Medical Marketing & Media back issues from July 2007:
The spirit of 2007.(EDITOR'S DESK)
Jul 01, 2007; ... I always look forward to compiling the July issue because, although we cover agency news year-round, it affords us a much more detailed look at who's doing what and allows us to chart the trends. The pressures exerted on agencies are familiar to most people in this industry: ...
GSK's launch of Alli is heavy on lifestyle messages.(NEWS)(GlaxoSmithKline PLC)
Jul 01, 2007; ... GLAXOSMITHKLINE is truly pulling out all the stops with its $150 million launch of Alli, the OTC diet drug sold less as a pill than a lifestyle. "We don't want them thinking Alli is a magic pill that they can just take and the weight will go away," said Debbie Weis, senior ...
Branded scripts dip in '06 as generics hit the market.(NEWS)
Jul 01, 2007; ... THE ARRIVAL of multiple generics last year proved a zero-sum gain for their branded counterparts, as prescribing for branded drugs declined 2.6% and fewer patients were started on them, a study shows. New-patient starts with branded products decreased 17.7% from 2005 to 2006, ...
Back to school for Pfizer med ed staff.(NEWS)
Jul 01, 2007; ... PFIZER IS raising the bar in terms of qualifications within its education department, portending a possible staff shakeup at the New York drug firm. The company is making reviewers in its Medical Education Grants (MEG) department re-interview for their jobs, said several people ...
With Avandia under review, GSK is in a 'holding pattern'.(NEWS)
Jul 01, 2007; ... PHARMACEUTICAL promotion wasn't the chief topic at last month's House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform inquest into the heart safety profile of GSK's Avandia, but it was never far from the surface. The hearings were heavy on theater, light on substance as committee ...
Merck plans to eliminate its osteoporosis specialty team at the end of the year, ahead of the February 2008 patent expiration of Fosamax.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... Merck plans to eliminate its osteoporosis specialty team at the end of the year, ahead of the February 2008 patent expiration of Fosamax. A total of 250 positions will be impacted, according to Merck ...
GlaxoSmithKline.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... GlaxoSmithKline launched a pilot educational campaign to warn African Americans in Detroit of an epidemic of genital herpes. The campaign, "Say ...
Former Torre Lazur McCann.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... Former Torre Lazur McCann creative chief Mike Lazur is teaming up with Noesis' ...
InVentiv.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... InVentiv acquired brand ID shop Addison Whitney, which has handled ...
Antidote.(NEWS)
Jul 01, 2007; ... When Rezulin was removed from the market several years ago, the top endocrinologist I worked with was quite upset. Of course he knew about the few cases of severe liver failure and the rare death, but he also knew how many patients benefited directly from the drug. "Avandia will be next," ...
Beaver blitz moves share, Rozerem still sleeping.(NEWS)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2007; ... ROZEREM SALES were up 78% in the first quarter, and Takeda expects 2007 sales of the insomnia drug to surpass advertising costs. That would be a first, as the company has spent more on consumer promotion--$100 million annually since consumer launch in July 2006--than it has ...
GlaxoSmithKline launched.(NEWS)
Jul 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: GLAXOSMITHKLINE LAUNCHED its promotional campaign behind OTC weight-loss pill Alli (orlistat) with a consumer-focused multimedia exhibit in New York's Union Square district in May. The exhibit, dubbed the "Alli Experience," was crafted with help ...
Ascend Healthcare Media.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... Ascend Healthcare Media hired VNU's Gary Gyss to serve as publisher of The American Journal of Managed Care. Gyss was most recently group ...
Journal Watch.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... Journal Watch, an online digest of medical journal articles, responded to reader criticism of its disclosure policy by reducing the number of ...
The American College of Cardiology's Board of Trustees approved sanctions against a physician for leaks that broke an embargo on COURAGE trial data presented at the ACC's March Annual Scientific Session.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... The American College of Cardiology's Board of Trustees approved sanctions against a physician for leaks that broke an embargo on COURAGE trial data presented at the ACC's March ...
JAMA.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... JAMA is launching a weekly French-language online journal, JAMA-Francais, and hosting a ...
AMA enters online forum with Sermo.(MEDIA NOTEPAD)
Jul 01, 2007; ... THE AMERICAN Medical Association (AMA) announced it is partnering with Sermo, the online community for physicians. The deal is designed to give the 160-year-old group entree into a fast-growing online forum, which, in turn, wins access to AMA's 130,000-strong membership. Links ...
Publisher: Journal of the American Medical Association.(MEDIA CHOICE)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Publisher: Journal of the American Medical Association Circulation: 353,802 Keeping up with the medical literature is an increasing challenge for all physicians, regardless of their specialty. In addition to reading the lead journals for each respective specialty of medicine, ...
Haymarket.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... Haymarket has named Dik Barsamian EVP in charge of Medical Education. He was head of Thomson ...
The publisher of the BMJ has formed a partnership with Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to jointly develop CME.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... The publisher of the BMJ has formed a partnership with Johns Hopkins School of Medicine ...
Linda Raichle.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... Linda Raichle, PhD, MS, former director of external affairs for Merck, has formed a new reed ed ...
A new Web site.(Update)(Website overview)
Jul 01, 2007 ... A new Web site, ContinuingEducationLinks. corn, provides a national database of on-site and online CE courses, ...
The American Medical Student Association.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... The American Medical Student Association says six US medical schools have comprehensive policies restricting pharma rep access: ...
Staging a play to address a timely need.(CME REPORT)
Jul 01, 2007; ... THE TRAGIC SHOOTINGS at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in April underscored the need for education on diagnosing and treating mental health problems. It was fitting, then, that Pri-Med and educational partner France Foundation in May rolled out the first of ...
ACC welcomes one education maven, waves off another.(CME REPORT)
Jul 01, 2007; ... JOSEPH GREEN, PhD, will join the American College of Cardiology (ACC) in September as VP for professional development and chief learning officer, marking his return to academic education. He has worked as a consultant since leaving Duke University in 2004, where he was associate dean of ...
Web watch.(E-MARKETING)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Doctors are people, too. So much so that they're flocking to a Web "chat room" just for them. Perhaps "chat room" is a misnomer. It's a Web site called Sermo (sermo is Latin for "talk"), a secure physicians-only community, and it takes the concept of social networking to another level. ...
Microsoft to buy aQuantive for $6B.(E-MARKETING)
Jul 01, 2007; ... MICROSOFT AGREED to buy digital marketing firm aQuantive in a deal valued at $6 billion. AQuantive serves as parent company of digital marketing services provider Atlas, online ad space buyer DrivePM and Avenue A | Razorfish, an ad agency whose healthcare client roster includes ...
PDI.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... Nancy Connelly was named SVP, sales support services at contract sales provider PDI. She will also serve on PDI's ...
MediZine.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... Ingrid Swan was named VP, general manager of MediZine. She will serve in a pivotal management and financial role ...
Four ex-Serono execs, who were linked to alleged illegal kickbacks, were acquitted in May of any role they allegedly played in illegally boosting sales for Serostim.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... Four ex-Serono execs, who were linked to alleged illegal kickbacks, were acquitted in May of any role they allegedly played in illegally ...
Redi-Mail Direct Marketing has received Verified Accredited Wholesale Distributors accreditation status from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... Redi-Mail Direct Marketing has received Verified Accredited Wholesale Distributors accreditation status from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. To receive VAWD status, Redi-Mail needed to demonstrate that ...
Brand managers value integrated DM.(DIRECT MARKETING)
Jul 01, 2007; ... OVER 80% OF brand managers believe an integrated direct marketing program is an important part of promoting a brand, with almost half saying it is "extremely important," according to the results of a recent study conducted by pharmaceutical marketing firm PharmaKinnex. The ...
FDA issues Flonase, Nasonex letters.(DIRECT MARKETING)
Jul 01, 2007; ... THE FDA'S Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising and Communications has issued untitled letters of violation to Schering-Plough for its Nasonex nasal spray, and to GlaxoSmithKline for its Flonase nasal spray, concerning detail aids used by reps for both brands. The agency said ...
Bradley beefs up reps for launch.(DIRECT MARKETING)(Bradley Pharmaceuticals Inc.)(representatives)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2007; ... BRADLEY Pharmaceuticals is hiring about 60 reps as it gears up to launch Elestrin, a low-dose estrogen gel for treating the symptoms of menopause. The reps will pitch Elestrin to OB/GYNs as part of Bradley's Kenwood Therapeutics division, which received FDA approval for the ...
Eli Lilly.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... Eli Lilly is drawing the line on DTC--at the spots plugging the services of ambulance-chasing trial lawyers. The company surveyed ...
Members of the FDA's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee expressed concerns at a May meeting that DTC advertising of Amgen's Aranesp and Johnson & Johnson's Procrit have given patients a lopsided impression of the drugs' risk/benefit profile, The Pink Sheet reported.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... Members of the FDA's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee expressed concerns at a May meeting that DTC advertising of Amgen's Aranesp and Johnson & Johnson's Procrit have ...
Lunesta ads.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... Lunesta ads remain the best-recalled on TV, according to IAG Research, but now have some company in the sleep category. A spot ...
A consortium of pharmas want to launch a European health info channel, The Guardian reports.(Update)
Jul 01, 2007 ... A consortium of pharmas want to launch a European health info channel, The Guardian reports. The venture--backed by J&J, ...
Prevention uncovers clued-up patients.(DTC REPORT)(Survey)
Jul 01, 2007; ... CONSUMERS ARE getting savvier about the risks and benefits of the medicines they're taking, according to Prevention's 10th Annual National Survey on Consumer Reaction to DTC Advertising of Prescription Medications. Moreover, those doing the most information-seeking are also ...
Alcon took an artsy approach.(DTC REPORT)(Alcon Laboratories Inc.)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: ALCON TOOK AN ARTSY APPROACH with TV spots now running for its Pataday allergy eye drops, featuring an unconventional spokesman and a score by avant game composer Phillip Glass. Eschewing the naturalistic theme ...
Vantage point.(MARKETING RESEARCH)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Marketing guru Seth Godin has done it again. Each year, he publishes a book, examining marketing from a whole new perspective, and then spends the balance of the year giving lectures from it, while I sit and ponder what his latest thinking means for pharma marketing and marketing research ....
IMS reveals how to avoid common launch miscues.(MARKETING RESEARCH)
Jul 01, 2007; ... PHARMA BRAND share can level off just a few short months after a launch, according to a new study from IMS Health that examines this lifecycle stage. With its "What Drives Launch Excellence?" study released in May, IMS Health examined over 4,200 product launches, in 71 therapy ...
GSK: two days' data do not a trend make.(MARKETING RESEARCH)
Jul 01, 2007; ... FINANCIAL analysts, known for their penchant to wield prescribing data, may have jumped the gun recently. Deutsche Bank analysts wrote in an investor note that new prescriptions for GlaxoSmithKline diabetes drug Avandia fell to about zero from 10% during the two days from May 22 ...
PR view.(PUBLIC RELATIONS)
Jul 01, 2007; ... I sat in a meeting recently listening to two agencies bicker about which will shrivel up first in the next decade--advertising or PR.A prospective client had approached them with a new product set to launch in eight months, and they were at odds over which should come out first--a ...
Pharmas not 'Sicko' with worry over Moore movie.(PUBLIC RELATIONS)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2007; ... ON THE EVE of the June 29 debut of Sicko, Michael Moore's broadside against American healthcare, pharma communicators were wary but optimistic that his latest work would prove more bark than bite. The would-be populist, who vowed in early production to take on Big Pharma and ...
Former Euro PR head joins GolinHarris.(PUBLIC RELATIONS)
Jul 01, 2007; ... FORMER EURO RSCG Life PR head David Catlett has resurfaced as head of GolinHarris' New York healthcare practice. Catlett, who joined Euro RSCG Life PR as president from Ketchum last year, becomes EVP for the Chicago-based firm, charged with growing the company's healthcare ...
Hitting the trail.(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2007 ... The pressures on healthcare agencies are numerous and relentless: regulations, staffing, procurement, new media, and so on. And yet, most seem to have found a way to adapt, sniff out opportunities and hit the client trail. When MM&M asked, "How is business so far in 2007 ...
AbelsonTaylor: successful beyond its wildest dreams (even the one with Abe and the beaver).(THE TOP 50)
Jul 01, 2007; ... AbelsonTaylor's biggest challenge during the past 12 months was keeping agency growth under wraps. "We've won a lot of business and we've tried not to pitch very much," explains agency president and CEO Dale Taylor. "We've turned down a lot more than we've taken in and to a ...
Adient: J&J brands help rebuild momentum following the president's departure.(THE TOP 50)
Jul 01, 2007; ... It was a year of change for 15-year-old Adient, part of WPP's CommonHealth brood. The agency lost a lot and gained a lot (revenue was flat to slightly down), and "walked out of 2006 with a lot of strength," says David Chapman, acting president of Adient and managing partner of CommonHealth ...
AgencyRx: CDM splinter is off to an explosive start, propelled by Novartis work.(THE TOP 50)
Jul 01, 2007; ... AwgencyRx (formerly DDB Rx) aims to establish itself as "one of the premier healthcare agencies within Omnicom," says Bernie Coccia, managing partner, director of client services. With revenues more than doubling in 2006, the agency is clearly gaining ground and establishing itself as a ...
Altum: two-year-old specialty shop boosted by significant growth in global work.(THE TOP 50)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Launched in 2005, Altum's staff more than doubled last year (from 29 to 70) as revenue skyrocketed by 30%. "There was a lot of stretching," says president Michael Parisi. Part of the CommonHealth network, Altum is a specialty shop with market focus on HIV, oncology, biologics ...
Brand Pharm: finding life after Nelson, and ready to ramp up its digital offerings.(THE TOP 50)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Eighteen months into a new brand identity, Brand Pharm--the agency formerly known as Nelson Communications--is humming along with a trio of assignments from King Pharmaceuticals, as well as new work from Galderma. King awarded the company its Altace blood pressure drug, clogging ...
Cadient Group: continued growth explosion from an influx of new interactive business.(THE TOP 50)(Company overview)
Jul 01, 2007; ... In its third full year in business, Cadient Group's revenue grew 48% to $17.8 million. The interactive agency hired more than 100 people in less than a year and was awarded 16 new brand assignments, without losing a single piece of business. "The most exciting aspect of growth ...
The CementWorks: third consecutive year of 20% growth rewards global vision and creativity.(THE TOP 50)
Jul 01, 2007; ... The CementWorks has always prided itself on its creative moxie. And so the current regulatory climate may have affected the agency more than it did others, CementWorks partner Susan Miller admits. "Everything's under the magnifying glass now," she says. "There's less room to ...
Cline Davis & Mann: a bigfoot firm steps out, finds competition liberating--and lucrative.(THE TOP 50)(Company overview)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Cline Davis & Mann is on a tear. Almost unbeatable in the pitch in the past 18 months, the New York-based agency is ready to beef up its capabilities further with a new specialty division, Lab9, and continued investment in its employees. CDM had an extraordinary year in 2006, ...
CommonHealth Consumer Group: Columbia-Walsh leads the restructured group to greater scope and expertise.(THE TOP 50)(Company overview)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Rounding her first year at the helm, Meg Columbia-Walsh, CommonHealth Consumer Group (CHCG) managing partner, president consumer and e-business, has navigated change. She reports revenue rose compared to 2005, and the agency won more accounts than it lost. "In an effort to ...
Corbett Worldwide Healthcare: investing in the kind of talent that will support 45 more years of success.(THE TOP 50)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Corbett Worldwide Healthcare celebrated its 45th anniversary last year, and president Elaine Eisen calls it "a great lead-in to 2007." She's particularly happy about new clients Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson, wins which presumably helped propel the agency into ...
Digitas Health: the former MBC agency thrives on the support of its new parent.(THE TOP 50)
Jul 01, 2007; ... For the last decade, Digitas has been one of the preeminent global brands in the digital-marketing space, earning plaudits for its online work on behalf of A-list clients like American Express and General Motors. So it only made sense that, following its acquisition of Medical Broadcasting ...
Donahoe Purohit Miller: midwest mainstay continues to expand geographically and therapeutically.(THE TOP 50)(Company overview)
Jul 01, 2007; ... In addition to being pleased with 11% revenue growth and landing 14 new accounts, Donahoe Purohit Miller (DPM) CEO and president Ahnal Purohit is also happy to report geographic and therapeutic expansion, and recognition for outstanding creative. "We kept [our dermatology ...
Dorland Global Health Communications: well-placed for global growth after acquisition by British powerhouse.(THE TOP 50)(Company overview)
Jul 01, 2007; ... In March 2007, Dorland was acquired by UK powerhouse Huntsworth PLC, and now reports to the Huntsworth Health division. Though consideration of the acquisition went on much of last year, Dorland president and COO Rita Sweeney says the agency "maintained exquisite attention" to clients, ...
Draftfcb Healthcare: continued upswing from organic growth and a wealth of additional resources at its disposal.(THE TOP 50)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Braftfcb Healthcare has expanded organically with major wins from GlaxoSmithKline and Bristol-Myers Squibb, added some new accounts and brought in two C-level execs. Now it's leveraging new partner Draft's deep capabilities in relationship marketing to mine further insights for clients. ...
Dudnyk: improved management structure returns notable organic growth.(THE TOP 50)(Dudnyk Advertising and Public Relations)(Company overview)
Jul 01, 2007; ... With five now at the helm, Dudnyk's management team is more cohesive. Leaders are clearly pleased with the changes, and the agency is benefiting and enjoying improved relationships on all fronts. "We succeeded in flattening management," says Barry Schmader, EVP creative ...
Echo Torre Lazur: astronomical growth from a trio of new GlaxoSmithKline accounts.(THE TOP 50)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Echo Torre Lazur McCann bills itself as an agency that offers that small-shop feel with big network resources, but the East Hanover, NJ firm is growing rapidly on the heels of a trio of new accounts from GlaxoSmithKline. President Joe Poggi expects the company, currently at ...
Euro RSCG Life Chelsea: ready to seek new clients, following a year of significant organic growth.(THE TOP 50)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Euro RSCG Life Chelsea placed an intense focus on its existing business during the past year as the agency experienced organic growth of approximately 20%. according to managing director Pamela Pinta. Although not traditionally considered a DTC shop, Pinta said the agency is particularly ...
Euro RSCG Life LM&P: staying close to existing clients is worth 20% in organic growth.(THE TOP 50)
Jul 01, 2007; ... Euro RSCG Life LM&P is a great story right now. according to agency president David Paragamian. "Why? Because we are a legendary, 30-year-old agency and yet at the same time we are incredibly dynamic, with forward momentum," he says. "There are other 30-year-old brands in this industry ...