians Interactive Group.

J&J dumps Aegis Group's Carat

Johnson & Johnson dumped Aegis Group's Carat as it began a root-and-branch review of its media planning and buying assignments, according to Advertising Age.

Clark named media director at Euro RSCG Life

Beth Clark has been named media director at Euro RSCG Life.

Baranowski named editor of OBG Management

Dowden Health Media hired Advanstar's John Baranowski to serve as editor of OBG Management.

Media Forum

Exploring alternate media avenues

Outdoor and place-based advertising are increasingly employed to market prescription drugs. When and how should marketers use out-of-home advertising to promote Rx brands, and what ...

CME Report

Speculation surrounds Baucus' start

Iowa republican Charles Grassley is set to relinquish chairmanship of the Senate Finance Committee when the new Congress convenes this month.

Article examines Glaxo-funded CME

A page-one story in The Wall Street Journal last month underscores the need for continued industry vigilance in the area of CME grant compliance.

Pri-Med uncovers learning styles

Pri-Med released findings from a CME outcomes study it says includes feedback from nearly 50,000 medical professionals and a wealth of information on specific disease ...

CME funding report due to be released

The Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education says its biannual report is due out this month after a delay.

ProMutual Group achieves ACCME accreditation

ProMutual Group says it has achieved ACCME accreditation, joining a small group of 11 US medical liability insurers accredited as of 2005.

WebMD reports 55% more CME programs completed in 3Q

WebMD says during the third quarter, 487,000 CME programs were completed on its professional site, an increase of 55% compared to the previous year.

MedConference redesigns Web site

Healthcare Web conferencing firm MedConference, a wholly owned subsidiary of inVentiv Health, says it has redesigned its Web site to accommodate a growing demand for ...

Curry Rockefeller Group adds Troy-Ott as project director

The Curry Rockefeller Group has added Patti Troy-Ott, MA, as project director.

E-marketing

Web Watch

Happy New Year! 2007 is already shaping up to be a year of accelerated change in the healthcare industry. This may be the first year ...

Gaming takes physician marketing to a new level

Medical marketers seeking new ways to reach physician audiences have been borrowing ideas from the world of video games in growing numbers over the last ...

E-marketing drives Rx site traffic: study

Online marketing has become an important driver of consumer traffic to prescription drug Web sites, results from a recent study indicate.

Direct Marketing

Pfizer cuts effectively end ‘arms race'

In a move many say will have wide repercussions for the industry, Pfizer announced plans to trim its US sales force by 20%.

FDA: Seroquel sales aid is misleading

The FDA has asked AstraZeneca to halt distribution of a professional sales aid used to market its antipsychotic medication Seroquel.

Zacharias named Harte-Hanks MD

Harte-Hanks promoted Mark Zacharias to managing director, direct marketing for the firm’s Shawnee, KS, facility.

Eisai hires Vickers as field sales director, oncology sales force

Eisai has hired Steven Vickers as field sales director, oncology sales force.

Sales reps file suit for unpaid overtime

US sales reps for eight large drug firms have filed suit against the companies for overtime pay allegedly due.

Samples influence docs' prescribing habits

Physicians overall indicated that samples had the most influence on prescribing habits, followed by meetings and events and traditional detailing by pharmaceutical sales reps, according ...

Biovail announce plans to shed sales organization jobs

Canadian drugmaker Biovail announced plans to shed its US-based sales organization and related jobs in an effort to cut costs as it readies for challenges ...

DTC Report

Top Lunesta marketer leaves Sepracor

Tim Healey, the marketer who helped Sepracor reap first-year Lunesta sales of $465 million with an unparalleled DTC campaign, has jumped ship and joined a ...

Moth tops most-recalled drug TV ads

Two ads for Lunesta's Sepracor ranked as the most-recalled new prescription drug spots of 2006, followed by two spots for Novartis' Zelnorm, according to a ...

Levin named director of DTC at AbelsonTaylor

AbelsonTaylor named David Levin director of DTC. Levin, who was previously VP account director at Draft, reports to SVP and director of client services Jay ...

Allergan promotes Lap Band System on TV

Allergan launched DTC TV ads to promote its Lap Band System as an alternative to gastric bypass surgery.

GSW Worldwide adds senior talent from Deutsch

GSW Worldwide has poached two senior talents from Deutsch to head its New York creative department.

Sepracor's Lunesta moth subject of lawsuit

Seracor’s Lunesta moth is the subject of a lawsuit from a small maker of herbal sleep aids which claims the company ripped off the butterfly ...

Public Relations

AstraZeneca debuts new patient assistance effort

“Healthcare for people” is the slogan used in a new ad from AstraZeneca, part of a national push to draw attention to the firm’s patient-assistance ...

Survey: Local TV, newspapers still rule

A survey of consumer media habits suggests that local newspapers and TV news still rule the roost, though consumers are increasingly turning to blogs and ...

PR View by Mark Senak

If you’re living under a rock, you may have missed the explosion in new media dramatically impacting mass communications. We’re talking about blogs, video downloading, ...

In Focus

Torcetrapib's failure raises new questions

The halt of Pfizer's torcetrapib program has potentially far-reaching implications for the broader industry and raises questions about safety of other drugs in its class, ...