Pharma Industry News Update: 8 February 2017
Will Pharma Companies Move to Branded Instagram Accounts?
From www.mmm-online.com
Drugmakers have claimed their Instagram turf by launching corporate pages first then moving to unbranded and branded ones. Medtronic and Novartis are actively engaging on the platform through their corporate handles, each with more than 14,000 followers. Then there are companies such as Sanofi that have created a handle, but not yet activated it with posts, says Intouch Solutions EVP Wendy Blackburn.
[Read “Pharma on Instagram: How Top Drug Companies Use It Today & May Use It Tomorrow“]
UCB global multichannel engagement solutions lead Greg Cohen says “I’ve noticed pharma companies have grabbed the Instagram names for their products, but there are no posts yet,” he continues. “They’re probably getting them set up and holding them in case they decide to move into it.”
Will they? Why should they? Right now, there are NO Rx branded Instagram accounts. More here…
Further Reading:
- Instagram Offers Pharma Marketers Better Tools Than Facebook to Block Those “Nasty” Comments
- Now May Be the Time for Pharma to Get Serious About Instagram
- Should #Pharma Consider Instagram for Promotion & Patient Engagement?
Merck’s New Keytruda DTC Ad is a “TRU” Story Told by a Fake Patient (Actor)
From www.mmm-online.com
The black- and- white ad tells the story of a woman – an actor portraying a patient — diagnosed with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. She thought her diagnosis meant the start of chemotherapy and would leave her with only months left to live. After finding out that her tumors expressed high levels of the PD-L1 protein, which is a biomarker for Keytruda, she learned she now had a new treatment available to her. She said her scans after treatment with Keytruda showed “good news.”
The ninety-second spot, “Sharon’s Tru Story,” likely signals a shift in the drugmaker’s marketing strategy, which until now focused on targeting doctors through professional journal ads. Bristol-Myers Squibb in October 2015 launched a DTC campaign for Opdivo, a competing immunotherapy (read “Opdivo TV Ads Educate Patients About the Positive, Not the Negative Trial Data“).
Further Reading:
Who Is the Most “Fantastic” Person Trump Has in Mind to Lead the FDA?
From pharmamkting.blogspot.com
“President Trump’s vow to overhaul the Food and Drug Administration could bring major changes in policy, including steps to accelerate the process of approving new prescription drugs, setting up a clash with critics who say his push for deregulation might put consumers at risk,” notes the NYT.
Trump says he has a ‘fantastic person’ in mind to nominate as his new FDA commish. Several candidates were put forward. It turns out that NONE is a woman. Find out who they are and what makes them “fantastic” and vote your choice here.
