2011

The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether drug companies have to pay their sales representatives for working overtime hours, a question that could have considerable financial impact on the industry. The question before the court in case CHRISTOPHER V. SMITHKLINE BEECHAM CORP is whether or not pharmaceutical sales representatives are exempt from overtime pay under the 'outside sales' exemption of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. If the Supreme Court rules that pharma sales reps are NOT exempt, some sales reps worry that they will become

Welcome to Volume 10, Issue #4 (23 FEBRUARY 2011) of Pharma Marketing News.

In a recent blog post, PhRMA said 'Without Promotion Research will be Useless.' To support its case, PhRMA cited 'an interesting opinion editorial' in the latest edition of the Annals of Emergency Medicine -- the medical journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). In the op-ed, entitled 'Limiting Gifts, Harming Patients,' Emory University economist Paul Rubin, Ph.D. expressed concern that ACEP policy regarding Gifts to Emergency Physicians from Industry 'could have the unfortunate effect of limiting the exchange of critical information between medicine makers and physicians about the benefits and risks of new medicines, how to use them properly and how best to diagnose the right candidates for particular treatments.'

All pharma companies face a communications crisis that rests on the changing role of the medical sales representative. This evolution has a direct impact on the obligations of the pharma marketing organizations to be both proactive and responsive in helping to protect their organizations from the threat of non-compliance. What can marketing do? This article offers a few thoughts from a physician's point.

In a recent video titled 'What Gets PhRMA's Chairman Up Every Morning?', Chris Viehbacher, CEO of Sanofi, cited an impressive Potemkin number related to life expectancy and the pharma industry.

If pharma marketers are going to be successful engaging consumers (mostly women) via social media, then they need to be more sensitive about how they portray women in ads and very savvy about how they handle comments (if they allow comments).

Economic Experts Disagree Wildly on How Much It Costs to Bring a New Drug to Market. How is it that the Tufts estimate is at least 14 TIMES the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSEPS) estimate? 'Make no mistake,' said Tufts. 'Tufts CSDD will vigorously defend the scholarship, integrity, and validity of all its published research studies.'

A discussion with Jonathan Richman, Group Director, Insights and Planning at Possible Worldwide about Facebook's changes to its commenting policies and his recommendations for pharma marketers who wish to develop Facebook pages.

Self Care Catalysts' Patient Intelligence Insights Guide™ on Diabetes is the only integrated patient-and consumer-centric report that explores how people suffering from an invisible condition such as diabetes actually circumnavigate their health condition, using the unique Self Care Health Decision Making Dynamics framework™. It is an example of what Grace Soyao, Founder & Chief Strategy Officer of Self Care Catalysts Inc., a health research and strategy company, means by 'Finding the Consumer within the Patient.'

Patients also need more effective counseling about their medications. In an effort to make drug package inserts easier to read and understand -- and perhaps to save money on printing costs -- the FDA is planning to test single-page consumer information sheets that would replace the multi-page package inserts and medication guides widely used in retail pharmacies. However 'dumbed down' the label gets, it is still important that physicians and pharmacists take a more pro-active role in educating consumers about the drugs they are taking.