Around a third of US adults use social media as a health resource, according to a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers – whether seeking out medical info, sharing symptoms and experiences or rating drugs, devices, doctors, hospitals and health plans.
Weary of FDA foot-dragging on digital and social media guidance for pharmas, a group of 60-some industry digerati have put together guidelines of their own.
Genentech education campaign urges flu sufferers to mind their manners
Genentech is sponsoring a flu education campaign featuring hereditary etiquette expert Anna Post offering advice to the flu-stricken on keeping the bug to themselves.
Merck v. Merck Facebook fracas a “tempest in a teapot” says US firm
Facebook shut down Facebook.com/Merck after Merck KGaA announced plans to take legal action “based on the apparent takeover of its Facebook page” by its US cousin, Merck & Co.
Desperate Housewives’ Delany to flack Pfizer’s Caltrate
Desperate Housewives star Dana Delany will serve as the face of Pfizer’s “Women Move the World” campaign for OTC supplement Caltrate. In a twist on the user-generated content formula, she’ll invite women to submit their girl power-themed stories to the brand’s Facebook page for consideration as advertising fodder
EMD Serono brings back “Birds & Bees” infertility effort
Facebook sales reps told pharmas last week that they can no longer disable commenting on their non-brand-specific pages, potentially exposing them to flame warriors, spammers, adverse events reports and discussion of off-label uses that might call down the wrath of DDMAC.
Sanofi-Aventis builds out diabetes social media presence
A holiday digital campaign dubbed “Why the heck should I give to the Red Cross?” is playing off of an Internet meme to raise awareness of the charity among younger people.