October 2007 Issue of MMM - Medical Marketing and Media

Editor's Desk

The pursuit of persistence

To say that tackling patient compliance and persistence poses a challenge to the pharmaceutical industry is like calling Tiger Woods a competent golfer or describing ...

Features

Biotech Blurring

Big pharma has long looked to biotechs to help fatten pipelines, but one company has experienced the benefits of keeping things in-house. Matthew Arnold looks ...

Insight Exchange: Point of Care

Several distinguished experts from pharmaceutical marketing and media descend on the offices of MM&M to discuss the evolution, effectiveness and measurement of point-of-care communications. James ...

The Chain Gang

AstraZeneca's Arimidex Web site features the innovative use of social media wherein patients actually become part of the product marketing while simultaneously forging a relationship ...

Tough Losses

Medical/surgical journals ad spend declines by 5% and continues on its downward trend. PERQ/HCI's Eugene M. May reports on the numbers for the first half ...

Headliner: Frank Burroughs of Abigail's Alliance

Frank Burroughs is the soul of patience—and persistence.

Antidote

I never believed it was entirely fair that Eli Lilly was the target of vicious attacks regarding its anti-psychotic drug, Zyprexa.

Washington Insider

As I see it

Many were waiting to see if and when the new FDA commissioner would make a significant difference in the agency's defensive, stonewalling posture.

DoD sharing its medical safety data with FDA

Data from the US Military Health System related to the review and use of FDA-regulated drugs, biologics and medical devices will be shared with the ...

FDA wins experimental drugs decision

The Washington, DC Court of Appeals has ruled in the FDA's favor that terminally ill patients have no "fundamental right 'deeply rooted in this nation's ...

Abbott nixes info on Web, group claims

Abbott employees have edited over 1,000 online Wikipedia entries involving some of the company's drug products in an attempt to change or remove unfavorable safety ...

Researchers view a weaker DDMAC

A 10-year review of DTC advertising by researchers from three major universities suggests that oversight of advertising by the FDA’s DDMAC has declined dramatically.

FDA says Geodon journal ad omits risk info

The FDA says a professional journal ad for Pfizer's antipsychotic medication Geodon (ziprasidone mesylate) for injection omits important risk info and contains unsubstantiated superiority claims.

File card for Exelon makes unsubstantiated superiority claims

A professional file card for Novartis' Exelon makes unsubstantiated superiority claims, overstates the drug's efficacy.

BMS revises hepatitis B therapy warning label

The FDA reports that Bristol-Myers Squibb has revised hepatitis B therapy Baraclude's boxed warning labeling to caution against its use in HIV/hepatitis B virus co-infected ...

Supplemental NDA for stronger version of Advair deemed "not approvable"

A GlaxoSmithKline supplemental NDA for a stronger version of asthma drug Advair Diskus for use in treating patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, recommended for ...

Media Notepad

Elsevier launches an oncology portal

Elsevier is upping the ante for online medical publishing with an advertising-supported Web site for physicians using content from most of its more than 100 ...

JAMA reclaims top spot despite losses

The Journal of the American Medical Association reclaimed its place as the top medical/surgical journal by ad revenue.

The British Medical Journal hires Nature's Ashman

The British Medical Journal poached Nature Publishing Group’s Peter Ashman to serve as its publishing director.

Nature Publishing Group's cardio title now accepting original research

Nature Publishing Group says its cardiovascular specialty title will now accept original research.

Canon Communications acquired Engel Publishing Partners

Canon Communications, a subsidiary of Apprise Media, acquired Med Ad News and PharmaLive publisher Engel Publishing Partners from Euromoney Institutional Investor.

Urology Times wins two Azbee Awards

Advanstar's Urology Times won two Azbee Awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors.

Media Forum

Explaining the DTC-NME disconnect

With annual approvals for NMEs at their lowest point in a decade, one would think pharma would launch fewer ad campaigns.

CME Report

New CEO: SEC was warm-up for ACCME

As John Connolly settles into his new post as president & CEO of M|C Communications, he may find certain experiences from his past especially useful.

Advocacy groups set to meet with Senate staff members

CME advocates will take a targeted set of talking points with them this fall to meetings with representatives on Capitol Hill.

Alta Communications purchases HMP Communications

Private equity firm Alta Communications bought HMP Communications from BG Media Investors.

Grassley and Kohl introduce legislation

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) introduced legislation that would require drug and device manufacturers to disclose to HHS anything of value given ...

Heffernan promoted to director, AMA accreditation

Kevin Heffernan was promoted to the position of director, American Medical Association accreditation and CPPD educational activities.

E-marketing

Web Watch

Internet advertising revenues reached a new high of $4.9 million in the first quarter of 2007.

Novartis contest seeks user-generated content

Marketers from Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics have jumped into the user-generated content arena with a contest that invites Web-savvy filmmakers to submit their work and ...

More women go online for health info

Women are more likely than men to search the Web for health information, according to a survey conducted by researchers from Smithfield, RI's Bryant University.

Direct Marketing

Wunderman adds new role to its shop

Wunderman has hired Ira Haimowitz for the newly created role of group director, datastrategy.

GSK's Avandia woes spark talk of cuts

UK drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline is eyeing cuts to its sales force in response to declining sales of its type 2 diabetes drug Avandia.

Eisai, Salix team up to push Colazal

Salix Pharmaceuticals and Eisai have entered into a multi-year co-promotion deal to promote Salix's ulcerative colitis treatement Colazal (balsalazide disodium).

Mary Ann Kim joins MediZine

Mary Ann Kim has joined MediZine as senior marketing manager, brand services from AWE, an entertainment marketing agency under Omnicom, where she was responsible for ...

CBI hosts Pharmaceutical Direct to Physician Sales and Marketing Summit

The Center for Business Intelligence will host the Pharmaceutical Direct to Physician Sales and Marketing Summit on Oct. 24-25 to discuss how marketers can leverage ...

HealthEd hires Jennifer Kirchherr

HealthEd has hired Jennifer Kirchherr as senior account executive, supporting interactive media development of tailored patient education programs.

Dudnyk gets certified to implement is Closed Loop Marketing software

Dudnyk was certified by Proscape Technologies to implement its Closed Loop Marketing software for tablet PC-based programs.

DTC Report

FDA studying TV ads for distractions

The FDA is planning to launch a study into whether positive, upbeat or relaxing images appearing in DTC TV ads may also distract viewers from ...

Lab dives into DTC with awareness ads

Myriad Genetics, a Salt Lake City diagnostics firm which offers testing for genetic susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancer, is launching a northeast regional advertising ...

TNS, Cymfony release white paper

TNS Media Intelligence/Cymfony released a white paper on social media monitoring and marketing designed to help companies delve into social media like blogs, podcasts, social ...

NEJM reports that DTC spend increased 330% between '96-'05

In a critical Aug. 16 article on the impact of DTC advertising, The New England Journal of Medicine reported that spending on DTC pharmaceutical advertising ...

Center for American Progress calls for pre-1985 moratorium on DTC

Liberal think tank the Center for American Progress called for the restoration of the pre-1985 moratorium on DTC advertising to require the same disclosures of ...

Sugarman-Brozan says FDA is neglecting enforcement

Prescription Access Litigation project director Alex Sugarman-Brozan told the Third Annual FDA Regulatory Symposium at Harvard in August that the agency is neglecting to enforce ...

Public Relations

PR View by John Seng

The word transparency resonates with communications professionals, accountants, auditors and marketers alike.

AMA, ACS hit Washington on insurance crusade

With advocacy groups pouring millions into advertising and PR aimed at influencing the national debate on health insurance, it must be a presidential election cycle.

Ketchum shuffles its London practice

Ketchum reorganized its London management, naming former European healthcare head Avril Lee as co-deputy CEO, responsible for the office's three main consultancy offers in healthcare, ...

Marketing Research

Vantage Point

I've heard a lot of chatter recently about whether pharma companies are spending less on marketing research than in previous years.

TNS: 'Common currency' can help compare tactics

Having trouble comparing blogs, text messages or word-of-mouth to other forms of communication modes in terms of how they influence your brand?

Rx data firms sue Maine, Vermont

Three firms are challenging Maine and Vermont over new state laws that restrict the collection and disclosure of physician prescribing information.

In Focus

Med ed ruling creates chaos for CME units

In a medical-education ruling expected to have broad consequences, regulators said they will consider advertising agencies and journal publishers as commercial entities, requiring those that ...

Back Talk

In search of perfect pitch

In baseball, a pitch that was perfect in Abner Doubleday's era would still be pretty darn good today--the dimensions of the strike zone have stayed ...