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 […]
The Vaccine makers have been very active using DTC to build awareness for some very serious diseases. Prevnar 13 from Pfizer has had a high spend campaign for its pneumonia vaccine. HPV has also been prominently promoted by Merck for Gardasil. Recently two new vaccines for meningitis B have hit the market and are going […]
Many recent FDA warning letters involve what they say are distracting visuals during risk discussion. Last year Otezla and Toujeo were cited for that. A recent study using eye tracking reinforced their view that visual backgrounds on TV ads are potentially hurting comprehension of risks. Drug makers frequently mention some of the risks using supers […]
The Novartis psoriasis drug Cosentyx has taken an interesting approach on use of a celebrity. Rather than have a celebrity alone plug a drug this new ad mixes Cyndi with regular folks. It makes her seem like just another psoriasis sufferer who happens to be a famous pop star rather than the celebrity spokesperson for […]
With the failure of the Republicans to pass repeal and replace we are left wondering what next. We are now at increased risk of drug pricing and DTC regulation. As now it appears that Republicans and Democrats will come up jointly with a salvage plan for Obamacare, drug makers will be in the crosshairs to […]
