Archive for the ‘ health ’ Category
Launching any company into social media requires planning, integration of multiple departments and a strong training program. On the outside, social media may appear to be all “likes” and “tweets,” but opening a new communication channel within a regulated global brand requires a measured and thoughtful approach. We’re excited to share that on Thursday. September [...]
Back in February, Peggy Hamburg, M.D., Commissioner of The Food & Drug Administration, made some interesting comments at the Council on Foreign Relations: * The new reality of food and drug regulation is that it’s global. In fact, it should be a topic for conversation at the next meeting of the G20. * The recent [...]
Ah, the brief summary. Inside the FDA many joke that it is like the Holy Roman Empire – neither brief nor a summary. And if you want to throw in “fair balance and adequate provision,” well, go right ahead. Same issue – too much information equals not enough comprehension. It’s not a new [...]
Interesting article by Gardiner Harris in the New York Times, “As Physicians’ Jobs Change, So Do Their Politics.” And, although there is a lot of conditional phraseseology (“could mean this,” “could mean that”), it raises some interesting points and is worth some discussion. Reporters (especially those covering health care issues) are keen to say, “The [...]
What’s the difference between “advertising” and “information?” Consider the interesting (but somewhat byzantine) decision from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on the “advertising” of medicines. The ruling in MSD Sharp & Dohme GmbH v. Merckle GmbH, handed down on May 5, seeks to define the boundaries of acceptable information provision so [...]
The use of social media by regulated industry is faltering because of fear, timidity, and misunderstanding. I’d like to make five main points that are often overlooked or misconstrued when we discuss social media in the context of regulated speech: 1. There is a difference between online advertising and social media When the FDA sent [...]
To paraphrase Douglas MacArthur, “The patient, and the patient and the patient.” That’s my optimistic take-away from yesterday’s Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors meeting. But, you know what they say about best intentions. The session began on a less than auspicious note with a PowerPoint presentation from the PCORI-retained public relations firm [...]
As the weather turns warmer and you’re looking for some beach reading, may I recommend FDA’s, “Strategic Priorities 2011-2015: Responding to the Public Health Challenges of the 21st Century.” And therein the first issue. If the FDA views it’s job as only responding to challenges, which needs to change. The FDA needs to be a [...]
I’ve just returned from deep in the heart of America’s Medicine Chest (Princeton, NJ), where I was proud to chair the Social Media for Pharma conference. The conversation included when FDA guidelines might be released, and if it even matters; the appropriate balance between sales and education; the role of the digitally empowered health [...]
“Newspeak,” as Orwellian cognoscenti know, is the official language of Big Brother, designed “not to extend but to diminish the range of thought.” Its goal was to “make all other modes of thought impossible.” Which brings us from the nightmare fantasy of 1984 to the health care debate of 2011 and the concept of “cost-think.” [...]