Professional Documents
Culture Documents
REPORT ON PATIENT-CENTERED MARKETING: Expect new rules and guidelines as regulators recognize impact of strategy • 4
INNOVATION REVIEWS: Is it ethnographic research, or just getting a cultural perspective? • 8
Healthcare
The future
MY TURN: Leave decisions regarding choice of therapies to doctors and their patients • 14
likely more
• June 30, 2009 • • www.pharmacongress.info
receptive to
10 digital marketing ideas pharma
Marketing
private sector
companies will never try (but should) IMS exec says long-
standing ideological
I
Pharma blogger challenges industry to put a clamp on all the talk, and jump in
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40016917
G
This blog post seemed to capture a sense of the FIGURE THIS ARTICLE IS THE ONE that’ll the time. So, in an effort to move the
By Ian J.S. Moore
frustration many marketers are experiencing as get the most comments ever. It’s going debate along to something different, I of THE CHRONICLE OF HEALTHCARE MARKETING
pharma slowly adapts to new methods of inter- to be the one that probably outrages decided to come up with a list of 10 other
acting with their customers—doctors and you the most or makes you think that I’ve digital marketing initiatives that pharma OVERNMENT EFFORTS TO CON-
patients. The post is reprinted here with permis- completely lost it (which perhaps I have). companies could try that make basic social strain and control annual
sion, and we suspect you’re going to have a lot to Here’s why I’m writing this. I’ve got- media programs look like child’s play. increases in healthcare costs—
say about Richman’s view. Send us an email at ten really tired of all the discussion about I’m fairly sure that no company is and the debate on how to accomplish a
social media in pharma and healthcare. ready to take these on, but they should sustainable system—will transform
health@chronicle.org
I’ve grown bored with all the debates on start getting ready. Some of these just Canadian healthcare in the years ahead
By Jonathan Richman why these industries should use social might be the next big marketing channel and will likely result in making the sys-
Special to THE CHRONICLE OF media, and this is despite the fact that I or idea that’ll vault some company ahead tem more receptive to the private sec-
HEALTHCARE MARKETING find myself writing and talking about it all Turn to 10 ideas, page 9 tor, says an official with IMS Health.
“The long-standing ideological
barriers between the two sectors are
Dollars for diabetes coming down,” John Pye, editor of
Members of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Canada (JDRF) opened the TSX on June 12 to salute the 21st Health Edition and principal author of
the report PharmaFocus 2013 told a
annual Toronto Ride for Diabetes Research campaign. The 2009 ride takes place on Sept. 25 at Nathan Phillips Square, where
recent update meeting for the compa-
1,500 corporate teams will help the JDRF reach their goal of raising $2.5-million in Toronto. (CNW Group/TSX Group)
ny’s clients in Toronto.
“This creates tremendous oppor-
© MMIX, All rights reserved. Chronicle I/R Ltd.
Take your brand to new heights with North America’s Health & Lifestyle Agency. Call Kevin Brady at 416-960-3830.
Patient-c
centered marketing
4 · June 30, 2009 The Chronicle of Healthcare
Marketing
I
N AN ENVIRONMENT its newer agents, the marketing emphasis is
where diabetics can now on recruiting physicians, nurses, pharma-
cists and other healthcare pros to help
use their iPods to get enrol this newest patient in a program pro-
information about their claiming the health benefits of adherence.
of
of m mos
moost
os
o st
most
complaints from the public, Health Canada core to the thinking when companies are
is expected to issue a new advisory reiterat- designing programs and services instead of
ing its own regulations for direct-to-con-
sumer advertising early this summer.. pat
pa t i ent
patient-ent-
en t- concentrating so much on the representa-
tive-doctor dialogue.
“They’re not happy with the current cent
ce
cen nte
nt
n teered
ter
centered “And physicians themselves are saying
mar
ma r k et
marketingetin
etiin
ing
i ng
state of affairs,” Ray Chepesiuk, PAAB ‘We’re not seeing enough value from hav-
commissioner, reports. “It’s not the fact ing all their representatives bombard our
pro
pr o g rra
programs ams
ram
that the [Schedule D] ads are out there, it’s offices.’”
that they don’t have fair balance-risk infor- Will the shift from pro to patient
mation.” move market share? The answer is “yes”
The problem, according to the and “no” so far, according to Swainson. If
Commish, is that some pharma advertisers patient-centric marketing is defined as
take a second kick at the can by submitting attempts to find the most efficient channel
their DTCA efforts for Schedule D products to sales, the answer is affirmative. If efforts
to Advertising Standards Canada for the new media have multiplied so rapidly in them into the are defined as DTC advertising, the answer
approval, if they are turned down by the recent years, iPhone applications are now future.” is negative.
PAAB. available for diabetics to access informa- Adherence to “It’s still about your interaction with
“With DTC ads [advertisers] can go to tion on the symptoms, diagnosis, and care prescribed medica- the physician, but really centering your
ASC or they can come here,” he notes. of the disease, as easily as one looks for a tions is the main rea- promotional efforts on how to help the
C h e p e s iu k
“We told them to put fair balance in, so restaurant’s location and phone number. son for pharmas’ en- patient.”
they chose to go to ASC and ASC didn’t “You can even link your glucose mon- thusiasm for patient- Crucial to marketing success, he adds,
require fair balance. itor to the iPhone and track your glucose centric programs, ag- is the initial step of making it easier for the
“It’s a black eye on the industry. reading,” he reports. rees James Cran, physician to introduce a new medication to
They’re correcting ads—and there are “It’s changing so quickly and the founder and head the patient. Providing sophisticated ser-
more ads coming—and they don’t know dynamics are good. It’s an exciting new honcho at Antibody, vices oriented to the patient will help to
what the hell they’re doing over there.” frontier. The question is controlling it, so it Toronto, because add new patient starts as well as maintain
Chepesiuk believes Health Canada is doesn’t get out of hand.” most new medicat- adherence to scripts.
the original source of the problem, having Patient-centric marketing is getting ions take a long time M c E l w a in
One service option, he says, is
giving ASC permission to review and more promo dollars because pharmas are before they can gain Advanced Speech Recognition (ASR), soft-
approve DTCA campaigns a few years ago, disappointed with the results of their a listing on provincial ware programming, that uses pre-recorded
but failing to enforce their own Health direct-to-consumer advertising, according formularies and pri- professional voices in automated telephone
Canada regulations. to Mark McElwain, vee-pee, the Wellness vate carrier plans. calls to patients.
“It gives self-regulation a black eye,” Group at Allard-Johnson Communicat- “In the old days “When individuals are enrolled in the
he says. “And anybody knows that when ions, Toronto. if we got three program they have to agree to receive these
politicians start asking questions about “My general feeling has been that the patients and lost two, calls, which have a message that has been
self-regulation and the more often Health tide is running away from mass advertising we didn’t really care approved by the company and has gone
Canada has to intervene, they’re going to to consumers,” he says, referring to a because all the mar- through PAAB,” Swainson explains.
report of a substantial drop in DTCA phar- kets like hypertension, In one program, 82 per cent of
Cr an
write regulations like Bill C-51 and they’re
going to write more regulations.” ma advertising in the US last year. high cholesterol, and patients in a group which had been tele-
Kevin Brady, captain at Anderson “Mass spending on consumers may be erectile dysfunction phoned at two-month intervals about their
DDB Health and Lifestyle, Toronto, says less effective than trying to speak to were very new disor- treatment regimen with a statin were still
patients, people who have been prescribed ders and growing taking the medication after six months,
the medicine. They are open to different beyond belief.” compared to only 18 per cent of those who
This SPECIAL REPORT was compiled rules and regulations than consumers, and No surprise, had not been contacted via the ASR sys-
by Ian J.S. Moore, a frequent contribu- companies can say more to them, making then, that when a tem, Swainson said.
tor to THE CHRONICLE OF HEALTHCARE sure they take the meds correctly, which pharma gets a new
MARKETING increases the odds they will keep on taking patient using one of Turn to Adherence/compliance, page 6
Sw ai ns on
HCM_June_2009.qxd:HCM_June_2009_rar8 ms vers.qxd 7/2/09 1:49 PM Page 5
g
e
HCM_June_2009.qxd:HCM_June_2009_rar8 ms vers.qxd 7/2/09 1:49 PM Page 6
colliding
in getting the outcomes in patient
beneficial to brand leaders because ing one
activity you wanted.”
opportunities for converting The world of the physician and the world “The world of the physician
medium is
unaware patients to a specific not usually a
and the world of the consumer
of the consumer are
product are greater. wise idea.
are colliding at light speed,” says
The second is the area where Physicians
Rick Smith, prexy of the health-
at light speed
follow-up is necessary to ensure want to be
care division at Torre, Lazure,
compliance or dosage administra- kept up to
McCann, Toronto. “Without
tion—as in cases of hyperten- speed on
ads for both, your client isn’t
M c Even ue
critical, new
information,
and people
are going to
look up
everything
from the
mildest
medical con-
dition, and
W h it e h e a d
they want
information
to describe
what’s going
on to a
physician.
“This
isn’t just
online, it’s B e rc o v i t z
in any com-
munication
form you
want to
make. It
should be
relevant,
and should
create a B o u r re
response.”
Paul
Whitehead,
the main
man at
Information
Display
Systems,
Toronto, is F o l le t t
another
media mixer.
“Any one medium can be
successful,” he says, “but the
more you can integrate them and
offer patients more options, the
better for everybody, patient,
physician and provider.”
His company concentrates
on point-of-care items such as
proprietary brochure display sys-
tems, a poster network and mag-
azines, such as the Canadian
Medical Association’s Canadian
Health Magazine, and more re-
cently narrow-cast television net-
work for doctors’ offices.
“If the patient is proactive
and wants information, there’s no
better place than the doctor’s
office for the mind set and the
credibility, the doctor being there.
Print materials are still effec-
tive contenders in the media mix,
he adds, referring to the firm’s
research showing brochures and
Turn to Patients, page 12
HCM_June_2009.qxd:HCM_June_2009_rar8 ms vers.qxd 7/2/09 1:49 PM Page 7
Newspaper editor says implications of movement to social media will impact how businesses are organized
twenty-somethings, he added, as “You should have one of tal media and research, CTV- judging and results from other
P
By Ian J.S. Moore
of THE CHRONICLE OF the Obama election team demon- everything,” he advised. “Try and Rogers Olympic consortium, said competitions, as well as enabling
strated effectively when it intro- correct the information when about social media sites. “You viewers to create their own high-
HEALTHCARE MARKETING
HARMA AND JUST ABOUT duced the candidate’s Briefing someone’s got something wrong won’t automatically be in the Top light reels from various events.
every other business orga- Book, incorporating the views of and try and do it politely and in 10 online overnight.” The network also plans to
nization in the world today potential voters in policy decisions. context wherever the conversa- He outlined network plans to integrate user-generated content
function in an environment Individuals and groups tion is occurring. make extensive use of social media into site content, he added, and
where all media, including news- including business firms would do “The best way to understand in its preparations for and cover- intends to “wigidize” the content
papers, radio, and television, well to pay attention to social the social media is to become a age of the 2010 Olympics. CTV for broad distribution.
should be considered social media conversations and also par- part of it. So, dive in.” will “embrace” YouTube as a dis- “We use Twitter to track
media, and the implications are ticipate in the conversations “If you build it, they won’t tribution channel and encourage what people are saying about
profound in terms of how busi- through blogging, Twitter, RSS key necessarily come, unless you work user participation, allowing view- CTV Olympics,” Marcovici said,
ness is organized and operated, and other searches, he suggested. it,” Alon Marcovici, vee-pee digi- ers to comment on figure skating Turn to Social media, page 8
says a Toronto newspaper editor.
“I don’t think any media is
really the same anymore in any
way, any media that you look at,”
Mathew Ingram, communities
editor for The Globe and Mail
newspaper told a spring meeting
of the Ontario Pharmaceutical
Marketing Association.
“It’s effectively becoming
social, whether it wants to or not.”
According to Ingram, tradi-
tional media are viewed as a one-
way channel—much like a mega-
phone—but social media is a
crowd with every individual try-
ing to do something.
“Once you get past all the
goofy companies with the stupid
names and bizarre business mod-
"SFZPVMPPLJOHGPSJEFBTUP
els, it’s just people trying to con-
nect with other people who are
interested in the same things that
they’re interested in,” he said.
MBVODI
HSPX
PS FYUFOEUIF
Some sociologists have cate-
gorized this interest as ambient
awareness, or a network of weak
links. Interestingly, research has
MJGFDZDMFPGZPVSCSBOE
shown these links are better than
strong ones for exposing an indi-
vidual to new ideas.
They’re also thrashing tradi-
tional media when it comes to
readers or site visitors. The New
York Times has a daily readership
of two million, and its web site
attracts another 650,000 so-called
visitors. But Facebook, the social
networking site, has more than
6.5 million visitors each day and
the numbers are growing at 100
per cent year over year. At last
count, Twitter was growing at
1,300 per cent year over year.
QIBSNBDFVUJDBMFYQFSUJTFJOTJHIUT
STORM FORMS AROUND ISSUE
Blogs also have many readers, 350
QBUJFOUDFOUSJDJOOPWBUJPO
million on a regular basis, accord-
ing to Ingram, and companies
ºIFBMUIDBSFUIJOLJOH
would do well to avoid being the
subject of a blog “storm” which
can form quickly around an issue.
“You don’t necessarily want
to find either yourself or your 'PS TUSBUFHJD TVQQPSU JOOPWBUJWF UPPMT TVDI BT QBUJFOUPSJFOUFE EJHJUBM
WPJDF
organization in the middle of one
of these storms, but it’s probably
SFJNCVSTFNFOUDBSEQSJOUNFEJBBMPOHXJUIDPNQMFUFQMBOOJOH
NBSLFUBDDFTT
going to happen to some of you,” BOEUSBJOJOHTVQQPSUTFFPVSXFCTJUFPSFNBJMVTBUDNBSUJO!DTMJGFTDJFODFDPN
Ingram remarked, referring to
one storm launched by “Motrin
Moms” against a particular
McNeil consumer ad campaign.
XXXDTMJGFTDJFODFDPN
Social media are not the
exclusive domain of teenagers and
HCM_June_2009.qxd:HCM_June_2009_rar8 ms vers.qxd 7/2/09 1:49 PM Page 8
A better understanding of this customer group may well lead the pharma marketer to more effective tactics
THE CHRONICLE OF HEALTHCARE and why people act in a certain way. In
MARKETING presents the second instalment in a essence it is gaining an understanding of
feature series intended to critically assess new cultural perspectives. In the healthcare set-
tools, technologies, and tactics available to the ting a group of patients with a particular
pharma marketer from a range of Canadian and “ . . . w h a t p e o p l e sa y disease may develop their own culture and
international suppliers. In this issue, Andrew hence behave differently than those with-
Senior looks at ethnographic research. does not always reflect out it. Finally the research method is
what they do, and we exploratory, and open. It is more useful at
have been basing
identifying issues rather than testing a
T
By Andrew Senior
Special to THE CHRONICLE
hypothesis. However, the nature of
OF HEALTHCARE MARKETING
d ec i s i o ns ethnography allows it to both learn and test
HE DYNAMIC FOR DECISION-MAKING
on as the research proceeds. (See .A Synthesis
what
in prescription drugs is changing with of Ethnographic Research, by Michael
power and influence shifting away Genzuk, PhD, of University of Southern
from physicians and toward other stake- they California, Center for Multilingual,
say.”
holders. Nurse practitioners, pharmacists, Multicultural Research.)
and naturopaths are being granted the rights GEARSHIFTING INC is one of the
to prescribe drugs. The various bodies first organizations to bring ethnographic
responsible for reimbursement are taking on understanding of their needs and motiva- patient compliance program has failed to research to the pharmaceutical industry.
stronger roles and patients are becoming tions. In the past we have gathered data and improve compliance. Patients said they The company, started by Mehbs Remtulla,
more knowledgeable and empowered. information though patient focus groups, “forget to take their meds”, so we sent them former CEO, EURO RSCG LIFE, helps
The pharmaceutical marketer is faced surveys, patient advocacy groups, and reminders, emails, or had telemarketers call clients develop innovative solutions to
with a new challenge. Not only does through physician feedback. Unfortunately, them. What has been missing are true everyday challenges. The starting point is
he/she need to differentiate and grow their these forms of research rarely yield great insights into patient behavior. A patient gaining insights through ethnographic
brand, they must do it in a marketplace of insights into patient needs and the motiva- with overactive bladder does not “forget” research and includes assembling a group
changing customers. tions behind their actions. The reason might their meds. They simply do not take them if of lateral thinkers (client, key stakeholders,
Historically, the prescriber was king, be that what people say does not always they are going to be at home where they can and even a few from outside the industry),
and the patient an afterthought. Now mar- reflect what they do, and we have been bas- quickly get to a washroom. On the other to turn those insights into innovative initia-
keters need to consider the patient more ing decisions on what they say. hand, if they know they are going to be out tives. To date, their work has involved
seriously, and to do that requires a good Perhaps this is why almost every in public, the fear of embarrassment moti- patients, physicians and even payers, in
vates them to take their medication. Canada, US, and Europe.
An innovative way to obtain patient For a European client developing a
insight is through ethnographic research. drug for diabetes the insights identified led
Historically it has been used to study edu- to a solution that may completely change
All you need, cation systems, consumer behavior, and
other areas where human behavior is
the way diabetes is treated. The concept
promises to offer more integrated and
important. Surprisingly it is just now mov- cohesive care than the current treatment
ing into pharmaceutical marketing. model provides, with improved patient
Ethnographic research (or ethnography) outcomes expected. Payers are on-board
relies heavily on observation, participation, with the promise of listing the drug if the
need it and interaction with the subject. Insights are model works. The ultimate outcome, based
developed by spending an extended period of on one insight gathered from ethnograph-
time—sometimes a day or two—with the ic research, could improve access to target
subject in their environment: home, social physicians, generate a readily available pool
life, the clinic setting, work, etc. The ethnog- of patients for clinical research, create a
rapher records observations and descrip- true industry-customer partnership, reduce
tions, and also finds out the motivations the time to formulary listing and provide a
behind the subject’s actions to better under- competitive listing advantage.
stand why they act in a certain way. Most understand that the role of
patients is changing and most would agree
OBSERVE BEHAVIOR IN NATURAL SETTING they have limited insights into the needs and
There are three principles to ethnographic motivations of patients. A better understand-
research which give it an advantage over tra- ing of this customer group may well lead
ditional market research in understanding pharma marketers to stronger positioning,
the nature of human behavior. First, behav- innovative strategies, and/or more effective
ior is observed in a natural setting. Any arti- tactics. If your brand requires patient-specif-
ficial setting such as interviews cannot pre- ic strategies or tactics, ethnographic research
cisely replicate what is done in this setting. could help you invest your promotional dol-
Second, the ethnographer learns how lars efficiently and effectively.
10 big ideas on digital marketing pharma will never try, but should
continued from page 1 to your site without going too patients? Oh, what’s that you my opinion) is Patients Like agers” to help fix your online
of everyone else. And I almost far. Not sure what Friend say, you don’t let people track Me (http://tiny.cc/0wqCp). reputation. Let’s be honest, no
forgot, it’s what your customers Connect is? There’s a video their prescription history and They feature an array of tools brand manager has time to
are demanding. from Google explaining it symptom improvement on that let you track your monitor what’s going on
(http://tiny.cc/h9wlD). your site? Hmmm. Nevermind progress, medications taken, online with their brand. They
Before I begin, know that I
5. Allow patients to share their this one. and side effects. What’s even can’t keep track of everything
understand the regulatory realities
history with Google Health (or 6. Add features to your site more important is that you can that’s happening and every-
of pharma and healthcare market-
Microsoft HealthVault). Yes, that allow patients to track compare yourself to others to thing people are saying (or can
ing. I lived them for 12 years. So,
more Google. I’m sure you their condition and compare see if you are doing better or they?)(http://tiny.cc/Ubzih).
I’m not suggesting anyone run
know about Google Health with others. If number five worse and see which treat- Nevermind the monitoring,
out and do exactly what I spell
(http://tiny.cc/8Sp1A), but did didn’t appeal because you ments seem to be working best how about actually responding
out here. I know it’s not that sim-
you know that you can become don’t have any tracking func- for the community. You’ve got to some of the comments?
ple. However, I offer these to
a partner and allow patients to tionality on your site, here’s to give people a reason to What about correcting the bla-
help stretch your thinking and to
export their prescription histo- your chance. The best in class come to your site and you do tantly inaccurate information?
challenge you to figure out a way
ry directly from your site into healthcare sites feature tools to this by adding value beyond It’s certainly your right to do
to do something that preserves their Google Health record? help people manage their dis- your product messages. this, but corporate policies
the spirit of the ideas here, but Why not make it easy for your ease. The best of the best (in 7. Hire five “community man-
doesn’t get you fired. If you need Turn to 10 big ideas, page 11
help, just give us a call. So, here
they are, in no particular order.
1. Create a game for the Wii
Fit that helps your patients
manage their disease and begin
a proper exercise and fitness
regimen. I just wrote about
this (http://tiny.cc/YjZhZ)
More details on why this is a
good idea in my post.
2. Get rid of your brand web-
site. No one is really visiting
your site anyway. It’s likely not
driving anyone to get a pre-
scription and it’s almost cer-
tainly not getting anyone to
stay on your treatment.
Instead, take all the money
you were going to spend on
your site and create great con-
tent that you syndicate out to
credible third-party sites. The
information can include
branded and unbranded infor-
mation, but it would now be
located where patients (and
doctors) are likely to find it
and pay attention. It’ll be on
the health sites they trust at a
time when they’re researching
their condition.
3. Add ratings and reviews to
your brand site. Don’t want
to get rid of your website?
Okay, how about adding rat-
ings and reviews to your site.
Every other industry has real-
ized that this is critical to
building trust with visitors
because it shows authenticity.
It turns out that simply having
reviews can increase traffic,
conversion rate, and average
order value (see more detail at
http://tiny.cc/NFn7x). In
addition, negative reviews
aren’t an issue so long as there
aren’t only negative reviews.
Your products are already
being reviewed on sites like
iGuard, so why not bring this
onto your site and build some
credibility with your patients?
4. Install Google Friend Con-
nect. Wonder who your real
friends are? Install this tool
and see. Visitors can join your
site, which in turn adds your
site to their Google profile as
one of their “friend” sites.
They can comment on the site
and quickly and easily share
your site with friends. A simple
way to add a little social media
HCM_June_2009.qxd:HCM_June_2009_rar8 ms vers.qxd 7/2/09 1:49 PM Page 10
10 big ideas on digital marketing pharma will never try, but should
continued from page 9 sound a bit Machiavellian on (http://tiny.cc/LWr54). Now, this as a pharma company? get even more useful content
make this impossible. How the surface, it’s for everyone’s that’s handy. Simple. Remember that most or tools from you.
about hiring someone (or a benefit. Consider that your 10. Implement OpenID on people don’t really trust you SO, WHO’S going to be first to
few someones) who are program probably has thou- your website wherever you that much. Giving visitors a implement any one of these? If
empowered to go online, sands of people in it that will require registration. way to engage with you that you know of a pharma or health-
search out this misinformation never change their behavior, (http://tiny.cc/5BV9C). doesn’t immediately require care company that’s doing any of
and correct it? They also can try the product, or be persis- Don’t know what OpenID is? them to give you personal these, I’d love to hear about it.
engage in discussions and help tent with it. They just won’t You will. It continues to grow information (yes, an email Also, if there’s anything I missed,
improve people’s overall per- respond to your program. as people have grown tired of address counts as personal) feel free to send a comment..
ception of you. You can give Don’t feel bad, they probably having a different user name probably will increase the
them a set (approved) script of wouldn’t respond to anything. and password on hundreds of chances that they actually do Jonathan Richman is director of busi-
things they can and can’t say to The problem with allowing different sites. Instead, they engage with you. As you build ness development for Bridge Worldwide,
guide where they get involved these people to enter and stay can now have a single, vali- trust over time and they real- an interactive and relationship market-
if you’re really worried about in your program is that in dated user name and pass- ize that what you are provid- ing agency based in Cincinnati (1-513-
the legal implications. order to allow this you have to word that gets them onto any ing is valuable, then they’ll 297-1060). He is the author of the
8. Create a portal allowing take money and resources site that supports OpenID. start to volunteer more per- healthcare industry blog, Dose of Digital
physicians to get every piece from those who actually Why should you care about sonal information in order to (http://www.doseofdigital.com).
of clinical information related would benefit from some-
to your product and its indica- thing. If you only allow access
tion in one place. Now, to those you know you can
wouldn’t that be useful? More help, then you can concentrate
and more doctors are using more resources on them,
the Internet to research condi- which will allow you to create
tions and medical challenges more robust support systems
(no duh?!?), but it’s still pretty and programs. You don’t have
hard to find everything you to completely forget the oth-
need and it involves a lot of ers if it makes you feel better,
fishing around. Sites like but you have to send them a
PubMed don’t offer a great very “lite” version of your
search interface (just compare program so you can focus
it to Google) making it hard to where you’re going to make an
find what you need. How impact. Don’t think it’s possi-
about instead automating ble to figure out which people
some searches and adding a you can and need to help? BMS is in the neighborhood
feed on your physician brand Merck does. They created
site that allows them to see the “‘The Adherence Estimator,’ Over 300 BMS employees across Canada took part in the 2nd annual Bristol-Myers
absolute latest clinical data an elegantly researched tool Squibb Canada Community Action Day by volunteering with various organizations. In Montreal,
about your disease state? for predicting which patients the organizations included Moisson Montreal, a food bank; Heritage Laurentien, an environmental
Technically speaking, this is a will display poor compli- protection organization; and the West Island Cancer Wellness Center. In the photo, from left to
pretty simple exercise, but will ance—by focusing on just right: BMS Canada employees Vicky Esposito, Jean Bellavance, Lucille Frappier (retiree), JoAnn
your regulatory team allow it? three core issues: commitment
Tarzi, Litsa Kouroumalis and her son, Michael-John Sakellaropoulos, Marie-France Miljours,
9. Kick people out of your CRM to treatment, concerns over
program. While that might therapy, and cost Philippe Toupin, and Margaret Jackson. (CNW Group/Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada)
HCM_June_2009.qxd:HCM_June_2009_rar8 ms vers.qxd 7/2/09 1:49 PM Page 12
June 2009
Manufacturer name change; TAB(1mg, 4mg)ORL
Antibiotic 05-07
Significant TPP approvals of Rxs for human use Ceftriaxone (supplied as ceftriaxone sodium) (Stragen
—continued from page 3 Ceftriaxone, Stragen Inc.) Comments: PWSO(250mg/vial,
500mg/vial, 1g/vial, 2g/vial)IM, IV; PWSO(10g/vial)IV
Comments: Manufacturer name change; CAP(200mg)ORL Androgen 05-08
Testosterone undecanoate (pms-Testosterone, Selective Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor for
Antipsychotic Agent 05-07
Pharmascience Inc.) Comments: Product name change; Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) 05-25
Haloperidol (supplied as Haloperidol Decanoate)
CAP(40mg)ORL Atomoxetine (supplied as atomoxetine hydrochloride)
(Haloperidol Decanoate Injection, Hospira Healthcare
Corporation) Comments: Manufacturer name change; (Strattera, Eli Lilly Canada Inc.) Comments: Revision to
Opioid analgesic 05-22
LIQ(50mg/ml, 100mg/ml)IM Fentanyl (Ran-Fentanyl Mat, Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals the Dosage and Administration section and other revisions
Canada Inc.) Comments: New formulation; to the Product Monograph; CAP(10mg, 18mg, 25mg, 40mg,
Antiviral Agent 05-20 60mg, 80mg, 100mg)ORL
PATCH[25mcg/hour (4.2mg/patch), 50mcg/hour (8.4mg/patch),
Adefovir Dipivoxil (Hepsera, Gilead Sciences Canada Inc.)
75mcg/hour (12.6mg/patch), 100mcg/hour (16.8mg/patch)]TRD Endothelin Receptor Antagonist 06-05
Comments: Manufacturer name change; TAB(10mg)ORL
Opioid Analgesic 06-03 Bosentan (supplied as bosentan monohydrate) (Tracleer,
Topical Corticosteroid with Antibacterial - Antifungal Actelion Pharmaceuticals LTD.) Comments: To extend
Fentanyl (Sandoz Fentanyl MTX Patch, Sandoz Canada
Agent 06-03 the currently approved indication to include the treatment
Inc.) Comments: PATCH(12mcg/h, 25mcg/h, 37mcg/h,
Flumethasone Pivalate / Clioquinol (Locacorten Vioform of pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with WHO
50mcg/h, 75mcg/h, 100mcg/h)TRD
Eardrops, Paladin Labs Inc.) Comments: Manufacturer
functional class II; TAB(62.5mg, 125mg)ORL
name change; DPS(0.02%/1%)OT Antipsychotic Agent 06-04
Quetiapine (supplied as quetiapine fumarate) (Sandoz Antiretroviral Agent 05-20
Antimetabolite / Antirheumatic Agent 06-03
Quetiapine, Sandoz Canada Inc.) Comments: New indica- Emtricitabine / tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Truvada,
Methotrexate (Methotrexate Injection BP, Accord
tion; TAB(25mg, 100mg, 200mg, 300mg)ORL Gilead Sciences Canada Inc.) Comments: Manufacturer
Healthcare Inc.) Comments: SOL(25mg/ml)IAR, IM, INT,
name change; TAB(200mg / 300mg)ORL
IV Calcimimetic Agent 06-05
Cinacalcet (supplied as cinacalcet hydrochloride) (Sensipar, Antiretroviral Agent 05-20
Prostaglandin 06-05
Amgen Canada Inc.) Comments: New Indications: For Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Viread, Gilead Sciences
Alprostadil (Muse, Paladin Labs Inc.) Comments:
the reduction of hypercalcemia in patients with parathyroid Canada Inc.) Comments: Manufacturer name change;
Manufacturer name change; SUP(125mcg, 250mcg, 500mcg,
carcinoma and for the reduction of clinically significant TAB(300mg)ORL
1000mcg)URH
hypercalcemia, as defined by relevant treatment guidelines.
Calcium Channel Blocking Agent 05-07 In patients with primary HPT for whom parathyroidecto- Human Growth Hormone 04-20
Nimodipine (Nimotop, Bayer Inc.) Comments: New my is not clinically appropriate or is contraindicated; Somatropin (Omnitrope, Sandoz Canada Inc.) Comments:
dosage form: 30 mg/tab; TAB(30mg)ORL TAB(30mg, 60mg, 90mg)ORL PWSO(5.8mg/vial)SC; SOL(5mg/cartridge, 10mg/cartridge)SC
T
The Premier’s summer musical of his cabinet in key roles in this entertainment, and placed This rousing number brings down the curtain on
the spotlight on a deserved selection of talented behind-the- Act I.
O FIND ONE’S SELF IN ONTARIO DURING THE EARLY scenes personnel. Bravo, and take a bow, Mr. Premier! Act II begins with an ensemble of E-health Ontario
summer of 2009 is to be transported back to small Mr. McGuinty has cleverly revised the script to make consultants and contractors who form a barbershop quartet,
town Iowa in the year 1912. That was the place and it more meaningful to contemporary audiences, and, in a submitting invoices to the province for duties such as
time depicted by Broadway legend Meredith Willson in his minor adjustment, has transplanted the setting from small- munching on pastries during bull sessions, reading the news-
Tony award winning stage hit, The Music Man. town Iowa, to the Ontario Parliament. To make things paper, and chatting with each other on the telephone. Mayor
In Mr. Willson’s extravaganza, the townsfolk of River more topical, his crisis has nothing to do with a pool hall, McGuinty appears on stage momentarily to inquire about
City are at odds; to paraphrase the familiar lyrics of the but rather, with healthcare. what is taking place. “Oh, we’re busy creating electronic
show-tune, “They got trouble.” The municipal authorities, Indeed, he’s got trouble, right here, right here. His health health records,” the group exclaims. “Excellent! Carry on
led by Mayor George Shinn, are unable to contend with the minister, a Buddy Hackett lookalike whose mother got him then,” says the Mayor, as he confusedly strides off-stage.
threat to civic order represented by the opening of a new his job, can’t seem to deliver services to patients, and this The plot thickens, as some of the townsfolk seem to
pool hall. In their fear, incompetence, and lack of sophisti- minister’s idea of how to solve the crisis is to glue posters to cotton on to the idea that their mayor is being hornswag-
cation, they become prey to a travelling con-artist, Prof. the wall in the Buffalo, NY air terminal, inviting any physi- gled, or perhaps hoodwinked.
Harold Hill, who convinces the hick-town politicians that cians who may be passing through to relocate to Ontario.* “This is crazy. Why do we need to spend all this
the answer to all their problems lies in establishing a boys’ Personally taking on the role of the bumbling Mayor money, if all we need is electronic health records?”, cries a
band. The professor, of course, has an ulterior motive. He Shinn, Mr. McGuinty provides a convincing portrayal of a cast member. “There are dozens of suppliers who will pro-
intends to exploit the River Citians’ uninformed enthusi- sitting duck waiting for the arrival of the conniving Harold vide solutions for next to nothing! Why don`t we just ride
asm, by taking their money and delivering nothing. Hill character, who offers a solution to the healthcare cri- along with a successful existing program, join forces with
The whole world loves The Music Man: whether we’re sis. In this revised version of the musical, it isn’t a boys’ Google and the Cleveland Clinic, or Microsoft and the
discussing the original 1957 stage version, the 1962 screen band, but something even more preposterous: electronic Mayo Clinic, and spend the 25 million bucks on patient
adaptation, or the Broadway and UK revivals, which health records! care? Can’t you see that River City is being conned?”
occurred in 2000, and 2008, respectively. However, no one The political leaders, not understanding a thing about The community’s anxiety eventually penetrates Mayor
is as fond of the enduring musical as is Ontario Premier electronic health records, or much else, either, seize on the McGuinty’s fog of obliviousness, and he calls a town-hall
Dalton McGuinty. The Premier enjoys The Music Man so opportunity to be seen as doing something useful, and meeting in the high school gym, to determine what to do with
much that he has taken an extraordinary step toward fur- agree to set up a public agency to undertake the project, E-health Ontario. Wringing his hands, he asks, “Where’s the
ther popularizing the play throughout his province. which, in a moment of inspired comedy, they decide to call e-health records? Where’s the e-health records?”
As his personal contribution to the lively arts, Premier E-health Ontario. Ethel Merman, fearing that her ruse has been ex-
McGuinty has created, and performs in, his own updated Mr. McGuinty, employing grand theatrical gestures, posed, is about to be led away in handcuffs by the town
2009 version of The Music Man, in a summer stock produc- writes out a cheque on the provincial treasury for $25 mil- constable. Just then the cast convenes to perform the
tion for Ontario audiences. He has also cast several members lion, and hands it to the health minister, who in turn hands rousing closing number:
it with a flourish to Prof. Hill, represented by Twenty-three genomes led the big parade
an Ethel Merman lookalike who is the execu- With a hundred and ten DNA samples close at hand.
tive director of the agency. The characters cel- They were encoded on smart, smart cards
ebrate their achievement by singing the show- that were stacked in feet and yards
stopping “E-health Ontario” song, which is and contained your ev’ry DNA strand.
performed to the tune of “Gary, Indiana,”
from Willson’s original score. The lyrics have Twenty-three genomes on a plastic plate
June 30, 2009 • Published with Chronicle MONDAY and Chronicle MIDWEEK been revised as follows: With a hundred and ten molecular cures right behind
E-health Ontario! There were plenty of chromosomes
PUBLISHER What a wonderful name, Just like subdivision homes
Mitchell Shannon The ‘E’ stand for electronic; that’s our game. There were cytoplasms of ev’ry shape and kind.
E-health Ontario, all your health records on a
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR SALES & MARKETING
card, Encores abound. Theatrical critics across the province
R. Allan Ryan Henry Roberts
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Pork for all us insiders, so, come on, let’s spread can only agree that Dalton McGuinty owns the role of May-
PRODUCTION & CIRCULATION
Lynn Bradshaw Cathy Dusome the lard — or Shinn, and that, by offering this musical spectacle to the
COMPTROLLER E-health Ontario, E-health Ontario, E-health province’s taxpayers, he is the most successful impressario
Rose Arciero Ontario, the province has seen since Garth Drabinsky and Myron
Let me say it once again. Gottlieb—pending the result of Garth and Myron’s
Published seven times annually by the
E-health Ontario, E-health Ontario, E-health Supreme Court appeal, of course.
proprietor, Chronicle Information
Resources Ltd., from offices at 555 Ontario, Premier McGuinty’s version of The Music Man passes
Now let’s go out, and hire all our frien’s.
Burnhamthorpe Rd., Suite 306, Tor-
_________________________________ the ultimate test of any stage performance, which is that
onto, Ont. M9C 2Y3 Canada. Tele-
* (This part is absolutely true; no one except the health audiences are guaranteed to leave the theatre singing the hit
phone: 416.916.2476; Fax 416.352.6199. E-mail: health@chronicle.org
minister could possibly have made this poster idea up.) tune, “We got trouble.”
Contents © Chronicle Information Resources Ltd., 2009, except
where noted. All rights reserved worldwide. The Publisher prohibits
reproduction in any form, including print, broadcast, and electronic,
without written permission. Printed in Canada.
Subscriptions: $59.95 per year in Canada, $74.95 per year in all other
W
MIDWEEK newsletters: $240 per year in Canada, $360 per year in all other
countries. Single copies: $7.95 per issue (plus 5% GST).
Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement Number By Rebecca Walberg, Special to THE CHRONICLE OF HEALTHCARE MARKETING
40016917. Please forward all correspondence on circulation matters to:
Circulation Manager, The Chronicle of Healthcare Marketing, 555
HILE A STUDY RELEASED IN APRIL BY THE CANADIAN CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES (CCPA)
Burnhamthorpe Rd., Suite 306, Toronto, Ont. M9C 2Y3 Canada. E-mail: correctly identifies a number of administrative problems involved in drug monitoring, arguing that
circulation@chronicle.ca Canada allows new drugs onto the market too soon, its emphasis on the hazards associated with
ISSN 1209-0654 innovative drugs leads it to advocate for an unduly restrictive approach to pharmaceuticals.
CCPA’s conclusions are wrong because it forgot to include two stakeholders in their analysis: patients and
THE CHRONICLE OF HEALTHCARE MARKETING welcomes contributions from their doctors. Both safety and good medical outcomes are maximized if patients and their doctors have as
readers. In particular, we’d like to know what’s going on at your company, or organi- many treatments options as possible, as well as comprehensive information about the risks and benefits of all
zation, and you are especially welcome to keep us informed about new develop-
indicated drugs.
ments, new appointments, and new practices at your shop.
If you’re submitting an article, opinion piece, press release, or letter to the edi- Drug companies, of course, are not disinterested actors in pharmaceutical policy, since their income
tor for consideration, please bear in mind that we select material for publication depends upon consumption of their product. But governments are equally biased, since every province subsi-
from a large volume of submitted material, and that we may not be able to publish dizes out-patient prescriptions for those in need, and pays directly for drugs prescribed and administered in
your submission in a specific issue (or at all) due to space constraints and other con-
hospital.
siderations.
Our policies are: All material submitted to THE CHRONICLE becomes the prop- The stakeholders least biased and best positioned to make informed and appropriate decisions about
erty of Chronicle Information Resources Ltd., and is subject to the company’s usual when to use drugs and which ones to use are patients together with their doctors. Needless to say, it is
editorial procedures; We will not consider for publication any material that has been patients who stand to lose or gain the most when choosing a course of treatment. Patients are not well
simultaneously sent to other publications; Only original material or information will
be considered; Payment at our established freelance rates will be offered upon publi-
served by an adversarial relationship between those who develop and sell drugs and those who regulate
cation for feature articles and for the following departments: them.
What Lies Ahead: Original articles of approximately 500 to 700 words dealing with trends When a new drug is submitted to Health Canada for approval, its manufacturer must satisfy the govern-
that shape the healthcare industry; and ment that the drug is safe and effective. The interval between submission and approval is, on average, almost
My Turn: Opinion pieces of approximately 500 to 700 words, offering original commentary on
issues facing the healthcare industry. two years long in Canada. In the US, UK, and Sweden, it takes slightly over one year to accomplish the same
Please refer inquiries to: Editor, The Chronicle of Healthcare Marketing, thing. When investigators take longer to authorize the use of a drug, the possibility that dangerous side effects
555 Burnhamthorpe Rd., Suite 306, Toronto, Ont. M9C 2Y3 Canada. will be discovered before the drug hits the market increases.
Fax 416.352.6199, E-mail: health@chronicle.org
Too often, however, the downside of lengthy delays Turn to Leave decisions, page 13
*S
HCM_June_2009.qxd:HCM_June_2009_rar8 ms vers.qxd 7/2/09 1:49 PM Page 15
Once a SmartTechnology
product is redeemed at
any retail pharmacy, it
becomes a legal sample
prescription (SRx*). Sales Representative physician distributions
can be captured within CRM systems.
This SRx data is
reported by the Once each distribution is linked to an
pharmacy to STI in SRx redemption, it identifies high and
Real-Time, and then low prescribing physicians in Real-Time.
provided within 24 hours
to a customer.
* SRx is a sample prescription captured at all retail pharmacies and reported within 24 hours.
HCM_June_2009.qxd:HCM_June_2009_rar8 ms vers.qxd 7/2/09 1:49 PM Page 16
Liberating brands
liberating@jsai.com