Do Drug Copay Coupons Drive Up Healthcare Costs?
Coupons for drug co-payments are illegal and drive up long-term health-care costs for all, a consumer group and four trade-union health-insurance plans said in announcing lawsuits against eight pharmaceutical companies. The lawsuits claim that although coupons reduce the consumer's out-of-pocket cost, the health insurer still pays the previously negotiated price to the drug company. With no savings from generics, health plans will need to charge patients more to keep up with rising costs, the lawsuits say.
Pharma Marketing News Vol. 11, No. 3: 19 March 2012
Welcome to Volume 11, Issue #3 (19 MARCH 2012) of Pharma Marketing News.
Big Bad Pharma
The drug industry is contending with a storm of unsavory media coverage documenting drug shortages in the U.S., drug counterfeiting, and recalls due to manufacturing faults. Some say bad journalism is heightening the
Mobile Regulatory Fears: PhRMA Raises an Alarm
In a blog post provocatively titled 'An App for That, But For How Much Longer?', PhRMA's Kate Connors agreed with a Washington Times op-ed piece that suggested the FDA will soon require apps such as medication prescription renewal reminders and blood glucose level tracking functions to be regulated as medical devices. The op-ed author, Joel White, executive director of the Health IT Now Coalition, suggests that this effort would lead to increased costs as well as constraints on user access to these apps, which 'may cause developers to move on to other, less burdensome endeavors.' 'In the end, this could hinder the way that patients can actively improve their own care,' said Conners. Is this fear warranted? Are there apps that SHOULD be regulated by the FDA? Read this article and find out.
Some Unregulated Physician Smartphone Apps May Be Buggy
Practically every pharmaceutical company has one or more apps. The ones I am interested in are apps designed to help doctors in their diagnosis of patients. Big among these are the
The Coming Pharma Digital Depression
A 'recession' in pharma marketing is likely considering the well-known 'patent cliff' that's currently in progress; ie, blockbuster drugs with a combined $170 billion in annual sales will go off-patent by 2015. That means even less mass media advertising and more digital advertising. But 'more digital advertising' does not mean that much more money will be spent in the digital arena. That's because of social media, where it's virtually free to advertise!
Pharma Marketing News Vol. 11, No. 2: 22 February 2012
Welcome to Volume 11, Issue #2 (22 FEBRUARY 2012) of Pharma Marketing News.
Novo Nordisk Defends Choice of Paula Deen as Diabetes Spokesperson
Unless you are living under a rock on the Moon, you've probably heard that Novo Nordisk has teamed up with celebrity Southern-style chef Paula Deen as a paid spokesperson. Ambre Morley, Associate Director, Product Communications, Novo Nordisk, answers questions about why her company teamed up with Deen as a diabetes spokesperson.
FDA Guidance on Responding to Unsolicited Requests for Off-Label Information
Two days after Christmas, on December 27, 2011, while most of us were still on vacation, the FDA quietly issued
FDA Social Media Guidelines May Be Moot: If This Court Decision Holds Up
Drugmakers dissatisfied with the FDA's use of guidances as a form of policymaking -- including long-awaited guidance for use of social media by the pharmaceutical industry -- could find legal ammunition against the practice. This article presents the relevant case information.
