September 2008 43 9 Issue of MMM

Editor's Desk

Why do you do what you do?

We all have a pretty good idea of what the average person in the street might think of big pharma, and the chances are it's ...

Features

Career & Salary Survey: Down in the Count

The brutal economic landscape is taking its toll on industry paychecks--for the first time in years, MM&M's exclusive research shows a decrease in average salary. ...

Office Party

While some organizations find the talent shortage to be a struggle, several firms have managed to attract and retain staff by creating a culture and ...

Seven Paths to Pharma

The road to a successful career in healthcare marketing can be a long and winding one, and is often fraught with questionable positions such as ...

Merger Made in Heaven

We've all heard horror stories about ugly mergers stifling innovation and crushing employee morale, but Takeda's hands-off melding with Millennium and AstraZeneca's absorption of MedImmune ...

MM&M Awards Finalists 2008

The results are in from our panel of industry experts—the shortlist for each of the 24 categories appear on the following pages. The winners will ...

Headliner: Shire's Angus Russell

Angus Russell took over as CEO of Shire in June after serving nine years as CFO and EVP of global finance.

Antidote

My usual purpose in Antidote is to champion a drug that has been unfairly maligned.

In Focus

New regs exorcising the devil in the details

Goodbye, branded notepads, pens, mousepads and stress-balls.

Med Ed Report

Surprise! Massachusetts ban on gifts for doctors is back

When Massachusetts' House of Representatives passed a big healthcare bill in early July, drug and device makers and data firms thought they'd ducked a bullet ...

ACCME calls for comment on proposed policies

ACCME called for comment on proposed policies aimed at limiting interactions between accredited providers and commercial interests, as well as its proposal "that due consideration ...

Overstreet recognized by NC-CME

Karen Overstreet, president of Indicia Medical Education and past president of NAAMECC, became one of the first medical educators to be recognized as a Certified ...

Accredited providers to face higher ACCME fees

Accredited CME providers will face higher fees from ACCME in 2011, along with a one-time additional assessment to accredited providers payable in 2009 as part ...

France halts implementation of new national CME system

France's health minister halted implementation of a new national CME system, originally slated to be implemented at the end of 2007.

Professional Media

Nielsen, Wolters Kluwer form alliance

In an effort to raise the bar on consumer health targeting, messaging and measurement, Nielsen and Wolters Kluwer Health have launched HealthScape, an information platform.

Doctors' Choice names top ads

The Association of Medical Media announced 13 finalists in The Doctors' Choice awards for best journal ads.

Oncology News International redesigns content offering

CMPMedica-owned Oncology News International has redesigned its content offering.

Study: 73% of pharmas have brand plans in place by Phase II

A new study from Cutting Edge Information found that 73% of pharmas have brand publication plans in place by the end of Phase II development.

Elsevier launches Clinical Simulation in Nursing

Elsevier, in partnership with the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning, has launched Clinical Simulation in Nursing.

The Triological Society will publish The Laryngoscope

Wiley-Blackwell—through a partnership with the American Laryngological—Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc. (The Triological Society), will publish The Laryngoscope, the society's official publication.

Media Forum

Seeking to track the unmeasurable

Professional media planners and buyers are increasingly called upon to provide solid ROI in a space where quantifiable metrics are difficult to obtain. What are ...

Direct Marketing

Abbott, AZ team up to promote Crestor

Seeking to increase its share of voice without beefing up its sales force, AstraZeneca is partnering with Abbott on a co-promotion of Crestor in the ...

Publicis acquires Google's Performics

Publicis Groupe has announced the acquisition of Performics, a Google search marketing business.

Social networks hinder marketing

The rising popularity of social networks has had a negative impact on email marketing, according to a new report.

DMA: survey text messages more effective than email

A Direct Marketing Association (DMA) report has found that mobile text messaging is a more effective tool than e-mail, mobile web and coupons.

Robinson Radio launches Robinson Radio Networks

Robinson Radio—an agency specializing in direct response radio—has launched Robinson Radio Networks (RNN), an advertising firm dedicated to developing, producing and placing long-form radio programming.

SDI unveils Physician Practice Profiling Report

SDI has launched the Physician Practice Profiling (P3) Report, a patient-level data analytics tool.

inVentiv Health acquires Patient Marketing Group

inVentiv Health has acquired Patient Marketing Group (PMG), a pharmaceutical marketing services firm specializing in patient relationship marketing.

DTC Report

Parade to launch 'healthy' supplement

Parade Magazine's monthly health supplement, HealthyStyle, debuts Sept. 17, and the publisher hopes it will prove a lure for pharma advertisers.

J&J may consolidate Rx advertising

Johnson & Johnson is considering consolidating advertising and marketing for its pharmaceutical brands into one or possibly two companies, a J&J spokesperson told MM&M.

FDA will survey how visuals distract viewers

The FDA will test broadcast-style ads for a bogus blood pressure drug as part of a survey aimed at determining how visuals may distract viewers ...

Warner Chilcott to limit DTC, rely more on reps

Warner Chilcott said it would "make much more limited use of DTC in support of our existing brands," relying instead on reps to drive market ...

PhRMA sends lawyers to meet with HECC staff

PhRMA sent a delegation of lawyers to meet with House Energy and Commerce Committee staffers to try and head off new regulations and discuss recent ...

Digital Media

Web Watch

Search continues to gain ground on email as the killer app on the Internet.

Ooga Labs to launch free encyclopedia

Medpedia, a free public website slated to launch by the end of 2008, hopes to offer the largest collaborative online encyclopedia of medicine.

Abbott rolls out Crohn's podcast series

Abbott has launched a series of podcasts, or "Crohn's Casts," offering information and insights into Crohn's disease.

Public Relations

PR View by Rob Rogers

Let's be clear. As one who has spent half a life working in the increasingly regulated "pay for what you get" advertising side of the ...

Xperience Comms: 'Think of doctors as consumers'

Joseph Wenke, partner and creative director at Xperience Communications, says bringing marketing principles into discussions with doctors makes sense.

Bayer, Jonas bro urging diabetes care

Bayer Diabetes Care has partnered with Nick Jonas for a campaign urging young people to proactively manage diabetes.

Marketing Research

Vantage Point

Having recently returned from speaking and listening at the 2008 EphMRA meeting in Barcelona, and with PMRG and PBIRG spring conferences already behind us, the ...

Pharma: suppliers lack 'insightful deliverables'

A study surveying top pharma companies found that market research (MR) buyers are largely unsatisfied with supplier results.

Verispan acquired by data rival SDI

Verispan has been bought by rival healthcare analytics firm SDI for an undisclosed price.

Washington Insider

As I see it

Another bad idea from government policy wonks surfaced in July when an FDA enforcement director told the Wall Street Journal his agency is using press ...

Jenkins predicts historic changes from FDA Acts

Last year's FDA Amendments Act will bring historic change to the agency and the industry, the likes of which has not been experienced for decades, ...

Sen. Brown renews outsourcing probe

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is renewing his probe into the effect of drug company outsourcing on drug safety by asking Merck to explain the safety ...

Tougher FDA enforcement in the works

House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman John Dingell (D-MI) is circulating a revised draft of his proposed FDA Globalization Act, incorporating changes negotiated by committee ...

Agency's New Drug Application approvals up 18% in '08

New drug approval reports seem to cast doubt on critics' charges that the FDA has raised the bar in obtaining drug approvals.

GlaxoSmithKline hires Dan Troy as general counsel

GlaxoSmithKline has hired former FDA chief counsel and First Amendment specialist Dan Troy as its new general counsel.

Woodcock: black boxes shouldn't be the 'new warnings section'

Responding to criticism of why it took 15 years to order a black box for fluoroquinolones, the FDA's Janet Wood-cock said: "If we put every ...

Reps. introduce legislation to reverse medical device decision

In a move that has implications for drugmakers seeking relief from state court product liability lawsuits, Reps. Pallone (D-NJ) and Waxman (D-CA) have introduced legislation ...

HECC ranking member Barton introduces HR 6378

House Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Joe Barton (R-TX) and 10 co-sponsors introduced HR 6378.

Back Talk

Diversity: A natural evolution

Today, we kneel to the Internet and the opportunities it has made possible.

Video Exclusive

Web Exclusives

Five industry experts advise specialty pharma company on digital strategy

April 20, 2012

Specialty pharma company POZEN assembled a crack team of experts to help shape its digital strategy. Not only did POZEN share with us the text from their contributions, but you can watch exclusive video clips of their valuable perspectives right here.