FDA’s Chang and Eng: Benefit vs. Risk
As reported in the Wall Street Journal, "A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee found that GlaxoSmithKline PLC's diabetes drug Avandia is tied to...
GSK’s Race-based Herpes Awareness Campaign
Both the Department of Health and Human Services and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reject routine screening for genital herpes. A federal...
Social Network Analysis Good for Obesity Drug Marketing and Beyond!
You've probably played the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon in which players attempt to connect any film actor in history to Kevin Bacon...
Why Do DTC Ads – “Viva Viagra” included – Stink?
Lately, we've been witnessing a regression of sorts in the quality of DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) Rx drug ads. The recent "Viva Viagra" ad, for example,...
Viva Viagra Ad is No Cure for Morte Sales
According to a report on Bloomberg.com, "Pfizer is struggling to boost sales of Viagra, which have fallen 11 percent to $1.7 billion since 2003,...
Mandatory Vaccination Controversy Did Not Hurt Gardasil Sales!
According to the Wall Street Journal health Blog:"Looking at the numbers Merck is posting for sales of its cervical-cancer vaccine Gardasil, the Health Blog...
Proximity Marketing: From Urinals to Doctors’ Offices, Track Your “Target”
I never liked using urinals and now I have more reason not to: something called "proximity marketing."An interesting example of this technique was highlighted...
Exubera TV Ad Lacks Bong, er, I mean Bang!
Pfizer's Exubera ad campaign has begun, not with a bong, but with a whimper!July is turning out to be a cruel month for Pfizer,...
What do Abe Lincoln, a beaver, and a bong have in common?
If you guessed negative Return on Investment, you win!Pfizer, the largest pharmaceutical company in the world, is about to join the League of Undistinguished...
The “RLS Gene” Story: Requip Ad Disguised as News on ABC
I couldn't believe my eyes and my ears last night when ABC News devoted significant air time to a story that it claimed "will...
