May 2007 Issue of MMM - Medical Marketing and Media

Editor's Desk

Cause and effect

If Pfizer CEO Jeffrey Kindler were up against Microsoft magnate Bill Gates in a ranking of the world’s most influential people, which one would finish ...

Features

Headliner: Bil Kennally of Greenstone

Bill Kennally’s job is to keep other generics companies from eating Pfizer’s lunch—or the leftovers thereof.

The Top 20 Pharma Companies

While the US saw a rebound in prescription drug growth in 2006, few companies are sitting pretty. Matthew Arnold charts the trends, events, stories and ...

Conscientious Objectives

While big pharma scrambles to meet the demands of shareholders, Warren Ross looks at how two nonprofit drug firms—PolyTherics and OneWorld Health—are attempting to upset ...

Do the Segments Stack Up?

Big pharma has generally followed the segmentation models of package goods giants when promoting brands to doctors. But this approach puts all docs in the ...

Journal Ad Review: Optical Illusion

Ophthalmology journals led the way with a 17% revenue hike, as six of the eight specialties posted gains in 2006. PERQ/HCI’s Eugene M. May reports ...

Antidote

For many patients suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) with severe constipation, Novartis’ Zelnorm was a miracle treatment.

Washington Insider

As I see it

Along with high-level apologies for competency failures in the Office of the Attorney General, VA hospitals, FEMA, FBI and many others, we may add the ...

FDA chief says paper misquoted him

“I was misquoted,” asserted FDA commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach in a Capitol Hill hearing that probed FDA transparency and public confidence in March.

J&J receives subpoenas

US attorneys in Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco have issued subpoenas to Johnson & Johnson for marketing materials involving three of its subsidiaries—Ortho-McNeil for Topamax, ...

FDA tightens advisory group criteria

A significant number of current FDA advisory committee members would be disqualified from participating in future panel deliberations under new guidelines proposed in an agency ...

Lawmakers seek marketing info

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has asked five drug and medical device companies for documents on their marketing practices.

House of Reps OKs FOI and whistleblower bills

The House of Representatives has approved and sent to the Senate amendments to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act and to provide protection for whistleblowers.

FDA: Abbott failed to reveal facts about Prism

The FDA says product information sheets, a launch presentation and a customer letter for Abbott’s Prism HBsAg (antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen [mouse monoclonal ...

Ten priority drugs approved in ’06

Ten priority drugs were approved in 2006, the FDA says, down five from 2005.

FDA issues 20 Warning Letters

The FDA has sent 20 Warning Letters to companies ordering them to stop marketing unapproved products containing ergotamine tartrate, which is used to treat vascular ...

Media Notepad

JAAPA redesign highlights readability

The Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (JAAPA) is launching its first redesign in over a decade, with a more modern and scholarly ...

JAMA sales exec wins Nexus glory

The Association of Medical Publications named Maureen Reichert of the Journal of the American Medical Association and Diane Carpenteri of Cliggott’s AIDS Reader and Infectious ...

AMP rebrands to Association of Medical Media

The Association of Medical Publishers is rebranding as the Association of Medical Media in a nod to the medical advertising agencies that make up one ...

Longtime publisher Krakoff dies

B-to-B publisher Bob Krakoff died of a heart attack March 23 at his Boston home.

Kinetic launches healthcare practice

Kinetic, the outdoor media agency, has launched a healthcare practice.

Chest ranked as leading medical journal among pulmonologists

A survey of pulmonologists conducted by The Matalia Group for Walchli Tauber found that Chest ranked as the leading “essential” medical journal among those specialists.

Media Forum

Boom time for nonmeasured media?

Figures from TNS Media Intelligence show Johnson & Johnson decreased measured media spend last year by nearly 20%, potentially leaving significant monies for nontraditional media ...

CME Report

Space, the final frontier for…med ed?

A healthcare media company working with XM Satellite Radio has launched a 24/7 channel aimed at helping healthcare providers stay current with medical advances.

Outcomes researcher moves south to national nonprofit

Dave Davis, MD, the University of Toronto academic widely respected for his research on outcomes-oriented education, will join the Washington, DC-based Association of American Medical ...

Medscape will create journal CME activities

In a new partnership with the Nature Clinical Practice journals, Medscape will create journal CME activities ahead of publication, and Nature will print and promote ...

Quadrant Medical Education hires Falcetano

Quadrant Medical Education has hired Gary Falcetano as director, new business development, handling med ed for Clinician Reviews, the journal Quadrant acquired from Jobson in ...

Medical Directions says CA docs likely to address domestic violence

Educational products and services firm Medical Directions says 645 California docs are more likely to address domestic violence in their patients after taking the firm’s ...

Skyscape CME 360 launched

Skyscape has launched Skyscape CME 360 to help docs keep up with the latest medical info.

NYU Medical Center enables training docs to earn CME credit

NYU Medical Center enabled docs training on its computerized provider order entry system to earn CME credit, reports Healthcare IT News.

E-marketing

Novo diabetes site adds new tools to self-manage

Novo Nordisk has unveiled a revamped diabetes care Web site to communicate with patients seeking help in the self-management of the disease.

FDA warns of buying Accutane online

The FDA launched a Web site warning of the dangers of purchasing Roche’s acne drug Accutane (isotretinoin) or any of its generic equivalents over the ...

Web Watch

The “Long Tail of the Internet” is a term used to describe the revenue potential the Internet provides for the millions of small businesses and ...

Direct Marketing

More sales force cuts predicted for ’07

Expect to see continued field force downsizing in 2007 as pharmaceutical companies experiment with new sales execution strategies to improve their market position, said Mike ...

Patient needs come first in RM: Novo

Pharmaceutical marketers must put patients’ needs before technological bells and whistles to build meaningful relationships with customers, according to Aaron Uydess, eMarketing manager for Novo ...

PDI inks one-year sales agreement

Contract sales firm PDI has inked a one-year sales agreement for a cardiology drug with an unnamed “top-10 pharmaceutical company.”

Osteoporosis medication adherence is poor

Adherence to osteoporosis medications is relatively poor, according to recent article in the journal Drugs Aging.

Faslodex treatment to be launched by Wunderman

Wunderman has been chosen to launch a consumer campaign for AstraZeneca’s breast cancer treatment Faslodex.

HealthEd hires Collins

Patient-education marketing firm HealthEd has announced the addition of Dorothy Collins as account supervisor, Tuyen Teasdale as senior art director and Dana Hays as art ...

Centrix to license Target SFA CRM suite

Centrix Pharmaceutical has agreed to license and deploy Cegedim North America’s Target SFA customer relationship management suite for its US sales force.

DTC Report

DTC mistakes cost marketers millions

The two most common—and costly—mistakes in executing DTC campaigns are using poor-quality copy and setting inappropriate budgets, according to David Kweskin, SVP and practice area ...

Celebrex returns to TV with long spot

After a long absence, Pfizer resumed DTC television advertising for Celebrex last month with a whopping 150-second spot that takes up an entire commercial break.

Big pharma ups consumer ad spend

Big pharma ramped up its consumer ad spending during 2006, with a 14.9% increase, outpacing all other industries, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

Consumers recall a third of TV drug ads

Over one-third of consumers recalled specific TV drug ads in Q1 2007, according to DTC TV tracking service by Affinity Research.

Disease awareness ads drive online search

Disease awareness advertising is driving online search, according to a report by Manhattan Research.

Digitas rebrands MBC as Digitas Health

Digitas rebranded its recently acquired Medical Broadcasting Company as Digitas Health.

Public Relations

Delta Burke fronts Byetta diabetes awareness tour

Lilly and Amylin launched “Let’s Talk,” a Byetta-branded diabetes awareness effort fronted by Delta Burke.

Minority outreach pairs docs, clergy

A triumvirate of companies is seeking pharma sponsors for a disease awareness campaign centered on Black churches.

PR View by Laura Perry

For healthcare PR professionals, our ongoing journey of change through the healthcare industry involves technology and leadership in ways that were never thought of a ...

Marketing Research

Decision delayed over NH state Rx data

A federal judge took an unusual step last month of asking lawyers to critique a draft of his factual findings before ruling in IMS Health ...

Firms looking outside-in deliver competitive edge

A curiosity about competitors is one key to pharma market research that consistently delivers forward-looking insights to brand teams, a new study shows.

Vantage Point

It is with great pleasure, anticipation and, admittedly, some trepidation that I write this first in a monthly series of observations on pharmaceutical marketing research ...

In Focus

Waxman takes tough talk to enemy territory

Rep. Henry Waxman, perhaps the most dangerous man in Washington that you could ever want to have a policy disagreement with this side of “Shotgun” ...

Back Talk

Cats and Saint Sebastian

If healthcare communicators ever look for a patron saint, I nominate St. Sebastian, sentenced to have archers shoot arrows at him from all directions.