As reported in MediaPost Marketing Daily,  the results are in from marketing services firm Epsilon.  Consumers would rather learn about prescription drugs via Web sites and email than through traditional offline advertising and marketing…  While an in-person conversation still topped the list of sources for new information, Epsilon reported that receiving an email from a physician was significantly less desirarble at just 14%.   Other findings include: Consumers who opt to receive emails from pharmaceutical companies are more likely to fill prescriptions and take them properly (42% of respondents said the emails have a direct impact on such offline activities). More loyal to the sender’s products and brands (60% said they have a more favorable opinion of the senders, 53% expressed more loyalty to those products and brands, and 44% said they are more likely to stay on a drug). Read more »

Warning letters. Off-label promotion. Adverse drug reaction reporting. These are compelling reasons why pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device marketers should be nervous about social media. Read more »

URCH reports in their newly available Cancer Market Trends 2008 – 2012 that Roche is expected to overtake Amgen as the top seller of oncology products. Only Genentech and Merck are expected to post double digit growth, causing a shift in balance for former leaders anofi-Aventis, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. Read more »

Drug, biologics, and device manufacturers can now distribute journal articles detailing off-label use of their products according to Medical Marketing Media and information posted in The Federal Register this week. Don’t Ask.  Don’t Tell. Read more »

To many business people information technology is neither “sexy” nor very interesting. To persuade this type of audience you need to appeal to both mind and heart. In working with time-starved pharmaceutical and medical device marketers, we’ve met with great success using a one-two approach:  Appeal to logic. Read more »