The New Engagement Channel: Physician Networks
Tags: Pharma, Bayer Schering Pharma, physician social networks, physicians, engagementLen Starnes, the Head of Digital Marketing & Sales, General Medicine at Bayer Schering Pharma, has long been regarded as a thought leader and trailblazer among Pharma executives when it comes to effectively leveraging social media. He recently shared a fantastic article on the impact physician networks are having across the world and how Pharma is moving to actively engage providers through each network.
Read more » « CollapseThe Limits of Manufacturer Accountability in Social Media
Tags: Pharma, Bayer Schering Pharma, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Oglivy, Sanofi-Aventis, FDAIn its call for public comments on the promotion of regulated medical products using the internet and social media, the FDA sparked renewed interest in the role the agency's guidelines might play in pharma's embrace or avoidance of social media. While many manufacturers have moved forward with innovative programs (See the Pharma and Healthcare Social Media Wiki) there are still organizations unsure or simply unwilling to engage online in an uncertain regulatory environment.
It's easy for some to accept that fear and hesitancy are warranted when billion dollar blockbuster drug franchises and patient safety are at stake. Yet, those of us who believe the power of the social web can improve both the bottom line and the public good will continue to push pharma to engage more openly and effectively online. As an example, Digital Pharma Europe is being hosted by Bayer Schering Pharma in Berlin this week. While I cannot attend in person, I will follow along via twitter (use #digpharm) and am encouraged by the fact that Bayer, among others, is taking social media seriously in Europe. Joining with Bayer in their respective comments to the FDA, manufacturers demonstrated they can come together to provide a near unanimous opinion on issues relating to the use of social media (See our summary of PhRMA comments here).
When it comes to defining what they should be held accountable for online, PhRMA, Abbot Labs, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, and Sepracor seek to limit accountability to content that is company owned and controlled. Novartis proposes that companies “should only be held accountable for those online communications which they directly own or control", while Pfizer distinguishes between company-controlled web properties and company-controlled content, saying that “statements by unregulated persons on manufacturer-hosted (or -supported) online forums are not statements by the manufacturers themselves.”
If the FDA adopted these recommendations today, would manufacturers more fully embrace social media? One would hope so, but in the absence of formal guidance, manufacturers still hesitate to engage openly with patients and providers alike. Behind closed walls on manufacturer sponsored or controlled private sites for patients and providers, some allow real conversations to take place. However, on the public sites they control, such as branded and unbranded Facebook pages, most manufacturers restrict commenting and often disable posting all together. If patients and providers can't engage the brand or company in an open conversation online because the manufacturer fears being held accountable for their statements, how much value does a presence on Facebook really provide? Clearly, we need to encourage more open, engaging and credible conversations in these settings. Without such an approach, we will continue to see manufacturers stumble in their social media efforts, as recent events illustrate.
Read more »
« Collapse
