Category Archives: Prescription drug DTC marketing

The sad state of pharma DTC marketing

Posted on May 15, 2012 | 1 Comment

First let me say my fair balance: I am on the editorial advisory board for PM 360 magazine and write monthly articles on DTC marketing for them.  Now that I got that out of the way I recently had a chance to look through a competitors magazine and could not help but wonder if anyone, I mean anyone, has any idea just how much marketing has changed ? Continue reading →

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New drug product launches in the age of the blockbuster

Posted on May 1, 2012 | Leave a comment

As the “age of the blockbusters”  is arguably coming to a close, we are still seeing a few big drug launches. These are anticipated to begin growing again if last year’s near-record number of approvals truly is a beginning of a trend. Things may be different this time as regulators and payers are moving now more in a lock-step that should accelerate uptake in the early months of drug approval.     Continue reading →

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Can patients trust new drugs ?

Posted on April 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

The warnings are running all over TV here in Souther California “Pradaxa is responsible for 260 deaths. If you took Pradaxa call the law offices of…”  You have to believe that these ads are doing a lot of damage to patients who are now questioning whether they should keep taking their prescription medications because of risks. Continue reading →

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Drug samples: Great for patients or a marketing gimmick ?

Posted on March 21, 2012 | 11 Comments

There has been a lot of debate online about prescription drug samples that are given to patients by physicians.  Some within the industry see samples as a way to “get patients hooked” as they say.  They argue that samples lead to more expensive brand name drugs recommendations and thus cost patients more than generics.  I believe that prescription drug samples provide both the patient and the HCP with a way to treat patients via free medications and in the end isn’t that the objective ? Continue reading →

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Women Boomers: Let me do some online research before I fill that Rx

Posted on March 15, 2012 | 4 Comments

44% of women research prescribed drugs using multiple sources before filling a script, a survey found, suggesting that marketing efforts targeting Boomer women, in particular, must focus less on brand awareness and more on the post-script conversation. Continue reading →

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Posted in Focus on patients, Prescription drug DTC marketing

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DTC Advertising: Is it worth the money ?

Posted on March 12, 2012 | 4 Comments

While we like to think that DTC advertising drives business objectives and results in new Rx’s I believe that DTC advertising has become less effective over the last few years because of the continued issues around drug safety and consumers who   do their homework before asking for a prescription drug Rx. Continue reading →

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The conversion path to an Rx is rarely a straight line

Posted on December 19, 2011 | 1 Comment

With less people going to see their doctor and with non-compliance and adherence at record high levels the path to conversion for Rx drugs has become a journey from one point to another.  Pharma marketers have to ensure that their marketing mix is optimized for each channel so that DTC marketing can have maximum impact and ROI. Continue reading →

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Some new fundamental features that every health site should have

Posted on December 15, 2011 | 11 Comments

The Internet is moving at light speed but a lot of IT organizations move at a turtles pace compared to what’s happening with technology.   Here are some fundamentals that every health site (product.com website) should have now. Continue reading →

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Posted in Internet, Prescription drug DTC marketing

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Pharma continues to waste money on TV

Posted on December 13, 2011 | 6 Comments

Drugmakers spent nearly $3.1 billion during the first nine months of this year on DTC advertising, a 3 percent increase from $2.95 million during the same period a year earlier, according to Nielsen. .  The bulk of the recent spending was on television ads, which amounted to $1.93 billion, or 63 percent of all spending. Moreover, television ad spending rose 2 percent.  Why are DTC marketers so in love with TV advertising ?  Because they just don’t don’t get it. Continue reading →

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The most important paid media for pharma ? Websites !

Posted on December 8, 2011 | 1 Comment

CRM Metrix is a great resource.  They have just released their findings on the most important channel (media mix) for a number of products including pharma/OTC.  Number one for pharma was friends/family, followed by professional (i.e. physicians) and the most important paid media was a website.  So why do so many pharma website suck ? Continue reading →

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Physician visits by privately insured patients decline 17%:Recommendations for DTC Marketers

Posted on November 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

Physician office visits by privately insured patients younger than 65 have fallen 17% in two years, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis released Nov. 15.    The quarterly number of office visits by privately insured patients had reached 160 million by 2005 then was at a plateau until the recession hit, according to an analysis prepared for Kaiser at Stanford University using data collected by IMS Health. Continue reading →

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Posted in Focus on patients, Prescription drug DTC marketing

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