Medical Marketing & Media back issues from January 2008:
How to make your own luck.(EDITOR'S DESK)
Jan 01, 2008; ... This time last year we boldly saluted Merck as MM&M's first All-Star Company of the Year. It seems hard to imagine now but at the time the decision was viewed as courageous, and even a little contentious. "Only a couple of years ago, analysts were saying last rites for Merck, ...
Training future leaders.(Viewpoint)
Jan 01, 2008 ... The Healthcare Communication & Marketing Association (HCMA) would like to be the first to congratulate the leaders MM&M has carefully highlighted in this special issue. Their successes are directly tied to their ability to manage, nurture and develop their staff and their brands. ...
Detailer's dilemma: doctor gift bills gaining support.(NEWS)
Jan 01, 2008; ... THE "PHARMFREE" movement is gaining steam, with two physician gift disclosure bills circulating in Congress. An aide for Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) said the congressman is hoping to introduce a House bill this month that is largely similar to the bill introduced last year by ...
Expect big pharma layoffs of 2007 to continue: report.(NEWS)
Jan 01, 2008; ... THE YEAR 2007 was a brutal one for layoffs in Big Pharma. With revenues under pressure across the sector, expect the big job cuts to continue, said Regent Atlantic Capital in a recent report, "The Continuing Evolution of the Pharmaceutical Industry: Career Challenges and ...
Advanstar launches med title portal.(NEWS)
Jan 01, 2008; ... ADVANSTAR Communications unveiled a centralized physician portal for its healthcare group, integrating sites for its five primary care and seven specialty titles into one address, ModernMedicine.com. The site will offer advertisers "a highly targeted and highly trackable vehicle ...
Autism advertisements enrage patient advocacy groups.(NEWS)
Jan 01, 2008 ... A PROVOCATIVE awareness campaign on mental health problems in kids by New York University Child Study Center drew condemnation from an advocacy group for autism-spectrum disorder patients. Print and outdoor ads, executed pro bono by BBDO, ape ransom notes, and are signed by ...
FDA will charge drug.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... FDA will charge drug-makers submitting DTC TV ads for review $41,390 a pop. The fee is based on the $6.25 million the program is supposed to generate ...
Shire CEO Matthew.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Shire CEO Matthew Emmens will become non-executive chairman of the ...
Dorland Global.(Updates)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Dorland Global founders Harry and Rita Sweeney left their positions at the medical communications firm Jan. 1. Rich Minoff, who helped orchestrate their $20.7 million sale of the ...
Ascend Median named.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Ascend Media named Vicki Masseria CEO. Masseria replaces cofounder Cam ...
Bradley Pharmaceuticals.(Pipeline)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Bradley Pharmaceuticals said its Doak Dermatologics subsidiary has launched Rosula CLK, a kit combining two ...
Bayer HealthCare.(Pipeline)(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Bayer HealthCare and Onyx Pharmaceuticals announced that the FDA has approved a sNDA for Nexavar tablets for the treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular ...
Wyeth announced that the European Commission approved Torisel for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced RCC.(Pipeline)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Wyeth announced that the European Commission approved Torisel for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced ...
Amgen said the European Commission has granted a conditional marketing authorization for Vectibix (panitumumab) as monotherapy for the treatment of patients.(Pipeline)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Amgen said the European Commission has granted a conditional marketing authorization for Vectibix (panitumumab) as monotherapy for the treatment of ...
Big pharma ad shop changes its image.(NEWS)(Saatchi & Saatchi Healthcare Communications Group)
Jan 01, 2008; ... WITH A STABLE OF big-spending clients and one of advertising's most storied names, you might think Saatchi & Saatchi Healthcare Communications Group would be the last shop in need of a rebrand. They're keeping the name, but faced with declining spending in the pharma sector, a ...
Effexor ad draws warning letter.(NEWS)
Jan 01, 2008; ... A MAGAZINE ad for Wyeth's anti-depression pill Effexor XR misled by claiming a higher response rate than evidence supports, read a December warning letter from FDA's DDMAC unit. Another no-no: the ad implied that Effexor XR is superior to other antidepressants, something which ...
Abbott observed World Aids Day.(NEWS)(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ABBOTT OBSERVED WORLD AIDS DAY with the Dec. I launch of the I Stand With Magic Campaign to End Black AIDS. The campaign, on which Abbott is collaborating with the Magic Johnson Foundation, will feature educational events and HIV testing at schools and ...
Antidote.(NEWS)(Column)
Jan 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In past columns I have defended the commonly used sleeping pill Ambien. I have pointed out that the side effects and risks of hallucinatory dreams have been exaggerated in the media, that Ambien is a safe drug, well-tolerated by millions of users. ...
Mahady, Redmond move up the ranks at Wyeth.(NEWS)
Jan 01, 2008; ... WYETH NAMED Joe Mahady president, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and SVP, Wyeth. In February, Mahady was named president, global business for the company's pharmaceuticals division. Prior to that, he was president, Americas and global business. In that role he presided over a ...
Astrazeneca and the American.(NEWS)
Jan 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ASTRAZENECA AND THE AMERICAN Heart Association observed the millionth mile walked in the AHA's "Start!" million-mile walking challenge at a Tampa walk. The maker of Crestor served as a national sponsor of the AHA campaign, which organized more than 450 ...
As I see it.(WASHINGTON INSIDER)(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Signs are everywhere that Washington is preparing for the next administration, whatever color it may be. As key Bush appointees either resign or plan their next jobs, regulatory agencies begin showing new activity after seven years of inertia. At the FDA, this comes partly in ...
Gottlieb: FDA unprepared for follow-on biologics.(WASHINGTON INSIDER)
Jan 01, 2008; ... FORMER FDA deputy commissioner for medical and scientific affairs Scott Gottlieb, now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, has expressed serious concern that his former agency may be unprepared to conduct regulatory reviews of generic or follow-on biologics, when and if ...
Agency picks risk advisory panelists.(Food and Drug Administration to select advisory committe Baruch Fischhoff, Prerna Mona Khanna and William K. Vaughn)(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008; ... THE FDA'S NEWLY staffed Risk Communication Advisory Committee will begin reviewing risk communication issues in the first quarter of 2008. After sifting through 240 nominated individuals, the agency in November narrowed its selection down to 15 voting members with diverse backgrounds. ...
A bill to create a public registry of drug company gifts to physicians will be introduced in 2008 by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR).(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... A bill to create a public registry of drug company gifts to physicians will be introduced in 2008 by Rep ....
Responding to concerns about cough medicines labeled for children.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Responding to concerns about cough medicines labeled for children, Sen. Edward Kennedy (DMA) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) have introduced the ...
The FDA plans to create and staff inspection offices throughout China and India, and possibly other countries.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... The FDA plans to create and staff inspection offices throughout China and India, and possibly other countries, as a means to step up its regulatory enforcement of the ...
In its latest argument with the FDA's DDMAC.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... In its latest argument with the FDA's DDMAC, Washington Legal Foundation says a letter it sent to Eli Lilly over a Cymbalta professional mailer should be withdrawn because ...
Congress 'intimidating' FDA staffers.(WASHINGTON INSIDER)
Jan 01, 2008; ... FDA REVIEW staffers have been subjected to so many requests to brief congressional staff members and supply documents that there is an "intimidating" atmosphere, according to FDA deputy commissioner Janet Woodcock. She also told the Reuters Health Summit in November that ...
Direct-to-consumer ads upset 'learned intermediary' role.(WASHINGTON INSIDER)
Jan 01, 2008; ... STATE COURTS in West Virginia and New Jersey that declared the "learned intermediary" doctrine outmoded by DTC advertising were right on the money, according to Government Accountability Project executive director Mark Cohen. Writing in an online column in November, he said the ...
Quadrant HealthCom.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Quadrant HealthCom launched Physicians' Travel & Meeting Network, a portfolio of multimedia marketing products targeting physician ...
The Coalition for Healthcare Communication issued a statement in response to Rep. Henry Waxman's assault on pharmaceutical company's distribution of journal articles to doctors.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... The Coalition for Healthcare Communication issued a statement in response to Rep. Henry Waxman's assault on pharmaceutical company's distribution of journal articles to doctors, saying: "To suggest, as Congressman Waxman does, that healthcare practitioners and the ...
Wiley-Blackwell is relaunching its InfoPOEMs and InfoRetriever products under the name Essential Evidence Plus.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Wiley-Blackwell is relaunching its InfoPOEMs and InfoRetriever products under the name Essential Evidence Plus. InfoPOEMs and search application ...
Ascend pulls the plug on medical titles.(MEDIA NOTEPAD)(Acsend Media)(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008; ... ASCEND MEDIA is shedding its titles dependent on pharma ad revenue. The publisher will close Physician's Money Digest, Family Practice Recertification and Internal Medicine World Report, and is considering selling off the remainder of its Princeton, NJ, healthcare division, ...
YouTube for docs is big at Temple.(MEDIA NOTEPAD)(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008; ... A WOULD-BE "YouTube for doctors" has posted 70 videos from Temple University. The Doctor's Channel.com, founded by physicians Dr. David Best and Dr. Michael Banks, launched in August and features video of doctors talking about a range of medical and lifestyle issues, from ...
Publisher: Massachusetts Medical Society circulation: 500,000+.(MEDIA CHOICE)
Jan 01, 2008; ... The New England Journal of Medicine is by far the most pertinent and most respected medical publication in the world. It is a weekly peer review journal that has a very broad selection of in-depth papers in specialized areas from endocrinology to obesity to cardiology. I have always ...
How bad can journal ad drought get? Many primary care journals have gotten dangerously thin this year, with some major medical publishers folding pharma ad revenue-dependent titles or putting them up for sale. How far will the ripple effect go in healthcare publishing?(MEDIA FORUM)
Jan 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Morris Levitt, PhD Managing director, life sciences DeSilva + Phillips I don't think the ripple effect on medical specialty magazines will be anywhere near what it's been in primary care. The latter have taken a hit ...
Sermo launched its HotSpots feature.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Sermo launched its HotSpots feature, which contextually links to learning ...
During an MM&M webcast, Pfizer's Bob Kristofco, MSW, said pharma "continues to have an expectation for more outcomes-oriented CME.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... During an MM&M webcast, Pfizer's Bob Kristofco, MSW, said pharma "continues to have an expectation for more ...
Melissa Warner has assumed the role of SVP and general manager of CME LLC.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Melissa Warner has assumed the role of SVP and general manager of CME LLC. Other members of the accredited provider's team ...
Daniel Carlat, MD, vowed pro-bono visits to doctor's offices as a way to repay $30,000 he earned from paid lecturing.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Daniel Carlat, MD, vowed pro-bono visits to doctor's offices as a way to repay $30,000 he earned from paid ...
In an editorial (Academic Medicine, Dec. 2007), Michael Whitcomb, MD, called producing a capable physician workforce "the most important challenge facing academic medicine.".(Update)(Editorial)
Jan 01, 2008 ... In an editorial (Academic Medicine, Dec. 2007), Michael Whitcomb, MD, called producing a capable physician workforce "the most ...
Real-time education makes headlines.(CME REPORT)
Jan 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DO PHYSICIANS need a CNN for CME? Some vendors think so and are implementing real-time educational offerings. "The doctor will not accept in their consumer life what they accept in their professional life: that the forest fire happened two ...
Rep. Waxman leak unlikely to suppress off-label guidance.(CME REPORT)
Jan 01, 2008; ... THE CHAIRMAN of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform provoked industry exponents last month by leaking FDA draft guidance on off-label journal reprints. But while his move--on the eve of an election year, no less--filed some, it's unlikely to forestall the guidance or ...
Web watch.(E-MARKETING)
Jan 01, 2008; ... As another new year rolls around, it's time to pull out the crystal ball and forecast how the Internet will evolve in 2008. Here's how some industry thought leaders responded: In 2008 and beyond, discrete channels will matter less than the overall brand experiences. Now, ...
Revolution Health adds to its online health network.(E-MARKETING)
Jan 01, 2008; ... REVOLUTION HEALTH has acquired the online properties HealthTalk and SparkPeople in an attempt to challenge WebMD as the web's No. 1 health destination. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed. HealthTalk serves as an online health information network for patients and ...
ePharma Summit discusses the future.(E-MARKETING)
Jan 01, 2008; ... THE FUTURE OF e-marketing will be in focus from Jan. 28- Jan. 30 when the some of the top names in e-marketing gather at Philadelphia's Ritz Carlton Hotel for the Institute for International Research's seventh annual ePharma Summit. "2007 proved to be the year that ...
SK&A Information Services.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... SK&A Information Services named Tim Powell senior director of sales, a newly created position. Powell's most recent positions ...
HealthEd.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Vincent Dean Boyce joins HealthEd as senior interactive designer. Before joining HealthEd, Boyce conducted freelance work for Siemens Corporation. Robert Sadowski has been named as manager, information ...
MediZine.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MediZine announced the appointment of Sophia Tolstoy Penkrat as senior promotion manager ....
Skura Corporation.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Skura Corporation has signed a global agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim to provide the Skura SFX Suite Tablet PC ...
Bill seeks to license pharma sales reps.(DIRECT MARKETING)
Jan 01, 2008; ... THE DISTRICT OF Columbia could become the first jurisdiction within the country to require the licensing of pharmaceutical sales representatives, pending the outcome of a bill being voted on in the local DC Council. In December, the Council's representatives voted 7-6 in favor ...
Docs rate top specialty reps in survey.(DIRECT MARKETING)
Jan 01, 2008; ... PHYSICIANS WERE asked to rank the companies that have the best general sales reps, specialty sales reps, and medical science liaisons as part of "Specialty Reps 2007:An Influential Force," a recent Verispan survey of 4,000 physicians from across 24 different specialties. Here's ...
Harte-Hanks adds to digital practice.(DIRECT MARKETING)
Jan 01, 2008; ... HARTE-HANKS HAS announced a series of changes and promotions as it enhances its digital practice area. Glen Hartman has been promoted to managing director of the digital practice. Previously, Hartman led Harte-Hanks as an SVP for digital marketing for data-based marketing ...
The European Commission.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... The European Commission drew fire from patient and public health advocacy groups for a public consultation on matters regarding regulation of the pharma ...
Mr. Mucus is going to work for Reckitt Benckiser, which bought Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, maker of the heavily advertised Mucinex franchise, for $2.3 billion.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mr. Mucus is going to work for Reckitt Benckiser, which bought Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, maker of the heavily advertised Mucinex ...
In an analyst.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... In an analyst call, Merck EVP and CFO Peter Kellogg said the company plans "continued DTC efforts for Singulair and Januvia as well as ...
A federal judge ruled that a false advertising suit against McNeil Nutritionals can proceed.(Update)
Jan 01, 2008 ... A federal judge ruled that a false advertising suit against McNeil Nutritionals can proceed. Sugar growers are suing the ...
DTC spend declined in third quarter.(DTC REPORT)(direct to consumer)
Jan 01, 2008; ... COULD DTC BE going the way of detailing? DTC spending declined 7.1% in the third quarter--the first decline in recent memory--to $1.125 billion as companies pruned print, radio and network TV advertising, according to Nielsen Media Research data. While network TV ad ...
Doc knocks DTC diagnostic ads.(DTC REPORT)(direct to consumer)(Erin Tracy)(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008; ... WRITING IN THE December issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Dr. Erin Tracy said DTC ads for genetic tests are virtually unregulated and tests are costly and oft-misunderstood by consumers. Referring to the BracAnalysis ad campaign by Myriad Genetics, Tracy said: "Some patients with no risk ...
Johnson & Johnson's Cordis.(DTC REPORT)
Jan 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] JOHNSON & JOHNSON'S CORDIS extended its DTC campaign for its Cypher stent onto the airwaves with a TV spot bearing the tagline: "Life wide open." The "Manifesto" ad, which debuted during the Thanksgiving Jets-Cowboys game, ...
PR view.(PUBLIC RELATIONS)
Jan 01, 2008; ... The consumer has arrived in health. UnitedHealth Group reported in December that it had lost 315,000 customers due to poor customer service. It's time to think about the implications of meeting the expectations of today's customer within the structures that bind us as health communicators ....
PhRMA PPA spokesman snaps, scores bad press.(PUBLIC RELATIONS)
Jan 01, 2008; ... MONTEL WILLIAMS, the talkshow host and spokesman for PhRMA's Partnership for Prescription Assistance, generated some unwelcome publicity when he lashed out at a 17-year-old intern from a Savannah, GA, newspaper at a November event for the patient assistance program. In a ...
Wadler to head MWW health offering.(PUBLIC RELATIONS)(MWW GROUP to appoint Ame Wadler)(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008; ... MWW GROUP named Ame Wadler EVP, chief management officer and global healthcare practice leader. Wadler, who was previously chief strategic officer and global healthcare practice chair for Burson-Marsteller, is charged with leading the strategic direction of the agency, along ...
Vantage point.(MARKETING RESEARCH)(pharmaceutical companies research)(Report)(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008; ... In December we predicted a wild ride in 2008 for pharmaceutical marketing research. Well, the new year is here, and to get ready this is what I think we need to do. First and foremost is training. While our professional organizations are attempting to ramp up programs on how to ...
Analytics pros more than just 'quants,' says study.(MARKETING RESEARCH)(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008; ... MARKET research departments of a number of life science companies incorporate analytics functions, either partially or fully, a study shows. These functions run the gamut from forecasting and sales force analytics to competitive intelligence and market sizing, along with eight others. ...