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<title>World of DTC Marketing RSS Feed</title><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/index.html</link><description>What&#x27;s new?</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2007 Richard Meyer</dc:rights><dc:date>2007-08-17T07:22:20-07:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Fri, 17 Aug 2007 07:55:16 -0700</lastBuildDate><item><title>FDA: Going on defense..Is it hurting or helping patients?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-08-17T07:22:20-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/ce3cea29e31f5d5846debded095761ff-129.html#unique-entry-id-129</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/ce3cea29e31f5d5846debded095761ff-129.html#unique-entry-id-129</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There always will be some risk associated with new drugs that are approved as continuing clinical trials may indicate more and more severe side effects....  By playing defense though patients may not be able to go on the offensive against diseases that can severely restrict their ability to live a better quality of life.

...These "new molecular entities," as they are known in FDA parlance, work in a completely different manner than drugs that are already on the market.  "[New molecular entities] are the break-though drugs that really start to carve out a new path, as opposed to combinations of existing drugs," said an analyst.

...Rest assured though that drugs currently in clinical trials are going to need additional clinical trials to get through the tougher FDA approval process adding millions of dollars in development costs.

...They need to first start with an addition to fair balance on all newly approved drugs that warns that although these drugs have been approved ongoing clinical trials may highlight some additional side effects that did not come to light in clinical trials for approval.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Google &#x26; Microsoft developing online health solutions</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Internet &#x26; DTC Marketing</category><dc:date>2007-08-14T05:47:52-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/187a6b1aed213d7b2f1d8ab0cf793a53-128.html#unique-entry-id-128</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/187a6b1aed213d7b2f1d8ab0cf793a53-128.html#unique-entry-id-128</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Then there are the patients...how will they feel about having all their medical information online with the potential to be hacked by anyone with computer savvy?...  Of course the reason that Google and Microsoft are salivating over these new platforms is that they can in turn sell advertising and search to health care companies including pharma.

...With the privacy issues patients may not want their medical history stored on the Web where it can be hacked or reviewed by potential employers.

...I feel that there are several reasons for this; first, baby boomers, who are skeptics of the establishment, are reaching ages when they are dealing with the chronic illness of a parent or parents.

...Google and Microsoft need to look beyond the numbers at consumer behavior; that is they need to ask "why" instead of looking at numbers and seeing a revenue opportunity.

...In essence, the Semantic Web is a place where machines can read Web pages much as we humans read them, a place where search engines and software agents can better troll the Net and find what we're looking for.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Med Ad News &#x24;275 a year for DUH &#x21;</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Media (Internet)</category><dc:date>2007-08-12T08:02:26-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/995c7f56bb0b27794800993df89c48c1-127.html#unique-entry-id-127</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/995c7f56bb0b27794800993df89c48c1-127.html#unique-entry-id-127</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Med Ad News is a decent publication and I used to see a lot being distributed in the mail cart but the reality is that I have not found a hell of a lot of people who have said "did you read that article in Med Ad News?".  Let's face it time is the new currency and what DTC manager has time to read trade publications when they are busy doing and redoing Power Point presentations?

...That publication has run articles that are critical of it's own industry and has continually implied that it's time for agencies to change their thinking and business models.  Yes there are also a lot of Duh 101 articles but when one reads an article it should make one think not just be informational in nature.

With all the challenges the industry is facing, with all the missteps that big pharma has taken, and with the void in leadership at the highest level of pharma organizations one would think that a trade publication could challenge pharma to overcome its own inherent weaknesses.  Med Ad News will sell you information but if you want to be think and be challenged the answer is not to spend $275 a year for this DUH material.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>More media but less consumption</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Media (Internet)</category><dc:date>2007-08-08T14:57:06-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/552ea1f9945742fb35444f516302896b-126.html#unique-entry-id-126</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/552ea1f9945742fb35444f516302896b-126.html#unique-entry-id-126</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Because of the high demand for quick updates and short news briefs readily available on the web, consumers now rely less on 30-minute broadcast or cable TV news shows and spend less time reading the Sunday paper, dropping time with ad-supported media 6.3%....  As I said on my podcast with John Mack this morning "the economy is driven more and more by informed consumers not marketers and DTC marketers don't know how to respond".

...The trend of truly marketing on the Web is passing this industry by as it struggles to find a cost effective business model to meet all the environmental challenges.

...The truth is that most traditional ad agencies don't understand the Web and when the hear of big marketing budgets they naturally think of the best ways to maximize THEIR revenues.

..." I ran an online ad that drove 200,000 people to my website but share didn't go up" - Well let's see...if most of those 200,000 people came to your website and stayed only a few seconds than the chances are that those people were not in your target audience.

...What is so puzzling is that at a time when they have less and less money to spend the Web offers ways to maximize their DTC dollars but they still continue to feel around in the dark.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Pharma websites traffic review</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Media (Internet)</category><dc:date>2007-08-06T13:16:08-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/550cd400e981044c8d37b7aacc9b49bc-125.html#unique-entry-id-125</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/550cd400e981044c8d37b7aacc9b49bc-125.html#unique-entry-id-125</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The ED market is slowly growing but it seems that more men are surfing Viagra and Levitra.com compared to Cialis.com.  A quick look at some message boards indicate that a lot of men want an ED drug that acts fast but don't want a drug that's going to be in their system for 36 hours.

...Well it tells me that the current Viagra and Levitra campaigns are successfully driving traffic to the product websites but that there is a high level of crossover among the three sites as well....  Cialis is also skewing more towards affluent men which might limit the products distribution compared with Viagra which has a wider distribution among all income groups.

...This is truly a great picture to show just how bad the Rozerem campaign really is and what a waste of money it was to go with the "dreams miss you" campaign.

...Website analytics can be a great tool but you have to know what to look for and most pharma DTC marketers have a hard enough time with just launching a website and optimizing it for visitors.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Take the initiative and police yourself</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>DTC Environment</category><dc:date>2007-08-05T07:45:04-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/0483a8ed277a51d072e5bf85053cf8c4-124.html#unique-entry-id-124</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/0483a8ed277a51d072e5bf85053cf8c4-124.html#unique-entry-id-124</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[All DTC campaigns should include a dollar for dollar match on disease awareness and prevention- Consumers need to know the dangers of high cholesterol and how a change in eating and exercise programs can lead to better heart health.

...Newly approved medications should include additional fair balance- A medication that has just been approved by the FDA should carry an additional warning to inform patients that this product is deemed safe and effective by the FDA but ongoing clinical trials over time may reveal new side effects that did not become evident in clinical trials for FDA approval.

...Registry- In this age of information it would be easy for retailers to inform patients on medications that new side effects are being reported for some medications.  It also should include clear language on how to take the medication rather than the maze that patients now have to read through to determine how to take the medication.

...Don't wait to determine if it needs to be in the label, just do it and let patients know what you know from ongoing clinical trials.

...Patients have a right to know if their physician is receiving payment from a pharma company to determine if the physicians is prescribing a drug because it is best for him or best for his status with the pharma company.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Truth: New rules for marketers (except pharma of course)</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>DTC Environment</category><dc:date>2007-08-01T06:34:04-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/3cc4ad0f232a69d7480e75b5095693d1-123.html#unique-entry-id-123</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/3cc4ad0f232a69d7480e75b5095693d1-123.html#unique-entry-id-123</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Perhaps marketers will come to their senses when they realize buyers are fed up with marketers behaving badly, and that integrity has become a cause c&eacute;l&egrave;bre wrapped around a ticking time bomb.

...A leading retailer is said to have surreptitiously paid professional bloggers to take their side in a series of blogs where the company had come under fire for allegedly questionable hiring and workplace violations.

...All very legal, but they reportedly do so without insisting their agents disclose to friends that a firm is encouraging them to push the products, which clearly violates a tenet of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association Code of Ethics.

...Companies talk about it and at Lilly we even had compliance classes but unless that belief is an integral part of the organization it will not become the mainstay of all marketing activities.

...This practice can be found in the product marketing and communications programs of such business-to-business and consumer standouts as Herman Miller furniture and offices systems, Kiehl's beauty care shops, the Infosys IT firm, Patagonia outdoor apparel, Johnson & Johnson health care, W.L.

...About the time the book was being printed, an FTC lawsuit revealed that John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, had been posting criticism of his company's competitor and would-be acquisition on a website using a pseudonym.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Profits over patients health?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-07-31T10:25:31-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/1abf69f82d1047b67efe8b1fbc515902-122.html#unique-entry-id-122</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/1abf69f82d1047b67efe8b1fbc515902-122.html#unique-entry-id-122</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Dr. David Graham, a drug safety officer at the federal agency, called for withdrawing the drug and estimated that its toxic effects on the heart had caused up to 205,000 heart attacks and strokes, some fatal, from 1999 to 2006.  For every month that Avandia is sold, Dr. Graham said, 1,600 to 2,200 patients will suffer more of those problems.

...A vice president, Dr. Murray Stewart, said the company had in recent months examined data on 1.35 million diabetes patients from large managed care companies....  You see what we have here is a basic level of credibility bought on by a mistrust of big pharma's motivation for the almighty dollar.

...I am sure that the media will be ready to pounce on this story again in and when someone has a heart attack and is also on Avandia.  Physicians are just as confused and may not want to take the risk or prescribing a product that may increase the rate of a heart attack.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>When it&#x27;s time to tighten the belt&#x2c; online is first to go</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Current DTC</category><dc:date>2007-07-30T06:16:43-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/82d77a1506785703df8e9ade29114718-121.html#unique-entry-id-121</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/82d77a1506785703df8e9ade29114718-121.html#unique-entry-id-121</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Surprisingly most people thought it was TV yet when it comes to allocating dollars the first to know are media buyers for TV and the first to go, when the budget cuts loom, is the Web....  It's great for a brand team leader to walk into a meeting like a proud father to show the new TV spots instead of banners for the Web....  But there is also another underlying problem; the problem that a lot of pharma marketing organizations see the Web as a budget devouring demon that has no "pizzazz"....  Then the poor marketing person has to go back to square one an build a case and generate buy-in from the organization which can take months.

...If you don't have psychographics of your market then you are marketing blind and if you don't invest dollars into the Web for online advertising then you are missing one hell of an opportunity.  DTC Managers love to go to trade gatherings and show their Power Points to yawning audiences and then get awards that gives them a false sense of accomplishment.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>It&#x27;s over for Avandia</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-07-29T07:03:41-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/e6bcee025064136c8321eca858f98534-120.html#unique-entry-id-120</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/e6bcee025064136c8321eca858f98534-120.html#unique-entry-id-120</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When I brought up the subject of Avandia my physician told me that they had taken all their patients off the medication....  I asked her if GSK has been in to see their practice to respond and she said "we haven't heard anything from them".

So this week the FDA is looking for outside guidance on whether Avandia should continue to be approved and if so what warnings it should have on the label.

...What puzzles me is why didn't they see this coming and have a scenario plan in place?...  It's better to be naked in with your data than try and hide things in hope that it will never be found.

...Maybe they will learn from this experience or maybe they will continue to be in a state of denial about the realities of empowered consumers and physicians.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Sorry sales are down we don&#x27;t need you anymore</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>In The News</category><dc:date>2007-07-26T18:39:36-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/80af8618de4c49371dbdfe3bb12ff2da-119.html#unique-entry-id-119</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/80af8618de4c49371dbdfe3bb12ff2da-119.html#unique-entry-id-119</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Forget the fact that physicians don't have the time to meet with sales people anymore...no we'll put more salespeople on the street "our message will get through".

Even at Eli Lilly, where I used to work, it was a common belief that one could not rise in the ranks until one spent some times in the field.

...At Amgen people are on the edge of their seats to see if there are going to layoffs and I feel that pharma will do whatever they have to so to make the MBA analysts happy that they are doing something.  Management screws up with a product, no problem lay off another 10% of our workforce and by the way I need to cash in some stock so I can buy another summer house.

...Let's not fight back because we believe in our product, let's not talk about the millions of people that are leading better lives because of our product.

...There are bunch of people out there who are going to lose their jobs and that's too bad but then big pharma has never been about people has it?]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Bill Maher HBO Special rips pharma</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>DTC Environment</category><dc:date>2007-07-26T06:02:11-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/d02244a0d6567a772b5eff9cffe1b48e-118.html#unique-entry-id-118</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/d02244a0d6567a772b5eff9cffe1b48e-118.html#unique-entry-id-118</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Now he also complained that lobbyists were truly controlling Congress with their cash payoffs but he went further on big pharma talking about how drugs may be "killing us" For example he said "Vioxx cures your arthritis by potentially killing you" and that "Avandia raises the chance for heart attack by 45%...that's 45% I call that significant!"....  "Your married for God's sake every moment is supposed to be the right moment so you don't need to walk around with an all day boner".

...The messages that we develop are going to be harder to get through because in addition to the clutter you now have a more educated, skeptical consumer who has more power than ever before....  Yes the physician used to be the gate keeper and patients did what he or she suggested but with more stories coming out about physicians in bed with pharma that may change as well.

I personally believe that fair balance should be changed to include a statement about ongoing clinical trials and the possibility of new side effects that were unreported in clinical trials.

...DTC marketers had better wake up to the reality that consumers are demanding transparency at every level of the organization and even when you start down this road you may not walk fast enough in an era of information empowered patients and consumers.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Viva Viagra = DTC RIP</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Current DTC</category><dc:date>2007-07-24T05:42:15-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/b82473a9a7a947627bc5a7f3ebc866f4-117.html#unique-entry-id-117</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/b82473a9a7a947627bc5a7f3ebc866f4-117.html#unique-entry-id-117</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I am sure this is sure to become destined for DTC Perspectives campaign of the year !

...I worked with the DTC team on the launch of Cialis and learned first hand the barriers that many face to seeking treatment for this condition that effects couples....  A visit to any ED board reveals posts from women begging for help to get their husbands into doctors and men who are making up excuses not to use Viagra or Cialis because of side effects that are out of context.

...Perhaps they are trying to trivialize ED as in let's have a drink and I'll have a Viagra so we can fool around?  I can see it now, two guys are in a bar talking and one says "well gotta go home, tonight is date night" , "OK see ya later, have a good one", "yea you too...Viva Viagra!"  Unfortunately Viva Viagra is another reason that real good DTC is on life support and maybe DOA.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Mid Year Report</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Current DTC</category><dc:date>2007-07-21T08:24:42-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/cae245f2b5992464223acc6c2baf9949-116.html#unique-entry-id-116</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/cae245f2b5992464223acc6c2baf9949-116.html#unique-entry-id-116</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[On one side you have Wall Street whose philosophy is "instant gratification takes too long", on the other you have an increasing knowledgeable consumer who is empowered like never before and demands transparency at every level of the marketing channel....  It seems that the old days of helping patients by providing a wealth of resources have been replaced with "we'll help you but please register so we can market to you first" syndrome.

DTC marketers have not embraced Consumer Generated Media because they are afraid of it and afraid of what the FDA might do to companies who embrace CGM....  Meanwhile physicians are embracing social media like never before while pharma continues to flood waiting rooms with programmed sales people who more often than not drop off samples and tissue boxes and leave.

...High cholesterol is a silent killer and rather than address the people who have not taken action their spot seems to be centered on "LIPITOR reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with multiple risk factors".

...In looking at some ED message boards patients are becoming concerned about the 36 hour half-life and men who take Viagra are saying "I don't want a drug in my system for 3 hours".]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Why pharma maybe forced to move more to online</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-07-18T06:45:16-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/d5583b141f8db85b08cf5dee25c4cefb-115.html#unique-entry-id-115</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/d5583b141f8db85b08cf5dee25c4cefb-115.html#unique-entry-id-115</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Of course this is going to have a trickle down effect on the business model as more money may also need to be spent on clinical trials for approval.

...Now take this money and run a banner on MSN's homepage and you might be able to drive 350,000 people to your website....  But there is a catch....your website has to be a site that consumers WANT to enter and that means that the product.com website needs to be customer focused with a great user experience not a sales brochure.

DTC marketers will spend lots of money to test and develop TV ads but when it comes to developing a website the budget limits the strategy.  There is a process for delivering a best in class user experience that supports the business and brand objectives but it requires money to do it right and a belief that the strategy dictates the budget.  One more thing as well...once you have a website developed you need to continue to spend money to update and optimize the site as you learn more about your audiences needs.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Pharma moving to online tactics?  Not in my lifetime &#x21;</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>DTC Environment</category><dc:date>2007-07-16T13:36:28-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/a4a1d6a148b0d315bda4e16b4c491712-114.html#unique-entry-id-114</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/a4a1d6a148b0d315bda4e16b4c491712-114.html#unique-entry-id-114</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[According to the annual survey, pharmaceutical companies in 2007 will increase their spending on online activities, such as web sites, search engine marketing, and e-mail.  Also, to encourage patients to take their medicines - both initially and for the long term - companies are relying more on educational programs at pharmacies and physician offices, newsletters and refill reminders.

...A 30 second spot on the SuperBowl is now over $1.5 million and marketers realize that they could get more bang for their marketing dollars elsewhere.

...Finally they need to stay abreast of changes in technology that may help marketers interact with consumers and patients and they need to be able to take a brand marketing strategy and turn it into an actionable plan.  Frankly good eMarketing people are very hard to find and right now they are commanding top dollar from organizations who are trying to make inroads into the online world.

...Pharma still has a lot to learn about how to use and apply the web but before they do that they first have to acknowledge that the power has shifted to consumers and they say it but their actions don't acknowledge it yet.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>What&#x27;s ailing DTC?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>DTC Environment</category><dc:date>2007-07-15T15:45:47-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/0bf233c249ce17ff2b4bce70fff47fa7-113.html#unique-entry-id-113</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/0bf233c249ce17ff2b4bce70fff47fa7-113.html#unique-entry-id-113</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[-Increased scrutiny by a skeptical Congress: Congress, led by Waxman and Kennedy, have this belief that DTC advertising both ads to the high cost of drugs and has people asking for prescription medications they don't really need.  I am not going to go through how misinformed these gentlemen are but someone should take them outside dig a hole and point to it and inform what a hole in the ground looks like.

...Let's face it the people who oversaw the development of the Rozarem spots should be shown the door...$125 million for a DTC campaign that has a negative ROI.  I recently learned that another person was promoted to Director of DTC at another pharma company that is not known in any way shape or form as a marketing organization.

...When I was done explaining why I thought DTC advertising was in trouble he said "it sound like they are stuck in the 50's and 60's.  We had a great laugh because he was spot on but I reminded him that if we really believe in our product it's about communicating how great it is in a personally relevant way, even in a highly regulated industry I believe it CAN and SHOULD be done.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>As Amgen sinks executives dump stock</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Unless your the lead dog the view never changes</category><dc:date>2007-07-14T07:43:29-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/7a64d4faf52fc457fdd8eb5c699dc6be-112.html#unique-entry-id-112</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/7a64d4faf52fc457fdd8eb5c699dc6be-112.html#unique-entry-id-112</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The shareholders also allege that Amgen officers unloaded their own stock after a 2006 clinical study of cancer patients taking Aranesp "discovered that more deaths occurred in patients taking Aranesp than in taking a placebo."

...The CEO, Sidney Taurel, took an annual salary of $1, a plan called "Year X" was immediately put into place in which all spending would go through prioritization and people were reallocated, yes some were given packages and left the company.

...A CEO has a duty to lead his people and set standards for leadership but in case it seems that these executives were more interested in leading their own bank accounts.  Now this can happen in ANY industry and is not exclusive just to the drug industry but at a time when a company is in dire need of leadership this is nothing short of a disgrace.  In the next few months it is believed that many Amgen employees will be called into a room to meet with their boss and HR reps to be informed that they are no longer needed.  If they are lucky they will get a package that will sustain them for 2-3 months but then the reality of what has happened to them will hit home and they will have to start from scratch while executives go home in their Mercedes to their mansions in Thousand Oaks.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Hidden agendas?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Media (Internet)</category><dc:date>2007-07-13T06:00:11-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/73eff998fca95e62d01ee7aafb8153e1-111.html#unique-entry-id-111</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/73eff998fca95e62d01ee7aafb8153e1-111.html#unique-entry-id-111</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When I see millions of dollars wasted on DTC campaigns that are more of the same old same old; when I see people at drug companies getting promoted to Director because of the political game they play rather than embracing the concept of the new consumer; and when so many DTC marketers pat themselves on the back and use industry awards for self promotion I know that we have a major problem.

I received the weekly eMail newsletter from Bob Ehrlich at DTC Perspectives and as a pointed response to this authors post on how meaningless the Top 25 DTC marketers are he takes aim at BLOGGERS like this author and my college John Mack....  I stand by my comment that his trade publication is a joke within the industry because it delivers outdated information and has a relationship that is way too close to pharma.

...Over 80% of the traffic to Cialis.com when this author was in charge of the website, came from online media, yet the team would rather spend money on TV because they can't acknowledge that the Web can deliver a more cost effective message to a relevant target.

...I am passionate about what I do and will continue to challenge this industry which has more allegiance to Wall Street than consumers while promoting company slogans saying "we care"....  I write not to make this BLOG popular but out of passion for an industry that has become more about itself than its patients.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Data Wars</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>DTC Environment</category><dc:date>2007-07-11T15:43:10-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/53ae40ddc1a3ddb141acc0eb60e8c8f7-110.html#unique-entry-id-110</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/53ae40ddc1a3ddb141acc0eb60e8c8f7-110.html#unique-entry-id-110</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Doctors have embraced the drugs -- including Merck's Januvia, and, in a second new class, Byetta from Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Lilly -- largely because they don't cause low blood sugar and can lead to weight loss.

...A review of 29 studies -- only three of which lasted more than 30 weeks -- found that while the drugs work better than placebos in controlling blood sugar, they are no more effective than medications available for pennies a pill.

...Well let&rsquo;s see losing weight may help some patients kick Type II diabetes but it costs more than older and cheaper medications....  All it takes is one benefits manager to determine that their company can save money by insisting that their customers switch to the older cheaper medications but this study has several other implications.

...Well one could argue that this will continue to erode the confidence of any drug company to present effective product claims or that physicians will get more questions from their skeptical patients.

...As long as Wall Street is more important than patients it&rsquo;s going to get a whole of a lot worse before it gets better.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Power to the people..uhh&#x2c; consumers that is</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>DTC Environment</category><dc:date>2007-07-09T16:56:33-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/6a6ad4e7e8b06a1fcfac55ab73270db2-109.html#unique-entry-id-109</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/6a6ad4e7e8b06a1fcfac55ab73270db2-109.html#unique-entry-id-109</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[DTC marketers have to be smart about how to leverage the power of consumer generated media but they are afraid of the possible repercussions from an FDA in transition and calls for increased scrutiny of DTC ads by Congress.

...The reason is that they are afraid of personal questions from their physicians, which in all likelihood is not going to happen, or they are afraid to admit they need help in this intimate area as it may be a sign of weakness as a man.

...Now a lot of DTC people in the industry who read this are going to say "wait a minute you&rsquo;re talking about culture shock here, we just got them used to TV ads now you&rsquo;re asking senior managers to emerge brands in new channels at a time when the FDA is looking for a chance to come down hard on DTC?"

...I am sure some will crash and burn along the way but those that are able to go against the tide will do very well and be recognized as a pioneer at a time when advertising is the midst of the biggest change in history.

It&rsquo;s going to require storytelling and selling at every level of the organization to the point that you&rsquo;ll probably know your PowerPoint deck by heart but it has to be done and we, as DTC marketers, cannot take the path of least resistance anymore.  If we really believe that the products we sell provide a better life for our patients than we have to relate to them as part of the brand and allow them to tell their stories even in a heavily regulated industry like DTC advertising.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Outrage</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>DTC Environment</category><dc:date>2007-07-08T15:42:59-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/cce9bff0482cf54af6a56fef1498c43a-108.html#unique-entry-id-108</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/cce9bff0482cf54af6a56fef1498c43a-108.html#unique-entry-id-108</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This has several implications for all DTC marketers but none more important than a public who is going to get more skeptical of advertisers messages....  Consumers trust each other more than advertisers but of course DTC marketers have no idea how to leverage this channel and trade publications will continue to give out meaningless awards for poor campaigns.

I recently conducted some qualitative research with some focus groups and it became clear that consumers and patients don't trust information of product or corporate websites even if it is was written by a third party.  This attitude has changed a lot since I first did research on the use of the Internet for health information 6 six years ago. Yes consumers will still come to your website but it's more about the journey to collect information and make a decision than it is about the products benefits....  I then requested the moderator to ask the woman how long she had been using the Web for medical information and was really surprised that she had only recently started really surfing the Internet because she just got broadband.

...My guess is over the next year or so we will continue to see more stories surface about "hidden data" or bad decisions and DTC marketers had better take notice that their share of voice will be questioned by a skeptical public and that transparency across the organization is becoming a necessity not an option.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Wyeth&#x27;s attempt at Web 2.0 results in Web 1.5</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Current DTC</category><dc:date>2007-07-04T13:29:17-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/7c03c3928a75c9c2c56f75b8c144ea90-107.html#unique-entry-id-107</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/7c03c3928a75c9c2c56f75b8c144ea90-107.html#unique-entry-id-107</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[According to a recent report from Pew Internet, 80% of health seekers say it is important to them that they can get information anonymously.  For the most part, users have not shared personal information at health Web sites: only 21% have provided their e-mail address; only 17% have provided their name or other identifying information; and only 9% have participated in an online support group about a health condition....  An overwhelming majority of Internet users who seek health information online are worried that others will find out about their activities: 89% of &ldquo;health seekers&rdquo; are worried that Internet companies might sell or give away information, and 85% fear that insurance companies might change their coverage after finding out what online information they accessed.

...Effexor has taken a great first step with a "Dialogues" website but it requires people to register to use the tools and that is a barrier that a lot of people may not be willing to cross.

...Why not put it out there so anyone can access the information, especially caregivers who feel that one of their family members may be suffering from depression....  People trust other people rather than employees of big pharma and if we truly care about patients then we should not require them to give us anything in return except a chance to show them that we care.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>What do trade magazines fear?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Current DTC</category><dc:date>2007-07-04T08:48:23-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/a5a7056b2603139df6e769c974d07ab7-106.html#unique-entry-id-106</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/a5a7056b2603139df6e769c974d07ab7-106.html#unique-entry-id-106</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The truth is that we are paid to take risks and push the envelope but we also have to remember that what we do is aimed at improving the lives of our customers.  I would not, for a moment, sell something that I didn't believe in. If the recent story about Merck and Vioxx turns out to be true than people need to be held accountable to the highest standards....  They need to continually communicate to pharma marketers that the days of "push marketing" are over, and they need to get all DTC marketers thinking about the Catch-22 situation of profits vs. patient health.

...If a pharmaceutical company spends millions of dollars to sponsor a Golf Tournament who will speak up and ask why and question whether this decision is really about patients or the CEO playing gold with Tiger Woods?

DTC Marketers know that internal company politics can be a tricky maze to navigate but as a DTC marketer we have to be able to hold ourselves accountable for not speaking up when we should be heard....  If DTC marketers are just collecting paychecks or afraid to speak up for fear it may lead to career stagnation then they have sold out patients but more importantly..themselves.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Attack from industry trade publication</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Current DTC</category><dc:date>2007-07-03T06:52:41-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/1efc3e2d706dc1d660f35ed8f0aed6fa-105.html#unique-entry-id-105</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/1efc3e2d706dc1d660f35ed8f0aed6fa-105.html#unique-entry-id-105</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Your website shows how amateurish you are- it is filled with spelling errors and it is apparent no one reads it- you and Mack are some team- I am sure you haver many clients with your hatchet apraoch- I will take success over bitterness and failure.

...Oh one more thing- your pompous title world of dtc marketing is such a joke- what do you cover anyway in this world?- I am sure your two or three readers really learn from your attack blogs, I'll take the 7000 enquirer readers anytime and the 3000 that read my weekly email.

...If Mr Ehrlich had taken the time to read past stories he would have seen that in fact I have made numerous suggestions to improve DTC marketing....  As for a BIO..again people who have read my BLOG know about me but then again Mr Ehrlich has not taken the time to do so.  As for spelling..well I use a spelling checker but sometimes I may miss words, sorry for not being perfect and by the way when you send an eMail you might want to use a spelling checker Mr Ehrlich.

...The industry is in dire needs of support and watchdogs and not a publication that prints a one sided view of an industry that is scarred by huge miss steps !]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Blogging Docs catching on?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Internet &#x26; DTC Marketing</category><dc:date>2007-06-27T05:57:40-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/777e390b1544e61f5d0fdd4774e7a7d3-104.html#unique-entry-id-104</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/777e390b1544e61f5d0fdd4774e7a7d3-104.html#unique-entry-id-104</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Nicholas Genes, a New York City emergency room physician, wrote recently (blogborygmi.blogspot.com) about a stroke patient with a "lopsided smile," treated in the ER with the clot-busting drug tPA: "I wheeled her out of the department, into the elevator, and we glided up to the unit.

...Blogs are a chance to express ones self but they are also a opportunity to reach out to other physicians and patients to gain understanding of the challenges that today's HCP's go through.  The business model for physicians is very complicated and they often must spend hours upon hours on paperwork just to get paid and make ends meet.  If anyone wonders why physicians don't have time to meet with sales reps anymore they should spend a couple of days with doctors observing all the paperwork they have to submit.

...The idea of cutting down the sales force within a company so that multiple sales reps from the same company don't call on physicians is a great step but it assumes that the remaining sales people will be able to meet with the physician and detail the key brand messages.  Most physicians are harder to meet than the President of the United States right now but Blogging may be a way for them to share experiences and learn from each other and that's what the Web is all about.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Building a blockbuster without DTC</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>DTC Environment</category><dc:date>2007-06-26T06:34:52-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/759f1e2e4e7d234684087086bdf2c141-103.html#unique-entry-id-103</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/759f1e2e4e7d234684087086bdf2c141-103.html#unique-entry-id-103</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A visit to message boards on Web MD indicated that indeed patients are talking about this medication; "I lost 6 pounds in one month" one patient said another said "I lost 16 pounds in 5 months"....  Again patients are talking to each other about this potential side effect, "I got nauseous for a couple of days but then it went it away, it really wasn't that bad", still another said "I didn't have any nausea at all".

Judging from the buzz in Consumer Generated Media I believe that Lilly has a potential blockbuster on their hands, all without a substantial DTC budget.

...In addition despite the cautions and drawbacks, some doctors appear to be prescribing Byetta primarily as a weight-loss aid in people who do not have elevated blood sugar.  A visit to Google with the keyword Byetta Blog and one finds that there are a lot of diabetics who are talking about Byetta and sharing information.  This is the power of Consumer Generated Media and should be lesson to pharma that alternative channels can yield great results when the Internet is used to get people talking to one another.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Actually it&#x27;s quite simple&#x2c; it&#x27;s about patients</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>DTC Environment</category><dc:date>2007-06-25T05:50:56-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/b93ba40fa7bd2bcfb3fa62fb6387b20b-102.html#unique-entry-id-102</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/b93ba40fa7bd2bcfb3fa62fb6387b20b-102.html#unique-entry-id-102</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[He said "why would you want to put a new pharmaceutical product in your body when you they don't even know the long term effects....  Pharma, in a rush to get drugs to market and start making back some of their investment dollars, could in fact be rushing some drugs to market.

...Yes pharmaceutical companies are mostly public companies and have a duty to shareholders to make a profit but wouldn't focusing on patients and their health lead to more profits?  Of course Pfizer, Merck and Lilly all have catchy phrases that falsely communicate that patients come first but when product decisions are made it usually comes down to a black and white balance sheet and "selling" people rather than educating and informing.

...But more importantly it's about believing that what we do enhances patients lives and that we need to be more transparent about marketing to patients and the risks of prescription drugs.  If all marketing people would just realize that then pharma could begin winning the hearts and minds of a very skeptical public and media.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>DTC National Awards = worthless</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Unless your the lead dog the view never changes</category><dc:date>2007-06-20T05:58:49-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/d5eb20b02f4741349e658ca1632cb5b2-101.html#unique-entry-id-101</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/d5eb20b02f4741349e658ca1632cb5b2-101.html#unique-entry-id-101</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Then I learned that our ad agency had a "relationship" with the magazine and that our DTC Manager was on a self-promotional splurge to get recognition to stroke her ego....  When brands like Allergen and companies like Amgen get DTC awards then I know these awards are about as worthless as a wooden nickel.  At a time when there is so much bad DTC and when consumers have increased power few DTC marketers are willing to brave new channels or try new tactics to reach consumers.  This also while spending on TV and print remains high and spending on the web continues to decline or stagnate for pharma.

...They may fail but they should get the recognition because at least they had the courage to try new things, utilize new technology and understand what consumer enabled power is all about.  You see it's not about awards or recognition but rather about knowing that you did something to both drive the brand message but more importantly let consumers know that they can live a more healthy life because of your product.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>How to waste &#x24;100 million</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Current DTC</category><dc:date>2007-06-15T10:27:47-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/6b499303783cfe02673b2472b04407cf-100.html#unique-entry-id-100</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/6b499303783cfe02673b2472b04407cf-100.html#unique-entry-id-100</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When we launched Cialis, with over $100 million in DTC, we had a clear point of difference than competitors.  When I left Lilly Cialis was generating $500 million in worldwide sales and had established itself in second place in the competitive ED market even thought we were last to market.  Rozerem has chosen a different path that can only leave one to wonder what the hell is going on with their marketing people.  Recent research has indicated that in fact the Rozerem spots remain high in recall but here is something that they may not know : that recall does not always translate to sales !

...People I talk to know it works, and they want to be knocked out and they want a good night's sleep."

...If I were Andy I would be getting my resume together and by the way maybe Marketing isn't where your talent lies.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Price Waterhouse Coopers: Non-compliance costing pharma billions?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-06-14T06:32:42-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/73c74c72679a4f8a495b1efedc2e919d-99.html#unique-entry-id-99</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/73c74c72679a4f8a495b1efedc2e919d-99.html#unique-entry-id-99</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Even patients who do not commit such flagrant abuses often compromise the effectiveness of the therapies they take by consuming them at irregular intervals or failing to complete the course, while some people with chronic diseases stop taking their medications altogether.

...Yes there are some products that encourage you to stay on therapy but for the most part pharma has given up on compliance because of the lack of success.

...Compliance is an important issue but if physicians cannot get people to lose weight to get healthier or stop smoking to live longer there isn't any mass market program that can be implemented in the mass market to increase compliance....  Physicians should call patients to get them back into the office to ask them about taking their medications and should have, as part of a computerized program, a list of patients who are due to get renewals on their Rx's....  You see time is the new currency and people don't have time to make appointments with their doctors go to the physicians office, wait in the waiting room, then get to see their doctor and ask for another Rx.

...I will be reviewing the rest of the PWC Report later for some good chuckles but to the authors it maybe time for them to come back to the reality of a marketplace in which consumers have all the power, in which the marketing environment is hostile towards pharma and the politicalization of the FDA.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opening statements</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-06-13T14:05:13-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/b7fb2abe98669426455fd32f0711f12b-98.html#unique-entry-id-98</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/b7fb2abe98669426455fd32f0711f12b-98.html#unique-entry-id-98</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[GSK has marketed a medication called Avandia and it has helped a lot of these patients treat their diabetes and many of them have done very well on this medication.  But what you the jury have to decide is whether GSK manipulated or hid data that would have prevented the FDA from approving this drug?  If they did minimize the risks of a heart attack in anyway then they should feel the full repercussion of the FDA, the justice department and patients who have been harmed.  But as you have to look at the facts if they tell a different story, if in fact independent researchers find that the data submitted and subsequent analysis does not warrant a cause for alarm than GSK has the right to sue those who pointed the finger.  For even if the data concludes that there is no greater risk for heart attack with Avandia than placebo or that risk is minimal and was communicated to HCP's and patients it makes no difference; the damage is done and Avandia will never regain it's former market share.

...These are the questions that have to be answered not for the benefit of GSK but for the benefit of patients who are on the medication and want to know the risks associated with it.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The vultures pounce</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>In The News</category><dc:date>2007-06-13T06:08:15-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/25fc6e4ff6c0958818c793c176bc9222-97.html#unique-entry-id-97</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/25fc6e4ff6c0958818c793c176bc9222-97.html#unique-entry-id-97</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Make no mistake about it, if GSK did in fact manipulate or hide data to get FDA approval then by all means they should be subject to shareholder repercussions but how about waiting to see if there is in fact misreporting here rather than just assuming that GSK erred.

...I immediately broke out in a severe rash and now all my skin is peeling off.They had to put me on large doses of Prednisone which raised my blood sugars terribly, and gave me shingles.I now have to take a drug with a "black box" warning on it and get blood work every 2 weeks to prevent my stents from clotting off and killing me.

...This week, in a widely publicized study, which is actually an analysis of a group of studies called a meta-analysis, it was concluded that use of the diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) causes a significant increase in the risk of having a heart attack.

...These studies were not specifically designed to look at heart disease risk, so this begs the question: if the studies didn't control for other causes of heart attack and stroke risk, how did the author of the meta-analysis determine that there were no other causes of these increased risks in the study?

...the relative risk is the number that expresses how I think about the chance that something will actually happen to one of the many individual patients for whom I have prescribed Avandia (which is almost all of the individuals living with diabetes that I have written prescriptions for over the last three years).

...By comparison, the risk of heaving a heart attack while taking a diabetes drug other than rosiglitazone is 72/11,634 or 0.0061% and of death from all CVD causes is 22/11,634 or 0.0018%]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Credibility?  We don&#x27;t need no credibility &#x21;</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-06-12T06:05:08-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/2b43da1c545e67612f70eba12048a705-96.html#unique-entry-id-96</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/2b43da1c545e67612f70eba12048a705-96.html#unique-entry-id-96</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This is going to have a broad range effect on DTC advertising.  DTC may be effective in communicating brand awareness but pharma marketers had better start believing that consumers are going to do a LOT of research before deciding on treatment options.  Even the credibility with HCP's is starting to get tarnished as news stories about physicians taking money from drug companies to promote or talk about their products become more frequent.

Still that are a lot of DTC marketers who will shrug their shoulders and continue with DTC programs as if nothing has changed.  They won't acknowledge consumers increased power and knowledge due to the Internet...they won't bother to listen to what consumers are saying about their product on BLOGS, CHAT ROOMS, or VLOGS.  To them it's all about pushing a message to a mass audience and not worrying about the ROI of campaigns.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Well it&#x27;s started</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-06-11T06:00:19-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/12b33597347b8f8639ebec84fb4cb136-95.html#unique-entry-id-95</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/12b33597347b8f8639ebec84fb4cb136-95.html#unique-entry-id-95</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Let's say that a cancer drug in development by a pharma company could generate sales of $200-$300 million but it would require more upfront development costs in the form of additional clinical trials and data analysis.

...Yes we all want to think that we are doing good and providing people with products than prolong life and add to a better quality of life but the truth is that "only when we can make a profit"....  Now this author is not naive enough to think that pharma companies can seek approval of drugs that provide a poor ROI but what Congressional leaders and the FDA don't understand is that for every action they take there is a potential reaction in new drug development.  When drugs are in development and being reviewed by senior management the decisions to move forward have to be based on the likelihood of timely approval by the FDA vs. the potential costs of continued development against an ROI.  It is therefore essential in this writers opinion that the FDA explore options to work with drug companies at early stage drug development so as to ensure that the requirements for approval are met when an NDA is submitted.

...They need to remember that they are here to protect patients and approve drugs that prolong and improve the quality of life but most of all they, of everyone involved, need to understand that there are risks in all prescription drugs.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Politicizing science</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>In The News</category><dc:date>2007-06-07T06:55:06-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/e0f545d0481e5d7abe15e4922474d3fc-94.html#unique-entry-id-94</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/e0f545d0481e5d7abe15e4922474d3fc-94.html#unique-entry-id-94</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Data can always be manipulated and interrupted in different ways that support different conclusions, I learned that when a Manager at Lilly manipulated data to show that TV was driving sales to get bigger DTC budgets....  It seems that with Avandia, in 1999, Dr Buse a medical researcher raised some red flags about Avandia and was threatened with a potential lawsuit from GSK and a company executive calling him a "liar" and "scoundrel"....  "Dr Buse made a mistake in presenting data in a presentation he gave in 1999" This from an industry trying to install a sense of confidence with consumers and patients.

The biggest show during the hearings yesterday was when Representative Lynch of Massachusetts asked three agency people to look at Avandia's drug labels and find its warning about heart attacks and then kept repeating "have you found it yet?"...  So it was a show to behold...those who want to put the FDA's feet to the fire had their chance in the national spotlight and those that called for a more balanced scientific approach were almost mute.

Instead of this show it would have been responsible to call for a review of the data from a team of independent physicians who understand medicine and diabetes.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The beat goes on</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-06-06T06:47:37-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/897de7ec4e245665c3b1f2e6fd124dba-93.html#unique-entry-id-93</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/897de7ec4e245665c3b1f2e6fd124dba-93.html#unique-entry-id-93</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[To GSK's credit they did run full page advertisements in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal this week with a letter to current patients but that does little to ease patients concerns that they might be at higher risk for potential lethal side effects.  In addition they have posted, on Avanadia.com, a series of video on the products safety and recent issues....  With everything the pharma industry has gone through in the last few months what makes GSK think that consumers are going to trust a VP from their company?

...There is a lot more that GSK could have done to quiet the storm but they are taking a mass market approach rather then engaging consumers, and current customers.  My guess is that sales will continue to decline and that Byetta and Actos will increase as they take share away from GSK.  The beat goes on but in this case it seems that GSK has missed the drum in a lot of areas.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The damage is done</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Unless your the lead dog the view never changes</category><dc:date>2007-05-31T06:38:58-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/fea5bddb4ed6062fbc4762cbe1f03859-92.html#unique-entry-id-92</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/fea5bddb4ed6062fbc4762cbe1f03859-92.html#unique-entry-id-92</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Rather than publish impartial, peer reviewed articles their attempt at sensationalism may have cost patients a drug that may have helped them control their diabetes and GSK a product that took hundreds of millions of dollars to develop and market.

...Even decisions they make on how prominently to place a study, let alone how they editorialize about it, are seen as strong signals to clinicians on how doctors should weigh the evidence....  Degrading an institution that doctors depend on for balanced analysis and fair-minded editorial judgments isn't good for anyone.

...But rather than engage one another in conversation for the good of patients and the health community the NEJM has chosen to fire the first shot.  Rather than ask "is this data supported" the NEJM has chosen to play politics and chose sides in the war against pharma.  Yes pharma has done some things to turn up the heat on themselves but rather than continue to focus on the negatives of the industry isn't time that someone pointed out all the people that are alive today because of prescription drugs?]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>NEJM playing politics?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-05-29T16:56:59-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/50d59e2031d4dba1cf53e9e281e6088e-91.html#unique-entry-id-91</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/50d59e2031d4dba1cf53e9e281e6088e-91.html#unique-entry-id-91</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[While there are "questions" whether Avandia is associated with certain heart risks -- so far unsupported by more rigorous, randomized studies and extensive review by the FDA and other authorities around the world -- the NEJM study doesn't add much new insight into those issues because of its own limitations.

...NEJM said it rushed to post the study on the Web because of its medical importance, but the FDA, which would need to act on any safety issues, wasn't even given a heads up about the study's publication or its findings.

...Among other things, the authors of the NEJM study based their conclusions that Avandia caused a higher heart risk on just a handful of cardiac events, none of which they could go back and verify, because, unlike the FDA, the authors didn't have access to confidential patient records.

...These shortcomings didn't stop NEJM from spinning the preliminary data into the conclusion that Avandia was a troubled drug mishandled by the FDA and comparing it to Vioxx, the pain drug withdrawn by Merck two years ago because it increased risk for heart attacks.

...There have now been too many instances where one of the major medical journals has used editorial decisions about publication and placement of bottom-line medical information as a tool to primarily influence political discourse, rather than informing medical practice.

...There is a problem when some journals let antipathy for business interests and left-leaning views interfere with the medical decisions that they make, bending standards or stepping outside their mandate, using their prestige and influence in ways that distort medical facts in the aim of influencing political outcomes.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Time for major changes in the pharma organization</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-05-28T10:03:47-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/cf97f03625bc6f863424c5ef8ccba745-90.html#unique-entry-id-90</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/cf97f03625bc6f863424c5ef8ccba745-90.html#unique-entry-id-90</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There are too many drugs within the same class competing against each other and the loss of some of the biggest products to generics may be all that is needed for insurers to switch people to lower cost alternatives.

...Reduce the Sales Force: Depending on the product it's time to seriously think about what the sales force of the future will look like and start implementing NOW rather than later.

...Get rid of people who make bad decisions and promote those who have patients best interests at heart and are willing to take risks.

...This is extremely important as you don't want to file an NDA only to find out that you have to do more clinical studies.

...Wall Street has a very shortsighted view of companies strategic plans which puts more and more pressure on CEO's to improve bottom line results.

...No wonder it takes pharma months to respond to changes in the market, people are too busy in meetings getting buy in from people who are not stakeholder.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Is marketing to blame?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-05-25T09:45:24-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/eb526c74a6202f3010eff28dee3104e8-89.html#unique-entry-id-89</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/eb526c74a6202f3010eff28dee3104e8-89.html#unique-entry-id-89</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There are a number of reasons of why these products failed but one consistent theme emerges; the failure to understand how to deliver a relevant message to consumers; and that is poor marketing....  But somewhere along the way something else has happened...marketing has become too involved in early drug development which may lead to clinical study data to be manipulated or withheld to get increased label indications and thus a bigger slice of a potential market.

Now I am enough of a realist to understand that all pharmaceutical companies have to recoup their investments in drug development but this path has become more cloudy.

...Who is responsible for raising a red flag during ongoing clinical studies to inform people that there maybe an issue with an approved drug?

...Lilly should have warned physicians who prescribe Zyprexa that some patients had reported a weight gain which has led to diabetes rather than say "there is no clinical correlation".

...Marketing can certainly take some heat but in the end pharma has to stop being a sales driven company and get back to a philosophy of making great products and delivering truthful accurate messages.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Another hangover for pharma...</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-05-24T06:09:11-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/640a6ff578b2be59f4ae3a0150c38acb-88.html#unique-entry-id-88</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/640a6ff578b2be59f4ae3a0150c38acb-88.html#unique-entry-id-88</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[All this happening at a time when the biggest demographic segment in the US is reaching ages when they are going to need more and more prescription drugs to maintain their lifestyles.  Now most DTC marketers will ignore these trends and act like they still need to push the brand message to consumers but I believe this is a big mistake.

...In fact research shows that consumers will go to product websites when receiving an Rx to determine if the medication is right for them and examine potential side effects.

...Yes I know that is what fair balance is supposed to do, but it has to be more in a consumer friendly format that is easier to understand like Pfizer has done in their print ads....  If for example a new medication causes weight gain in some patients I would want to know that so that I can gauge the risk(s) and benefits of taking the medication.

...Listen to what your customers are saying about your drug and find ways to embrace Web 2.0 (if you don't know what this is your already in deep trouble).]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Do drug labels now need to be localized?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-05-22T06:44:19-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/678a8ef87d7f99d5db0244a0be8e13ca-87.html#unique-entry-id-87</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/678a8ef87d7f99d5db0244a0be8e13ca-87.html#unique-entry-id-87</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When negotiating with the FDA drug companies try and incorporate language which can be used to market the product to HCP's and consumers as the label is the "bible" for what can be communicated to patients and HCP's.

...In 2000, Diana Levine lost a hand and forearm to gangrene after Phenergan was inadvertently injected into an artery during a so-called push IV injection, which is more potent and puts injected drugs into the body faster than a normal injection.

...Now this author doesn't feel that pharma companies should be immune from labeling language missteps that could lead to patients being endangered but at sometime you have to draw a line in the sand and say "enough is enough".  The attorney who is suing Lilly for Zyprexa, (he refused to settle with Lilly) leaked information to the press that even a judge said was reprehensible and the commercials recruiting people for class action litigation can be seen throughout the cable channels.  There is no excuse for hiding information or misleading HCP's on a drugs side effects but if this lawsuit is heard by the court and upheld it could open the door to massive delays in new drug introductions.

...I am truly sorry that this patient lost a limb because of the use of the drug but all drugs have risks that is why they have to be approved by the FDA.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Current patients can hold the key to valuable information</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-05-21T06:38:06-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/edb88bb6024de2d79fde00e9655476c8-86.html#unique-entry-id-86</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/edb88bb6024de2d79fde00e9655476c8-86.html#unique-entry-id-86</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There is a feeling in pharma that once you have a current patient on your product that he/she is not a valuable asset anymore....  These are all questions that may be answered by current patients but alas pharma marketers seem to turn a deaf ear to this audience.

...What they should be doing is talking to men who are currently on treatment and ask them "What made you finally ask your doctor about ED?"

...For medications like Lipitor, where patients can't "feel" the benefit of taking the medication everyday, patients need to be reminded that they are fighting bad cholesterol while promoting healthy cholesterol.  Yes the Lipitor website has a section for current patients but does Pfizer really believe that people are going to go back to the website, log-on and enter their new numbers?...  A CRM program has to be based on a relationship of VALUE to the PATIENT: before someone is going to have a relationship with your brand you have to clearly identify the value equation of your customer.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The breeze is blowing by...</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Media (Internet)</category><dc:date>2007-05-18T06:48:35-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/d1983a11f36d8734a6fb82ac222e9c0a-85.html#unique-entry-id-85</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/d1983a11f36d8734a6fb82ac222e9c0a-85.html#unique-entry-id-85</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Big brand advertisers like Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson are increasingly shifting their advertising budgets away from traditional media like television and newspapers to digital advertising on the Internet.  As that money moves online, the WPP Group and other traditional advertising companies are at risk of losing their grip over the creation and sales of ads.

&ldquo;This really heightens the tension between ad agencies and technology companies as they both try to go after the ad dollars that are migrating online,&rdquo; said Youssef Squali, the Internet analyst at Jefferies & Company.

...At a time when they are trying to build consumer marketing competencies eMarketing is really starting to grow in both people and investments....  Yet I am sure that marketers will continue to pour millions of dollars into TV because they don't understand the Web and the power that consumers now have.

...Too bad....maybe somewhere pharma will wake up and realize that IT people do not make good eMarketing people and that TV is a waste of ad dollars.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Prevention Magazine shines dim light on consumer behavior</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Media (Internet)</category><dc:date>2007-05-17T08:35:11-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/6bfe5c25d5472a790fef66d2c3797173-84.html#unique-entry-id-84</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/6bfe5c25d5472a790fef66d2c3797173-84.html#unique-entry-id-84</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[1 change in consumers in the last 10 years is their ability to access information on the web," said Carey Silvers, director-consumer and advertising trends at Rodale....  Click stream analysis, which is offered via a number of services like Hitwise, continually shows that consumers use the Web for research and will often go to competitors sites when researching medications.

...I have found that a lot of people go to product.com websites AFTER they get an Rx to learn about potential side effects and how the medications work.

...Some 56% of consumers are on prescription medicine, up from 47% in the study 10 years ago. Let's see baby-boomers aging = more Rx's

These insights are blindingly obvious to anyone and is no big deal but lets be honest here, the purpose of this study is to swing more dollars towards Rodale publications at a time when marketers are demanding better metrics from print and TV advertising.  When we used to get the Rodale study we would toss it aside as the findings were DTC marketing 101..great for a summer intern but that's about it.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Strategic partner vs. vendors....</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>The agency side</category><dc:date>2007-05-15T06:47:24-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/2a8c4128c5d318e10a5c13918b3d2210-83.html#unique-entry-id-83</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/2a8c4128c5d318e10a5c13918b3d2210-83.html#unique-entry-id-83</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Take Cialis for example; on the Cialis.com website you'll see the new headline "With Cialis you can have the option to be ready fast...or have up to 36 hours to take your time"....  They can now flood the market with a wealth of material that states that people don't want 36 hours they want to be ready quickly and our product works faster.  Then there are consumers who may think..."well if I take it and we have sex why would I want it in my system for 36 hours?".  I am sure that the people on the brand team have a ton of research that shows that men want to be ready quickly but this is what happens when you do too much research and don't have a pulse on the market.

...An agency that is a strategic partner would be looking at ways to truly communicate the benefit of 36 hours in ways that are relevant to the patients not to marketers testing messages.

...There are some very good creative agencies out there doing some really great work but unless the needle moves the great work will only be acknowledged as marketers pat themselves on the back at award dinners.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Some predicitions about the pharmaceutical industry</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-05-14T14:32:15-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/03501bb73468bc2e9cec568d769516b3-82.html#unique-entry-id-82</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/03501bb73468bc2e9cec568d769516b3-82.html#unique-entry-id-82</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Pharma sales forces will continue to be condensed - Physicians don't have enough time to meet with the reps so they eventually pharma will realize that they cannot afford such high priced sample deliverers.

...The Internet will be embraced more for both DTC and DTP initiatives- Sooner or later marketers will wake up and realize the the Web can drive business successfully if used correctly.

...The FDA will limit DTC but product website will not be considered DTC unless they become overly promotional- Pharma will have to add more credible information and less promotional information to get past FDA reviewers.

...Some colleges will offer a medical degree for those people who don't want to practice medicine but who will need an understanding of medical principles in their careers.  This will be driven by the need of pharmaceutical companies who will need marketers with more knowledge of medicine to market new drugs.

...More venture capital money will flow into small biotech companies that are developing new drugs with hopes that if successful they will be purchased by big pharma.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Tough times agead for Amgen</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-05-14T10:07:01-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/c400ee5cca37ad6bfd46bc9ddadaf93d-81.html#unique-entry-id-81</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/c400ee5cca37ad6bfd46bc9ddadaf93d-81.html#unique-entry-id-81</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is of course legal to do so but this is a case when following the law may lead to the bad practice of payments driving off label or high use by the medical community....  Of course the reason that these payments are so important is that our current health system does not allow adequate, in some cases, cost reimbursement for using these drugs but as long as there is money to be made by prescribing them you can bet medical practices will count on these dollars towards their bottom line.

There a lot of issues with the cost of pharmaceutical products and what I have presented here is a simplification of one of the issues but what I am so puzzled about is how these high paid CEO's continue to earn the big bucks without the ensuring that their companies are financially sound even if they lose their biggest seller....  When I was at Lilly and we lost the Prozac patent we immediately implemented a plan called Year-X in which ALL expenses were curtailed, raises were kept to a minimum and bonuses were put on hold.

...Many commanders felt that essentially the war was over and that the troops would be home for Christmas, after all the German army was finished and they had never mounted a winter campaign since the days of Fredrick the Great but Patton felt that the data he looked at supported an attack by the enemy and prepared scenarios for a response.  CEO's in a sense are commanders and even in good times, especially in good times, they need to anticipate worst case scenarios and be prepared to react with speed to ensure that their company can weather the storm.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Internet bringing wired physicians together at last</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Media (Internet)</category><dc:date>2007-05-12T10:38:29-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/a738b5a9d5edc8dff5df31597293aa6c-80.html#unique-entry-id-80</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/a738b5a9d5edc8dff5df31597293aa6c-80.html#unique-entry-id-80</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Sermo.com is the fastest growing online community created by physicians, for physicians, today announced that it has exceeded the 10,000 registered physicians mark -- just six months after launching.  Growing at a rate of more than 600 physicians per week, Sermo has become the "go to" destination for physicians nationwide to share observations from their practices and exchange medical insights as they are happening.  U.S. doctors logged more than 6,000 hours and viewed nearly 1 million pages on Sermo in March alone, as they shared the latest observations from the front lines of medicine about the effectiveness of drugs, devices and treatments.

...As you can see there are some pretty good subjects being addressed here by physicians who are hungry to collaborate with other HCP's.  The post on compassion fatigue is especially interesting given that physicians have to see a lot of patients during the day and may not have the time they would like to site and counsel patients on treatment conditions and issues.

...It's long over due and pharma should take notice of this great site because this is just a small example of how the pharmaceutical industry can bring people together to talk about issues that issue THEM.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>&#x24;600 Million fine is not enough</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-05-11T05:55:52-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/cce72838f352637fed6bfe56352e33f0-79.html#unique-entry-id-79</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/cce72838f352637fed6bfe56352e33f0-79.html#unique-entry-id-79</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This plea agreement is a sham and for Purdue pharma will be just another expense on the balance sheet.  Oxicontin has made billions of dollars in profits over the years and the government should have gone after Purdue where it really hurts..their pocketbooks....  Yes they were each fined but I am sure the company will help them out with that or that they will cash in some of their options to cover the fines.

I would not have accepted the plea agreement I would have proceeded to trial and alerted opposing counsel that their clients had better get used to group showers and wearing orange jump suits.  I would have appointed somebody from the FDA to personally oversea ALL of Purdue's marketing material for the next 5 years and then I would have confiscated the profits from the product for the periods in question.  This is the only way to deal with people who put profits ahead of patient health especially when they commit a criminal act and lie about it.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Implications of headlines for DTC marketing</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>DTC Environment</category><dc:date>2007-05-11T05:34:32-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/6a026079106601a3fbf977ce467b5dd1-78.html#unique-entry-id-78</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/6a026079106601a3fbf977ce467b5dd1-78.html#unique-entry-id-78</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The headline in NBC News last night could not have been more dramatic: The maker of Oxicontin lied and has to pay a $600 million fine.

...With the current political climate, gas reaching $4.00 a gallon and a impending change at the Presidency consumers are going to be even more skeptical of anything that corporate America has to say.

...Some patients may take a wait and see attitude on new products to ensure that they are indeed safe and effective.  However patients may ask the FDA for speedy approval of new products that may extend life for potential fatal conditions such as cancer.

...-Be transparent: If their are issues surrounding your product admit it upfront and inform the public what YOU are doing to address these issues.

The power continues to shift from markers to consumers and as along as the pharma industry continues to screw up and is driven by corporate greed consumer will become more and more skeptical of marketers product claims.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Whistle blower suit against J&#x26;J (Caught with their hands in the cookie jar?)</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-05-10T06:11:17-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/430f3542340382c977babbf003384eed-77.html#unique-entry-id-77</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/430f3542340382c977babbf003384eed-77.html#unique-entry-id-77</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Documents in a lawsuit filed against Johnson & Johnson by two former salesmen show how the pharmaceutical giant sought to boost sales of its blockbuster anti-anemia drug Procrit by offering contracts that fattened doctors' profits and urging its salespeople to push higher-than-approved doses.

...Dean McClellan, who worked for 12 years at J&J's Ortho Biotech unit selling Procrit, saved 15,000 pages of company memos, contracts and other work-related documents in a storage unit and shed he built off his garage....  Through his attorney, Jan Schlichtmann, Mr. Duxbury says he was a star salesman for Ortho whom the company turned on after he told the truth about their business practices at a court-ordered deposition.

...Mr. McClellan's documents on the marketing of Procrit show that in 2004 -- after Amgen Inc.'s competing drug Aranesp came on the market -- J&J made offers that would allow buyers of Procrit to receive discounts off an already-reduced price as well as rebates.

...Another J&J program offered hospitals an incentive to buy Procrit and shun Aranesp: discounts on purchases from across Johnson & Johnson's product line -- including some huge-selling drugs and medical devices sold by different subsidiaries -- if the hospital used Procrit at least 75% of the time when prescribing anti-anemia drugs.

...But in the mid-1990s at a national sales force meeting, an Ortho executive announced that the division was moving to promote what it called "QW dosing," switching patients from three, 10,000-unit doses a week to a single, 40,000-unit dose in cancer patients, Mr. McClellan says.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Off label use of anemia drugs..was it supported?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>HCP Marketing</category><dc:date>2007-05-09T06:19:26-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/f76413114dc81c20f8a9f60135e06106-76.html#unique-entry-id-76</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/f76413114dc81c20f8a9f60135e06106-76.html#unique-entry-id-76</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The anemia drugs when used according to the label maybe safe and effective but the problem seems to be that physicians in this country are using it off label and as such have been getting millions of dollars in payments from the pharmaceutical industry.

...The FDA needs to determine if Amgen and J&J knew about the off label dosing and if they did what did they do to inform physicians that the drug had not been tested at these higher doses.  My guess is that they knew of the higher dosing but chose to turn away because after all it provides millions of dollars in sales to the bottom line.

...And of course the drug companies involved did not conduct clinical trials at the higher doses..why should they there was no financial incentive and could only harm a potential blockbuster?

...This is what is wrong with the pharmaceutical industry and frankly it is this authors opinion that the FDA should come down really hard on Amgen and J&J if there is ANY information that showed these companies promoted off label use.  The FDA is supposed to protect us from dangerous drugs and it seems that in this case they failed to intervene when the drug companies conducted business as usual.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Huge DTC budgets are not needed if you can innovate</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Current DTC</category><dc:date>2007-05-06T07:23:56-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/19b0705b03ca6822c7d25ca15db7255c-75.html#unique-entry-id-75</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/19b0705b03ca6822c7d25ca15db7255c-75.html#unique-entry-id-75</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There's just one catch...all these meals are heart healthy and have low cholesterol and the event is sponsored by Lipitor.  Then there could be a weekend park or beach cleanup sponsored by Boniva because a little exercise can help maintain strong and healthy bones.

...We all have to learn to be able to do more with less but in the pharmaceutical industry DTC marketers don't yet understand that.  If the budget is too small to allow a successful campaign that will meet reach and frequency numbers they still will spend the money just to be able to say " we did it" or add the campaign to their resumes....  Pharmaceutical companies are also great at promoting people, with no marketing background, into senior executive positions where they can be "dazzled" my marketers manipulation of data to show that current DTC campaigns are successful.

...Until the budgets get tighter and tighter marketers may continue to have that google eyed look of a kid in a candy-store with a $20 bill.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Why the pharmaceutical industry continues to step on mines</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-05-05T08:29:30-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/f18113db5033a1f23ccbe6583d710d3c-74.html#unique-entry-id-74</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/f18113db5033a1f23ccbe6583d710d3c-74.html#unique-entry-id-74</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Drug development is a business decision, that means that the key driving decision as to whether the drug will continue in development is the potential for sales dollars not "how many patients will it help".  I know of at least two drugs in development at major pharmaceutical companies and what is being discussed internally is the potential for "off label sales".  The sales people know that regardless of what the label says that a number of physicians will use these drugs off label and could add hundred of millions of sales dollars to the bottom line.

On the other side of the coin I also know of a drug that could be used to prolong the lives of patients with a certain type of cancer but that these drugs are getting reduced funding because the sales potential is very low.

...Wall Street analysts can swing hundreds of millions of investor dollars to or from your company depending on what they want to hear and the regulatory environment is getting a hell of a lot tougher....  Bill Gates is semi-retired and Microsoft has become a huge, slow bloated company, Steve Jobs is still a driving force with Apple but then again his compensation is valued well over $600 million and the auto industry compensates a new CEO from Boeing $24 million to report record losses and lay off thousands of people.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>DTC Ads driving customers online?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Current DTC</category><dc:date>2007-05-04T06:41:42-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/01ec49df6bc60b24522558dbecd4499b-73.html#unique-entry-id-73</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/01ec49df6bc60b24522558dbecd4499b-73.html#unique-entry-id-73</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When I was at Lilly we used Manhattan Research and they can be a great resource for information but DTC marketers have to be careful not to use this information as the base for all decisions....  All too often we look at data and fail to understand what it tells us. Let's take ED for example; it's no wonder that it is on the top researched list but it maybe there because aging baby-boomers are not able to "respond" like they used to when they were younger.  As men age they require more sexual stimulation to engage in intimate activities and many men may feel that because of this they have ED when in reality they do not.

Restless Leg Syndrome is another condition that many people may have had but weren't aware that it was a "medical condition" until we were exposed to the DTC ads....  Upon going to his doctor to talk about the symptoms his doctor did a blood test which revealed he had Type II diabetes and the pain he was feeling in his legs was because he had started to experience some nerve damage.

...If the drug industry is to gain the respect of legislators and the public they have to do a hell of a lot more unbranded advertising on serious and potential life threatening medical conditions.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Unless you have been there don&#x27;t point fingers</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-05-01T09:40:40-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/661e9c38637c0638344807621295d166-72.html#unique-entry-id-72</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/661e9c38637c0638344807621295d166-72.html#unique-entry-id-72</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I don't believe that at any time in its history the pharmaceutical industry has been facing more challenges than the current environment....  Working in the pharma industry is unique and unless you have spent time on the inside I don't believe that you can understand the environment in which we work.  In my 10 years in the pharma and health industry I have seen some amazing things including manipulation of data to support more money for DTC channels, senior managers making decisions about DTC marketing without an understanding of how to measure ROI's and personal agendas that lead to decisions of what is best for the person making them not the brand.

Yet as a pharmaceutical marketer I have chosen to make a stand and do what is right for my customers and patients.

...CEO's have to be strong enough to stand up to MBA Wall Street analysts whose slogan is "instant gratification takes too long" and pharma marketers have to be held accountable for everything they do.

...What is wrong with pharma is indicative of what's wrong with American Business..too many layers..too much emphasis on paychecks and not enough emphasis on being customer centric.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>I&#x27;m a DTC Marketer</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>DTC Environment</category><dc:date>2007-04-26T08:02:53-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/aab8ef3c67d1514ee2beae691f6d64a4-71.html#unique-entry-id-71</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/aab8ef3c67d1514ee2beae691f6d64a4-71.html#unique-entry-id-71</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The customer is at the center of everything I do: If it doesn't benefit my customer then why do it in an age when consumers have all the power?

...When is doubt about conveying information put yourself in your customers shoes and ask "would I want to know if I was using the product".

...If my patients/customers are concerned than I am concerned and will do my best to let them know what is going on.

...I will listen to what is being said by my customers and try and use resources at my disposal to provide them with answers that matter.

...We all have to make choices at some point in our careers and I have made the decision that I will not compromise my beliefs or principles.  I have worked with marketers who are more interested in shining their own stars than doing what is best for patients but in the end their stars will burn out.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Cialis.com number one in driving conversions</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Internet &#x26; DTC Marketing</category><dc:date>2007-04-20T12:14:19-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/fe0ce19a61c2efd810b4aff04428e146-70.html#unique-entry-id-70</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/fe0ce19a61c2efd810b4aff04428e146-70.html#unique-entry-id-70</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It has been over a year since I left Lilly but the website I developed with my agency hasn't changed at all.  I included content from Harvard Medical School, and articles written by physicians on a variety of subjects that have to do with ED.  As the site evolved I learned that a lot of people were worried about getting SPAM so I even included some copy on Spyware prevention and it quickly became one of the top 10 pages on the site.

A CRM Metrix study that we had retained clearly showed that there was a lift in intent to ask for an Rx in people who visited the site vs. those who did not.

...The DTC team that I was part of was truly a best of class team and frankly I am extremely proud to have been able to be part of the experience.  A nice looking site doesn't mean anything unless it meets the customers needs and I believe Cialis.com meets those needs and now the data proves it once again.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Does Pharma Zoom?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-04-20T12:01:26-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/6b4f273def16909d32a8c5b4e56e52d4-69.html#unique-entry-id-69</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/6b4f273def16909d32a8c5b4e56e52d4-69.html#unique-entry-id-69</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Mr. Citrin states that in order to excel in the new economy, business leaders need to master six basic strategies:

...Create a true learning organization (A lot of pharma companies do have "shared learnings" but few learn from innovators outside the industry.  While smart marketers are learning how to leverage consumer generated media, pharma marketers are developing bad DTC).

...Learn to live with greater uncertainty (Pharma has no choice and seems willing to let the environment take it where it wants to go !)

...Master the art of deal making and partnerships (pharma companies don't talk to each other even when it is for the patients good)

...The more things change the more pharma marketers seem stuck in a rut and it's awful deep.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Aranesp: Death of a blockbuster</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-04-17T06:20:02-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/3d5b5bcd10b1446df0bce61a5d8c1ae0-68.html#unique-entry-id-68</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/3d5b5bcd10b1446df0bce61a5d8c1ae0-68.html#unique-entry-id-68</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Legislators in Congress are going to use the Aranesp example of things that can go wrong when bad decisions are made....  If so he needs to held criminally liable as do the other people who were involved in the decision.  The CEO must also be held accountable and shown the door as this type of behavior starts at the top and can be inbred through the whole organization.

...It tells me that Amgen may talk the talk about patients being important but somewhere the chain broke that people believe that dollars are what drives pharma not successful patient outcomes.

...The Amgen story that is coming out of Thousand Oaks is going to be a lot more damage to an industry that is already under fire from all sides.  People make up a company but somewhere along the way Amgen has hired people who believe that their wallets are more important than patient health and that is beyond reprehensible.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>DTC National: The blind leading the blind</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>DTC Environment</category><dc:date>2007-04-13T13:25:29-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/6beeecd73bb609c6e93d102682cbc4ad-67.html#unique-entry-id-67</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/6beeecd73bb609c6e93d102682cbc4ad-67.html#unique-entry-id-67</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I once asked why this was happening but after talking to a number of colleagues in phara marketing I think I have a pretty good idea as to what's going on. Here are the reasons that DTC marketers continue to ignore the web as I see them:

...They don't understand how to measure the impact of online programs: Web analytics are getting more and more sophisticated....  The key is that you have to have people who are eMarketers not IT people set up these measurement criteria because a basic understanding of consumer behavior is needed.

...The budget drives the strategy: More and more marketers are spending a lot more online and with the basic laws of supply and demand premium placements on websites is becoming more and more expensive.

...As you learn more and more about your customers needs and what information drives conversion you need to continually optimize the website to make it more user friendly and drive business objectives.

...I can't tell you the number of basic eMarketing questions I get from people that cause me to ask "what is going on here?".]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A new tactic for the FDA -  Are they overstepping their authority?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-04-11T06:31:59-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/1abd1f3c779770c40c9a0a95374eba2c-66.html#unique-entry-id-66</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/1abd1f3c779770c40c9a0a95374eba2c-66.html#unique-entry-id-66</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I used to take Celebrex for joint pain until I read information on the Celebrex website that said one of the potential side effects could be "intestinal bleeding or death".  When I first received the Rx for Celebrex I received a letter from my health insurer informing me that OTC Ibuprofen (store brand no less) worked just as well as Celebrex and costs a lot less.

...I don't want the FDA making these decisions for me I want to make them myself with input from my HCP and no amount of DTC advertising is going to change my mind.  DTC ads may enlighten me as to new products or treatment options but I am the one who will go to the product.com website and look at the side effects and warnings to determine if the risk is acceptable for me.

...If Pfizer informed the FDA that Lipitor, the world's biggest prescription drug, patients were reporting more side effects would the FDA require Pfizer to take it off the market in favor of other cholesterol lowering medications?

...They should not determine if other "safer alternatives" are available because under that guideline some supplements may work better than prescription drugs with less side effects thus the Rx should be taken off the market.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Being first in the inhaled insulin market is not an advantage for Pfizer</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-04-10T06:09:37-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/8fdf282330f57c0ebc93c48b8a98bf74-65.html#unique-entry-id-65</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/8fdf282330f57c0ebc93c48b8a98bf74-65.html#unique-entry-id-65</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In theory, the drug&rsquo;s biggest advantage over standard injectable insulin is that it is more convenient and does not require needle pricks....  The device is nearly as large as a tennis ball can when it is open, and must be repeatedly pumped before the insulin can be inhaled....  Also, insurers have been reluctant to pay for Exubera, which costs about $5 a day, compared with $2 to $3 a day for injectable insulin....  &ldquo;Out of 2,000 times or more I&rsquo;ve tried to start patients on insulin, I&rsquo;ve only been turned down twice,&rdquo; said Dr. John Buse, professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina.

...I'm not sure why Pfizer thought that the use of the product would not be an issue for diabetics who currently self inject.

...For patients who are used to small, less painful needles the answer might be to just keep on "doing what works" instead of using a new product that requires them to change their lifestyle.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Making DTC more effective&#x2c; an idea...</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Current DTC</category><dc:date>2007-04-09T14:22:29-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/f2021cb1b31e4cda23c37475ea6f3b7c-64.html#unique-entry-id-64</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/f2021cb1b31e4cda23c37475ea6f3b7c-64.html#unique-entry-id-64</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Now what if all the top brand in the high cholesterol market got together to take an important message to consumers who may have high cholesterol but are unaware of the dangers it could pose.  They could sponsor a campaign to drive people to a common website where they could evaluate their risks but more importantly compare ALL the different medications.

...Well for one thing if in fact the goal is to increase awareness of the dangers of high cholesterol than you need to grab the attention of the audience.  Let them compare medications and make a decision with their health care professional that is in their best interest.  Manufacturers could provide links to their individual product websites and even offer trial incentives all in one site.  Imagine a customer focused site to provide answers to their questions and inform them of a potential silent killer....]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Celebrex should have stayed off the air</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Current DTC</category><dc:date>2007-04-07T10:15:08-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/295c4ed9bc13acf22cb34b66cc79c377-63.html#unique-entry-id-63</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/295c4ed9bc13acf22cb34b66cc79c377-63.html#unique-entry-id-63</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In fact I may want to stop taking OTC products like Advil or Aleve, Consumers hear things selectively when they see ads on TV....  Now I am sure that the DTC people at Pfizer have a lot of research from focus groups that shows that the commercial is good but when are marketers going to learn that focus groups don't represent the general public.  They are 4 or 6 people in an enclosed and regulated environment and they don't have the usual external distractions that we all get when commercials come on.

...These medicines also increase the chance of serious skin reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death.

...Instead of explaining the risks of the medication (i.e. how many people in clinical studies reported these side effects) Pfizer has decided to compare the medication to OTC products which are a lot less expensive by the way.

...I guess this campaign was supposed to make me feel more comfortable in taking Celebrex (I have a prescription for Celebrex for leg pain) but now I don't want to use it anymore.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Doo Wop and DTC = More bad DTC</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Current DTC</category><dc:date>2007-04-07T09:59:39-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/23ad181a9e468d9a9fdbbda47424f67e-62.html#unique-entry-id-62</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/23ad181a9e468d9a9fdbbda47424f67e-62.html#unique-entry-id-62</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[To cut through the clutter advertisers have convinced brand managers that they have to be "cute" and brand managers have signed off on this absurd notation.  Instead of keeping the message simple and informing consumers of brand differentiations or key selling points they have to hire a talking beaver and a doo-wop group.

...I guess I am not surprised given the lack of talent in pharma marketing but at some point you have to scratch your head and ask "what the hell is going on here?".  I can't imagine what it was like to present the ad concepts for Rozarem and Astelin to executive management....  This is what happens when senior managers have no marketing background and as such have to rely on agency and brand DTC people to present (and explain) concepts.

The Astelin ads are another example of really bad DTC and another reason why good talent is hard to find.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>For those of you who haven&#x27;t worked in pharma..</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-04-03T15:02:03-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/c271267fae779722c8d2696fefbda2d6-61.html#unique-entry-id-61</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/c271267fae779722c8d2696fefbda2d6-61.html#unique-entry-id-61</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[While at this forum I was told by a Director that I had to learn more about DTC and I responded "DTC needs to learn more from consumer marketers" upon which there was a loud round of applause from the rest of the audience.  When I worked on the Cialis launch team I observed first hand how data was manipulated to show the results that supported more money for television while leaving the Web behind.  To this day the website has not changed since I left the company and they are still spending money on TV while the Web site suffers from neglect.  By the way 85% of the visitors to our website the first year came from online ads and search engines not TV although I am sure that the two worked together to drive traffic.

...Well yes....there are a great number of people who I know got promoted to Manager at Lilly that were promoted because of "who they know or how they act" rather than what they did for the company and the brand....  Companies like Amgen, which had and edge as a biotech company, are hiring more and more people from big pharma as they make the transition to execute by endless meetings and at a snails pace.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Should pharma get naked?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-03-31T08:14:05-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/dd97b828969540e5ca3e37db18d0183c-60.html#unique-entry-id-60</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/dd97b828969540e5ca3e37db18d0183c-60.html#unique-entry-id-60</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[You bet but I would imagine that the litigation commercials for Zelnorm, now that it's been taken off the market, are only a few weeks away from airing.

Pharma needs to inform the public that even though the FDA has approved a drug that continuing clinical trials may indicate that there are other side effects and risks.

...New products are often talked about at investor meetings but unless consumers are willing to dig real deep it's hard to find within a companies website.  Yes pharma is restricted in what it can say (claim) about new products but allowing the public access to the initial data can lead to customers becoming working partners.

...Every manager needs to learn how to manage risk but the CEO and senior managers need to set the trends of what is acceptable risk and what is not acceptable risk....  It's time to understand that secrecy is dead and the sooner that pharma understands this the sooner they will be able to become better companies that are customer focused.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Spend &#x24;110 million for &#x24;76 million in sales?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Current DTC</category><dc:date>2007-03-25T15:03:18-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/b0621ded21b0887cdff4f76ce8dd5343-59.html#unique-entry-id-59</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/b0621ded21b0887cdff4f76ce8dd5343-59.html#unique-entry-id-59</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[We need more accountability from DTC marketers if DTC advertising is going to continue to get funded at the $100 million level.  The goal of DTC is after all to drive share but the execution is usually the responsibility of middle management.  How a marketing manager could not throw their agency out the door when they pitched these spots is beyond me.  They don't focus on the product differentiation (the first product that you can't get hooked on) and somewhere there is someone who believes that people understand that Lincoln represents honesty and the beaver hard work.

This is a prime example of wasted money and REALLY bad advertising.  $110 million and only $76 million in sales..sound like the same accountability we have with the claim of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>So how is pharma doing compared to the S&#x26;P 500 ?</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-03-25T08:32:34-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/91ad5135b7de082381dd908b27055896-58.html#unique-entry-id-58</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/91ad5135b7de082381dd908b27055896-58.html#unique-entry-id-58</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Sidney Taurel pulled down a total package worth more than $15 million yet look at Lilly's performance vs. the S&P 500.....

...If this is a scorecard for the CEO's performance then I think it's a pretty sad shape of things overall.  The stock options that I received at Lilly over 7 years ago are worthless and Lilly has never recovered from the loss of patent on Prozac (the contingency plan was called Year-X and was not strategic at all) and now Zyprexa's days as a blockbuster are numbered.

...The recent clinical trial setback for their new cholesterol drug and generic competition looming for Zoloft and Lipitor have hurt the pharma giant while Jeffery Kindler pulled down a compensation package of more than $9 million.

...The recent coverage of Aranesp has really hurt their performance and the FDA has informed Amgen to halt all DTC advertising (they weren't doing any ?).

...I can tell you that in New Jersey that's a good salary but not one that could let you live as a king.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>CEO compensation out of control</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-03-24T12:14:27-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/e97882c2d972e7d261416e94639a2f94-57.html#unique-entry-id-57</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/e97882c2d972e7d261416e94639a2f94-57.html#unique-entry-id-57</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There are always people who are second guessing what you do and Wall Street can be relentless in its pursuit of earnings.  But how many people who are senior level managers would gladly take on the challenge of leading a major company for a lot less money?

...-Be a great salesperson: sell your ideas to your senior managers, ensure they understand and get rid of the ones that are resistant to change.

...-Be a marketing driven organization: The days of the big pharma sales force are coming to an end.

...Diversify your portfolio to include a lot more products that produce sales of $200-$700 million rather than one product that may account for a big part of your revenue.

...There are way too many CEO's who sit in their big offices and have a "town hall" meeting with employees and believe that is all they need to do.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A world without DTC</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>DTC Environment</category><dc:date>2007-03-22T06:38:35-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/f3539376de320f710fb54e30ede6c4e5-56.html#unique-entry-id-56</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/f3539376de320f710fb54e30ede6c4e5-56.html#unique-entry-id-56</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Rather than learn about new drugs through innovative advertising (of course there is very little of that in DTC today) they would have to rely on their physicians to inform them of choices....  Click stream analysis in our industry clearly shows that consumers are comparing medications because they want to have choices when it comes to their healthcare choices.

...The majority of the billions of dollars spent on DTC is on TV and if a moratorium went into place networks would lose a valuable source of revenue.

...At a time when costs are increasing to develop and bring drugs to market they would essentially be handcuffed from maximizing their ROI for 36 months.  That's a big bite out of the revenue pie and one has to wonder if in fact less drugs would go through the pipeline because the ROI model would change.

...The pharma industry needs new blood in the DTC marketing departments and more importantly a new leader who can lead the industry into the next era of challenges.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Once again the Times has pharma in the crosshairs</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-03-21T14:46:09-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/61e2cb63fdc66cb0eab28e6ed4444b71-55.html#unique-entry-id-55</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/61e2cb63fdc66cb0eab28e6ed4444b71-55.html#unique-entry-id-55</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have worked with a lot of physicians and I can tell you that for most of them unless there is some type of compensation for their time they don't want to get involved.  Take online detailing for example, most research clearly shows that a majority of physicians will only participate in online detailing if there is some type of compensation involved.

...They&rsquo;re not really trying to improve anybody&rsquo;s health except if it makes them money.

So according to the NY Times they are to ask doctors to speak on their behalf about medications for no compensation.  Drug companies have already stopped the practice of spending sprees on lavish resorts but the truth of the matter is that physicians want to hear from other physicians....  My guess is no but don't you think that they have to believe in a product to pitch it or does the Times believe that all physicians are for sale?]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A prescription for bias</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-03-18T08:51:40-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/5fab8a0e885b5aa780784aa9d1449d05-54.html#unique-entry-id-54</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/5fab8a0e885b5aa780784aa9d1449d05-54.html#unique-entry-id-54</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Industry Ignored: While covering everything from medical &ldquo;controversies&rdquo; to breakthroughs, nearly 80 percent of the stories excluded the viewpoint of the pharmaceutical industry, failing to include either a company statement or a company spokesman.

Media Overemphasize Cost to Consumer: The broadcast networks mentioned costs to consumers or drug company revenues 11 times more often than they mentioned drug development costs.

...What Development Costs?: A mere 2 percent of stories dealt with the cost of developing drugs, and even those costs were downplayed by industry skeptics.

...What should surprise you is that the pharmaceutical companies will spend millions of dollars and thousands of man-hours to research positioning statements or DTC messaging but when it comes to communicating the challenges the industry faces to the general public the lack of noise if deafening....  Yet papers like the New York Times continue to report one sided stories which is scary because too many people believe what they read without challenging information.

...But more importantly this leader needs to tell the instant gratification people on Wall Street that the industry will continue to devote resources to new product development and if short term profits could take a hit at the expense of strategic or long term company health.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Good talent is hard to find in eMarketing</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>DTC Environment</category><dc:date>2007-03-14T06:50:31-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/755fb411852f2d65de7f8babb6f1e2d3-53.html#unique-entry-id-53</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/755fb411852f2d65de7f8babb6f1e2d3-53.html#unique-entry-id-53</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[IT people are great for actually implementing Web initiatives but to develop an integrated online Internet strategy you need someone who understand marketing, the Internet and more importantly Web analytics.  Too often I still hear that pharma companies are building websites as an after thought putting all their time and effort into developing DTC strategies and testing and retesting messages.  The fact that so little effort is being allocated to the Web tells me that most DTC marketers are still living in the past and don't understand the Webs unique ability to deliver targeted messaging and connect people with each other.

...One person said "stay away from Levitra it gave me a really bad back ache and my nose was so stuffy I had to use nasal spray for 2 days"....  What a gold mine of information yet DTC marketers have no idea how to harness the power of consumer generated media and still are not aware that people are talking to one another on the Web.

...Maybe there are just too many DTC marketers who see their jobs as jobs rather than a chance to make a difference in patients lives or maybe its because there is no lifeguard on duty in the DTC marketing talent pool.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Of course you know this means war &#x21;</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-03-13T06:11:53-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/3ba101cba36fa5cf68627fe898e71b4d-52.html#unique-entry-id-52</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/3ba101cba36fa5cf68627fe898e71b4d-52.html#unique-entry-id-52</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There is a fine line between cooperating with the FDA and tucking your tail between your legs and kissing someone's ass. If the FDA mandated that CEO's wear clown suits I believe they would comply !  The battles looming with the FDA are all politically motivated and the new head of the FDA has shown that he is going to play along with Congress and do whatever is necessary to get in their good graces even if, in the long run, patients are hurt.

...Most pharma companies work with the FDA while a drug is in development to ensure that protocols and studies are set up correctly.

...Rather than point fingers it's time for pharmaceutical companies to ban together and come up with a plan to better work with the FDA, Congress and the media.  Lobbyists are not the answer pharma needs to remind everyone of the value they provide to society in the form of better health and lower health care costs.  Pharma will spend billions on DTC message development but not one leader will step forward and reach out to other industry leaders with a plan that clearly addresses the challenges facing the pharma industry today.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Customers don&#x27;t get respect</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>DTC Environment</category><dc:date>2007-03-11T17:28:01-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/f9b4216764a1751a69cdd783f54c3c1b-51.html#unique-entry-id-51</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/f9b4216764a1751a69cdd783f54c3c1b-51.html#unique-entry-id-51</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[-Don't try and "sell us" give us the good and bad about your product.

...They told us in simple terms "don't sell me", give me the good the bad and let me decide if your product is right for me....  You see in this wired information age people talk to each other via consumer generated media (BLOGS, VLOGS, Chat Rooms, Message Boards) and have a wealth of websites to get information on health choices....  They would rather use their websites to over promise and sell rather than treat customers with respect and acknowledge that they have choices and a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips.

...It seems that in order to do anything online marketers have to justify their dollars via an ROI and if they can't then they don't get the money.

...You only get one chance to make a first impression unfortunately too may DTC marketers are business people first and patient advocates second.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The FDA overeacts to anemia drugs and issues black box warnings</title><dc:creator>Rich Meyer</dc:creator><category>Pharma Business</category><dc:date>2007-03-10T08:14:58-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/b20676f22043acf9505706c53fa94915-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com/public_html/files/b20676f22043acf9505706c53fa94915-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The move comes as the FDA is under pressure from Congress to show that it is focusing on drug safety, in the wake of a series of incidents including the market withdrawal of the painkiller Vioxx....  Karen Weiss, deputy director of the agency's office of oncology drug products, said the "bulk of the data that has raised concerns" came when patients were given higher-than-recommended doses, whether they were suffering from anemia tied to kidney problems or cancer treatment.

...Pushing hemoglobin to levels as high as 13, 14, or 15 -- done by physicians acting on their own against label recommendations or by researchers testing benefits of more intense treatment -- carries a heightened increased risk of death, or serious cardiovascular events.

...The answer to that of course is yes but unless there is undeniable evidence that Amgen & J&J promoted off-label use why are they being held accountable for the actions of physicians?  This is what is happening to the pharmaceutical industry and is in the end is going to lead to higher drug development costs as well as higher costs for prescription drugs.  The original study that started this whole debate was a study in which Amgen's drug was given at higher doses than recommended and for indications for which the drug label did not support.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Rozerem bitch slapped by the FDA</title><