J&J Takes Preventive Online Measures To Preempt Birth Control Backlash

J&J Takes Preventive Online Measures To Preempt Birth Control Backlash

by Christine Bittar, Thursday, Apr 5, 2007 6:00 AM ET

TRYING TO STAVE OFF ADDITIONAL damage, Johnson & Johnson is looking to preempt negative online attention for its birth control patch, Ortho Evra, and has been buying the rights to negative domain names. Some of those include very morbid-sounding e-ddresses such as Deathbypatch.com and Orthoevrakills.com. J&J, via its Ortho McNeil Pharmaceuticals unit, makes and markets many of the top-selling brands of birth control pills, including Ortho-Cyclen, Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, and Ortho-Novum. Its Ortho Evra birth control patch, however--which came on the market in the U.S. in 2002--is facing consumer lawsuits due to blood clots and strokes. The brand, via a warning from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in November 2005, does carry a sterner warning of blood clot risk. While all birth control pills (and many other medications containing estrogen-based hormones) carry a risk of blood clots and other complications, the risks are larger with the birth control patch, as women are exposed to higher level of hormones versus oral medications. While none of the domain names purchased and registered by J&J were in use, it's quite possible that they would have eventually--maybe sooner rather than later, likely by litigators who have become quick to pounce on pharmaceutical companies. "It's really a best practice move," says Larry Mickelberg, Senior Vice President/Marketing of Medical Broadcasting Co., an interactive pharmaceutical agency that just yesterday announced a consolidation with parent agency Digitas to form Digital Health. J&J's preemptive damage control may in part come from learning what not to do by watching Merck's experience with Vioxx, its arthritis drug that is now off the market. That situation prompted Web sites with names like Vioxxlitigation.com, Vioxxlawyers.com and others also referenced by medical malpractice attorneys in TV spot ads. "Vioxx has definitely changed the rules for drug companies," says Mickelberg. A study from February 2006 showed that blood clot risk was doubled for women using the birth control patch versus oral contraceptives. In addition, women who use the patch are exposed to 60% more hormones than those who take birth control pills. The appeal for many women who use the patch, however, is convenience--a benefit that is played up in Ortho Evra's direct-to-consumer print and TV ads--as well as lowering the risk of an unwanted pregnancy in the event one forgets to take the pill. Christine Bittar can be reached at christine@mediapost.com