Newsletter

Welcome to the October 20, 2017, issue of Pharma Industry News Update (aka PinUp). Is the drug industry wholly, partly, or not to blame at all for the current opioid epidemic? There are many players in the 'drug industry,' but most consumers and voters only think Big Pharma when they here that phrase. But let's not forget the wholesalers that distribute drugs to pharmacies and hospitals. They are saying, 'it's not us, it's the DEA's fault.' And let's not forget to blame patients who willingly are recruited to lobby for less restrictions on opioids. Lastly - and I can't believe this argument is still out there - let's blame the poor people addicted to opioids!

Welcome to the October 17, 2017, issue of Pharma Industry News Update (aka PinUp). Let's focus on False Hope. First, there's the 'War on Drugs/Opioids,' which offered hope but failed from a law-enforcement perspective. We learn from a DEA whistleblower that Congress and drug company lobbyists hobbled the DEA's ability to go after companies that knowingly supplied opioids to corrupt 'pill mills.' Then there's the false hope of longer life for cancer patients peddled by both unregulated hospital and regulated drug marketers.

Welcome to the October 13, 2017, issue of Pharma Industry News Update (aka PinUp). When pharma marketers are bamboozled, one might say the

Welcome to the October 10, 2017, issue of Pharma Industry News Update (aka PinUp). 'Crock of shite!' is a phrase I borrowed from my Irish friends. You can guess the King's English version. More politely known as 'a pile of poo', the term 'a crock of shit(e)' derives from an ancient Roman custom where people would poo into a pot if they were particularly bored by whichever philosopher happened to be talking rubbish at the time. What Purdue proposes as a way to combat overuse of opioids for pain is not so much boring as it is insulting to our intelligence! And don't get me started on the 'crock of shite' celebrities engage in when shilling for the pharma industry!

Welcome to the October 6, 2017, issue of Pharma Industry News Update (aka PinUp). While PhRMA praises the drug industry for

Welcome to the October 3, 2017, issue of Pharma Industry News Update (aka PinUp). Wow! According to an MM&M survey, salaries of pharma marketers skyrocketed in 2017. Perhaps because the drug industry needs smoke and mirrors to justify the cost of new medicines and hide the fact that some of its products - like the flu vaccines - do not work very well. Meanwhile, why has it taken so long to develop a universal flu vaccine and a searchable FDA adverse event database.

Welcome to the September 29, 2017, issue of Pharma Industry News Update (aka PinUp). There are various methods the drug industry uses to

Welcome to the September 26, 2017, issue of Pharma Industry News Update (aka PinUp). Is the pharmaceutical industry warming up to targeted advertising? That is, serving up drug ads to people on the web and mobile devices who probably (maybe, supposedly) suffer from the specific medical condition that the drug treats. Music site Pandora is betting on it. Also betting on it are the ambulance chasers on Facebook!

Welcome to the September 22, 2017, issue of Pharma Industry News Update (aka PinUp). Pharma marketers have a difficult time thinking up 'creative' ways to sell medicines and to keep patients taking their prescriptions once sold. On the front end - i.e., DTC ads - this can lead to 'silly' ads seemingly designed to win awards rather than win the hearts and minds of consumers. On the back end - i.e., adherence - they grasp at any new 'shiny thing' such as 'gamification.' The question is, is there any proof these work?

Welcome to the September 19, 2017, issue of Pharma Industry News Update (aka PinUp). While there is much debate about how much money the pharmaceutical industry spends on digital marketing, there's no debate that the industry is actively pursuing mobile solutions for improving patient care and clinical trials.