The worst part of the Zika story we know so far, is that we do not know nearly enough to combat it in a meaningful way. First it was just an exotic STD from South America. Then it turns out to be a virus that could cause severe disability in newborns. As of August 2016, […]
Everyone has an opinion on drug ads. From skits on Saturday Night Live, to the halls of Congress we hear critics mock DTC. Last week I criticized the 9/12 Ad Age story citing terror tactics used by drug marketers. The managing editor, Ken Wheaton, of Ad Age decided to write a follow up column telling […]
The latest critical DTC story just appeared in Ad Age on 9/12. It deserves comment because it seems off base. In the title it says big pharma is using terror tactics to scare up sales. The crux of the story is how drug companies are shifting to creative approaches using scare tactics in their ads. […]
The drug companies made Hillary’s enemies list earlier this year along with Iran, the Republicans, and the NRA. She now has a plan to ensure drug prices do not rise higher than whatever she thinks is fair. The essence of her plan is to allow government to decide whether a drug price increase is justified. […]
Restasis, the dry eye drug from Allergan will soon see major competition. Shire’s drug Xiidra was recently approved and now widely available. Their unbranded DTC campaign just began with A list star Jennifer Aniston as its spokesperson. This huge market of 16 million sufferers will now have two brands battling it out on the DTC […]
The FDA has done a mixed job overseeing patient side effect education. Consumers have a right to know what the possible side effects are for any medication. They also need to know the real odds of getting them. The FDA has regulated the first well. Patients do get to see and hear the litany of […]
The theme of this month’s DTC in Focus newsletter is “From the Patient’s POV”, so I want to start with a little experiment. Si escribo esta frase en español, va a entender? Did you understand that? The Spanish sentence simply says, “If I write this sentence in Spanish, will you understand?” I’ll admit that I […]
Nothing makes one better at their job as a healthcare marketing art director than actually experiencing healthcare firsthand. I’ve always been relatively healthy – doing my fair share of exercising physically and mentally, and eating “kinda” well. I rarely visited my doctor’s office, except for the usual appointments. More honestly, I steered clear of doctor visits almost […]
Part 1: Testing And the Lancing Device Editor’s Note: Last month, DTC Perspectives’ President & Chief Operating Officer, Scott Ehrlich, was diagnosed with diabetes. Join us in the multi-part series as he shares a first-hand account of his experiences as he moves along his treatment journey. About a month ago, I went for a blood test and found […]
Shire and Digitas Health LifeBrands (the agency of record) announced a new celebrity spokesperson today, partnering with Jennifer Aniston to raise awareness and understanding of chronic dry eye. By sharing her own experiences with the condition, she hopes to “educate and inspire people” to learn and communicate more with their healthcare professional. According to the news […]
