In the latest attempt to kill DTC, Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) tried to amend the Trump tax bill with an elimination of the tax deductibility of DTC as a business expense. It was defeated. This is the umpteenth time this tactic has been tried by Congress hostile to the drug industry. I have lots of […]
Time to have a little fun with the unknown. Predictions are nice for stimulating discussion so here goes. The DTC spending will increase modestly in 2018 by around 5%. Some of that increase is media cost inflation. So, I am expecting a strong year but not a boom in spending. FDA will not take any […]
ViiV drug Triumeq for HIV just launched a television campaign. HIV drugs have not used television historically choosing instead targeted print as its main media. The number of people who have HIV is about 1.1 million in the United States. HIV can be successfully treated and newer drugs have turned what was once a deadly […]
A week ago, my wife Debra broke her hip in a fall. The experience has given me a better appreciation of our health care system. While not perfect, I am impressed with the speed and quality of the care American style. That is, the for profit hospital was interested in her satisfaction as a customer. […]
The widely reported story that Amazon is considering entering the prescription drug market has made current drug sellers nervous. Could Amazon revolutionize drug sales? Or, would they just be another mail order supplier in a crowded market? The answer is unclear. Amazon certainly has the strength to cut deals with drug companies, insurers and major […]
My question to the DTC community is why can’t we come together with FDA and make DTC advertising more understandable. I am not talking just about risks but also benefits and indications. We are all letting the approved label dictate how we say what we say. That label information is generally not consumer friendly. Consumers […]
With the failure to come up with an alternative to Obamacare, Congress has left drug companies in a more precarious position. The goal was to make health care more free market oriented and less government controlled. That would have created more competition among health care providers and insurance companies. Patients would have more choice and […]
The FDA is starting the process of possibly reducing the required number of risks presented in television ads. They have opened a docket to solicit public input on 8 questions they raised. I expect this process to be lengthy as speed has never been a guiding principle of the FDA’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion […]
I see doctors more than I used to due to my advancing age. That gives me a chance to see more point of care marketing as I go to my many specialists for a variety of ailments. I often wonder how much patients are receptive to being educated while in the waiting room or in […]
In what may be a major step towards reducing the litany of risks presented in DTC television ads, the FDA released their new study that shows that less risks presented is better for consumer comprehension and retention. While saying further study is needed, FDA cleared the way for perhaps eventually changing its guidance on the […]
