2011

Boehringer-Ingelheim (BI) stands out in its attempt to stand out from the social(ist) cookie-cutter crowd of pharma FB pages. Shows what you can do with dedicated resources and creativity.

Should a PR firm or an interactive marketing agency be in charge of pharma social media campaigns?

Let's Look at Some Data PhRMA Doesn't Mention. PhRMA pointed out that nearly 9 out of 10 physicians considered company-sponsored peer education programs to be 'up-to-date, useful and reliable.'

Rules for Third-Party Engagement in Patient/Physician Social Networks. A Social Media Policy is not just an agreement that users must abide by. More importantly, it is a PROMISE to users from site owners/sponsors concerning how they will protect or attempt to protect user-generated content, personal conversations, interactions, and engagements with third-parties on the site. These policies should comply with as-yet-to-be-determined, universally accepted 'fair social media practice principles.'

Welcome to Volume 10, Issue #10 (8 JUNE 2011) of Pharma Marketing News.

The pharmaceutical industry has been very generous in making payments to physicians. Last year (2010), for example, a mere dozen pharmaceutical companies paid $760 million to physicians and other health care providers for consulting, speaking, research and expenses. On average, how much do you think that comes to for every physician in the U.S.?

Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority Issues Social Media Guidance for Pharma. The Brits have won the race to issue social media guidance for the drug industry! In April, 2011, the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA), which oversees the self-regulatory code of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), published 'informal guidance' providing the drug industry advice on how to use online communications.

Public health officials cannot depend upon their noses to make important decisions. They need actionable real time data. How do they get it?

The pharmaceutical industry has been very generous in making payments to physicians. Last year (2010), for example, a mere dozen pharmaceutical companies paid $760 million to physicians and other health care providers for consulting, speaking, research and expenses. On average, how much do you think that comes to for every physician in the U.S.?

The fear is that if the first steps by pharma to engage in social media conversation are too harshly scrutinized and criticized, the drug industry will shy away from getting more involved in social media.