June 2010 45 6 Issue of MMM

Editor's Desk

Left to our own devices

The fine spring weather we've been enjoying here at MM&M has really put us in the mood to break out of the box and explore ...

Features

Devices and Diagnostics: Out of the Box

The formerly sleepy business of marketing devices and diagnostics is getting much savvier amid technological innovations, empowered patients and an ever-more complicated healthcare system, reports ...

Pharma Industry Perceptions: What Are They Thinking?

SDI's Pharmaceutical Company Image 2010 study is published at the end of June. James Chase previews some of the early findings on the views of ...

Direct Marketing Report: The Digitization of Direct

Pharmas may be venturing deeper into the online space to build meaningful one-to-one relationships with customers, but direct marketing experts say a multichannel approach still ...

MM&M's Therapeutic Focus: Rheumatology

Products for treating rheumatic and autoimmune diseases--already a $19 billion category--are poised for more growth. Marc Iskowitz finds out why analysts are bullish about the ...

Multicultural Marketing: Cultural Conundrum

Despite trends compelling firms to ethnically tailor outreach to support brands, multiculturalism is not consistent. Tanya Lewis assesses pharma's cultural IQ and what it takes ...

Overview: Third Screen's the Charm

Mobile's marketing potential stems from its near ubiquity and real power to deliver healthcare value. Will pharma dial up? Marc Iskowitz reports

Antidote

Antidote: Provenge

I spend most of my time in this column defending drugs that have been wrongly maligned in the media. Readers know that I am a ...

In Focus

No easy way back from cliff for pharma

With many high-margin blockbusters going off patent and a lack of replacements, a Sanford C. Bernstein Research conference explored three potential solutions to the patent ...

Professional Marketing

Covidien rolls out fresh sales force

Covidien announced the launch of two branded pain drugs--Exalgo and Pennsaid--and hired around 250 reps to support the products.

Pfizer, Impax switch co-promotion duties to Lyrica

Impax Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer rejiggered their co-promotion agreement on Pristiq by swapping it out for Lyrica.

Professional Marketing briefs

Featuring news about Novartis, Avanir Pharmaceuticals and Cutting Edge Information

Med Ed Report

Providers test data-collection system

Accredited med ed providers were allowed to try an online system, still in beta phase, for collecting data on their programs and activities last month.

Specialty societies' code targets conflicts of interest

Medical society journals must ban ghostwritten articles and cannot place ads for drugs next to editorial content discussing those products or their makers under a ...

Med Ed Report briefs

Featuring news about the Society for Academic CME, the National Commission for Certification of CME Professionals, the ACCME and Epocrates

Professional Media

MPR hits the quarter-century mark

Monthly Prescribing Reference (MPR) covered three new drugs for its inaugural issue, in June 1985. A quarter century and 906 new product editorials later, MPR ...

Online network to show live surgery

MDiTV launched an online network featuring daily medical news videos hosted by ex-CNN anchors Andrew Holtz and Cathy Marshall.

Professional Media briefs

Featuring news about Wolters Kluwer Pharma Solutions, inScience Communications, Quadrant HealthCom, Derycz Scientific and Elsevier

Media Forum

Are networks right for online buys?

A recent survey suggests advertisers want ad networks to provide more insight into where their ads will be placed online before the media buy. Are ...

Digital Media

Bayer glucose meter aimed at gamers

Bayer Diabetes Care partnered with Nintendo on a glucose meter for kids that incorporates gaming.

Unbranded site aims to elevate awareness of Sjögren's

Daiichi-Sankyo partnered with the Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation on a survey of 400 patients and launched an unbranded site, LivingWithDryness.com, to raise awareness of the condition.

Digital Media briefs

Featuring news about Lundbeck, MicroMass, Epilepsy.com and My Epilepsy Diary

Consumer Marketing

DDR on DTC: "1 in 3" people campaign

We in the DTC community are always arguing about the benefit of "unbranded," "disease state" or "information-seeking" advertising.

Sanofi, Novo Nordisk roll out new promos for pens

Sanofi-Aventis US is rolling out a consumer campaign for its Lantus SoloStar pen aimed at getting people with type 2 diabetes to think differently about ...

GSK enlists Dr. Drew for online contest

GlaxoSmithKline is launching a Nicorette lozenge with a snarky new iteration of the "Quitting Sucks" ad campaign and a Facebook contest starring TV shrink Dr. ...

DDMAC warns Novartis on edu websites

FDA's Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising and Communications (DDMAC) took Novartis to school over educational websites the agency said went beyond disease awareness, and into ...

Plugged-in patient more empowered

A survey of patients by HealthCentral found that 30% exhibited characteristics of "empowered patients--problem solvers wanting to understand not only their condition but their treatment ...

Consumer Marketing briefs

Featuring news about DTC advertising, Vaccines for Teens, Sanofi-Pasteur, Society for Adolescent Medicine and Forest Labs

Marketing Research

Vantage Point: Physician Payment Sunshine Act

When the Pharmaceutical Marketing Research Group (PMRG) engaged a firm to help craft necessary exclusionary language in the recently passed healthcare reform bill, we ultimately ...

PBIRG: Kantar shows a way to stretch budgets

Kantar Health says a new way of leveraging market research helped client Allergan net more from its MR budget while exerting a direct impact on ...

Study: 50% hike in rep-hostile docs

Getting face time with busy physicians is becoming harder for pharma reps every year.

Agency Business

Wunderman names global ops head

Wunderman named Becky Chidester to head up its global healthcare operations.

Compliance training catching at agencies

The healthcare unit of Omnicom's Diversified Agency Services has contracted with the Center for Communication Compliance for regulatory compliance training and certification.

Agency Business briefs

Featuring news about Compass Healthcare Communications, Compass Healthcare Marketers, GSW Worldwide, LyonHeart and Bayard Advertising Agency

Washington Insider

As I see it

Those who call for FDA to adopt comparative effectiveness as a regulatory third leg are on a cost effectiveness jihad.

FDA to pursue penance for practice violations

Medical product makers should be advised that FDA is planning to aggressively recommend misdemeanor prosecutions against responsible corporate executives for good manufacturing procedures (GMP) violations ...

Regulation urged for informal promos

A commentary in the May American Journal of Public Health calls for adding the "informal and non-advertising forms of drug promotion to a strengthened regulatory ...

Viewpoint

Marketers must embrace the connected patient

Change is here. Not around the corner...it has turned the corner, moved into the fast lane without signaling and dropped it into overdrive.

Mobile marketing should be seen as an appetizer

What a great time we live in as marketers. Today, we can offer our clients more than just the typical sales aid. Now we can ...

Back Talk

The time is now

Anyone who is involved with the biopharmaceutical industry and who is even half-awake knows how difficult it is for companies to navigate today's increasingly hostile ...