D S Simon Vlog Views

Mark Senak, SVP for Fleishman-Hillard and author of Eye on FDA blog, discusses ways that pharma companies can engage in social media. Recorded at exl Pharma’s Digital Pharma Conference.

Some of Mark’s VlogViews:

“So much of the time what people are tied up about is that this is new media and there are new rules. There aren’t new rules, it’s the same old rules with new media. And people just haven’t grasped that yet.”

“It’s not the medium, it’s the message. If you’re going to say something like it’s ok to use a drug off label online, you’re going to get a warning letter. But if you’re going to talk about a product in the same responsible way that you would in a DTC or a print ad, as long as you meet regulatory guidelines, you’re not going to have a trip wire effect on regulatory.”

“If you can demonstrate that you are making effective inroads through the use of Youtube video in the risk associated with a particular drug, that’s a tremendous tool that’s much more targeted then say, putting something on television where you’re shot gunning a huge audience. With Youtube you are actually getting an in to the people who are looking for that information.”

Fleishman-Hillard
Eye on FDA

Search Terms:  Mark Senak, Fleishman-Hillard, Eye on FDA, FDA, pharmaceutical companies, social media, digital pharma, exl Pharma

Craig Audet, Vice President, and Mark Gaydos, Senior Director for Sanofi-Aventis’ US Regulatory Department Marketed Products, discuss what pharmaceutical companies can do within the social media space. Recorded at Exl Pharma’s Digital Pharma Conference.

Some of Mark’s VlogViews:

“We’re going to engage in this space, we’re not going to keep ourselves outside of social media, we need to be there. And I think there will be some momentum built towards that that the FDA will have to stand up and take notice of.”

“We’ve established some internal guidelines on posting video content on video sharing sites like Youtube; and we’ve also looked at establishing conversation monitoring. So going out there, seeing what’s being said about us and our products from that perspective.”

Some of Craig’s VlogViews:

“The regulations for what you have to do for a social media site are the same as if you’re doing a print ad or a broadcast ad. It’s not (different) in how the company meets the FDA requirements.”

“I think maybe a year or two years down the road, we’re going to see companies take steps into social media and will get feedback from the FDA and others based on those steps.”

Sanofi-Aventis

Exl Pharma

Search Terms: Sanofi-Aventis, Craig Audet, Mark Gaydos, pharmaceutical companies, social media, digital pharma, exl Pharma, FDA

Help wanted at the FDA. Susan Winckler, Chief of Staff at the FDA, talks about the 1,300 job openings at the FDA and how they are combating the drop in public trust, in part thought a weekly blog by FDA commissioner, Andrew von Eschenbach. Recorded at the exl Pharma communications conference.



Some of Susan’s VlogViews:

“We can communicate so much more quickly and we have so much more data at our disposal. Communication and science has led us to know more things and I think that when things are not handled well, it can inspire people to think that things aren’t working correctly when really the power to identify an outbreak or identify a problem with a drug shows the success of the industry and not a failure.”

“We are hiring about 1,300 folks and some of them are in the communications realm. We need to get better at risk communications and just get better at informing the public what it is we do. In order to be successful, we have to communicate well.”

Job Postings at the FDA

Check out Andy’s Take, the official blog of the FDA commissioner, Andrew von Eschenbach

Search Terms: Susan Winckler, FDA, job openings, public health

exlPharma Communications Conference Series:

Michael Rinaldo                       Scott Hensley

  Gina Moran                             Lisa Bodell

Michael Rinaldo, Senior Vice President, Global Healthcare for Fleishman-Hillard argues for product placement on television for Pharma companies. While the FCC calls for tighter rules on product placement, PR industry thought leader, Michael Rinaldo stakes out a position that Pharma companies should get more involved in this controversial practice. Recorded at the exlPharma Communications Conference.

Some of Michael’s VlogViews:

“I think the healthcare companies and the pharmaceutical companies aren’t taking enough advantage yet.”

“If your telling a public health message, relying only on traditional newspapers, you’re not going to get the job done…When you look at the influence of talk shows and entertainment, certain parts of the population especially are tuned in to those very kinds of programs.”

“As long as you’re putting it through the right filters: Is it done with integrity? Is it done with the patient’s best interests in mind? I don’t think it’s any different from the things we already do.”

“Well over sixty percent and even seventy percent of brands on TV shows are tied back to where money has been put on the table.”

“If the FCC passed product placement disclosure during the television program, I think it would kill the whole process of what goes on right now on TV and I don’t think that creatively, producers would be comfortable with that approach. I would argue that those who are trying to push that forward want to see the whole relationship destroyed.”

Fleishman-Hillard’s Product Placement

Search Terms: Michael Rinaldo, Product Placement, Pharma, television, Fleishman-Hillard       

Susan Winckler                         Scott Hensley

   Gina Moran                                  Lisa Bodell