Bayer HealthCare Introduces First Mobile Application to Assist Hemophilia A Patients in Managing Their Treatment

Source: Press Release

WAYNE, N.J., June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals today launched FactorTrack™, the first customizable mobile application for people with hemophilia A. FactorTrack is a free, personal and interactive mobile application that helps make it easier to track and record hemophilia factor VIII infusions.

FactorTrack captures dosing history, frequency and locations of bleeds. It allows people with hemophilia A to customize their infusion schedule based on their prescribed regimen, view their infusion history and, with an Internet connection, display an alert when it's time for the next infusion. It also gives patients the option of emailing infusion and bleed history to themselves or their healthcare team if email is configured on their device. Further, FactorTrack links people with hemophilia A to educational tools and online resources.

Any person who treats his or her bleeds with factor VIII infusions can use FactorTrack, regardless of the specific product or therapy. For those on a prophylaxis (preventive) regimen, the application offers a reminder system to help make it easier to remember when to infuse. For those who infuse factor VIII on demand (when needed), the application serves as a diary to record bleeds and infusions.

"FactorTrack is the latest innovation from Bayer that illustrates our ongoing commitment to helping enhance the lives of people who live with bleeding disorders," said Paul Bedard, vice president and general manager, Hematology, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. "We worked alongside the hemophilia community, physical therapists and physical educators to develop the application in response to the needs of people with hemophilia A."

Designed to be compatible with a number of smart phone platforms, FactorTrack is available today on an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. People can get information about downloading FactorTrack by going to LivingWithHemophilia.com/FactorTrack. In the near future, FactorTrack will be made available on other smart phones and the Web.
Bayer doesn't collect personal information when people use the FactorTrack application. People can use the application without entering information that identifies them. Recorded data are completely private and will only be stored on a personal iPhone or iPod touch.

About Hemophilia A
Hemophilia A, also known as factor VIII deficiency or classic hemophilia, is largely an inherited bleeding disorder in which one of the proteins needed to form blood clots in the body is missing or reduced. Hemophilia A, the most common type of hemophilia, is caused by deficient or defective blood coagulation proteins, known as factor VIII. Hemophilia A is characterized by prolonged or spontaneous bleeding, especially into the muscles, joints, or internal organs. Approximately one in 5,000 males born in the United States has hemophilia.

About Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the U.S.-based pharmaceuticals operation of Bayer HealthCare, an affiliate of Bayer AG. One of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry, Bayer HealthCare combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care, and Pharmaceuticals divisions. In the United States, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals comprises the following business units: Women's Healthcare, Diagnostic Imaging, General Medicine, Hematology/Neurology, and Oncology. The company's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human health worldwide by diagnosing, preventing and treating diseases.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
BAYER and the Bayer Cross are registered trademarks and FactorTrack is a trademark of Bayer.

iPhone and iPod touch are registered trademarks and iPad is a trademark of Apple.

Check out the app in the itunes store.

Bayer HealthCare Launches iPhone App for People with Multiple Sclerosis

Bayer HealthCare Launches First iPhone Application with Personalized Tools to Assist People on Betaseron® (interferon beta-1b) in Managing Their Multiple Sclerosis Treatment

Source: PR Newswire

New application builds on Bayer's commitment to comprehensive patient support

SAN ANTONIO, June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals today launched a new tool using a technology that many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) already have in their pockets or purses – their iPhone. The new iPhone application, myBETAapp™, provides tools that are customized for Betaseron® (interferon beta-1b) patients, making it the first application developed for use with a specific MS medication.

myBETAapp is the newest offering in Bayer's comprehensive patient support program, BETAPLUS®. The application provides patients with injection reminders, injection site rotation assistance and injection history. Through the Internet, myBETAapp also gives patients access to the BETAPLUS Web page on Betaseron.com, including links to educational tools, peer support and contacts listed on the site. With active phone service, patients enrolled in the BETAPLUS program can dial directly to speak to BETA Nurses, who are specially trained in MS.

According to Sally Jewell, Director, BETAPLUS/BETA Nurse Programs, "For many years, the assistance provided to Betaseron patients through BETAPLUS, including personalized nursing care, has been instrumental in helping patients stay committed to their treatment. This newest addition allows patients to carry that support with them in their iPhone/iPod touch wherever they go, whether that's at home, at work or on vacation."

Starting today, Betaseron patients will have free, exclusive access to the application by visiting http://www.betaseron.com/app or http://www.betaseron.com, where they can also access more information on Betaseron and BETAPLUS.

"Bayer is committed to the care of MS. BETAPLUS, our comprehensive support program for people taking Betaseron, helps to address the day-to-day needs of people living with this disease," said Paul Bedard, Vice President and General Manager, Neurology, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. "MyBETAapp is an extension of our ongoing commitment to help improve the management of MS."

BETAPLUS offers a dependable support program for people who are taking Betaseron. The wide range of resources includes one-on-one training and regular follow-up calls by an MS-trained BETA Nurse, access to the Peer Mentor Program, and Access Specialists who can work with a patient's insurance company.

INDICATIONS AND USAGE

BETASERON® (interferon beta-1b) is indicated for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis to reduce the frequency of clinical exacerbations. Patients with multiple sclerosis in whom efficacy has been demonstrated include patients who have experienced a first clinical episode and have MRI features consistent with multiple sclerosis.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

The most commonly reported adverse reactions are lymphopenia, injection-site reaction, asthenia, flu-like symptom complex, headache and pain. Gradual dose titration and use of analgesics during treatment initiation may help reduce flu-like symptoms. BETASERON should be used with caution in patients with depression. Injection-site necrosis has been reported in 4% of patients in controlled trials. Patients should be advised of the importance of rotating injection sites. Female patients should be warned about the potential risk to pregnancy. Cases of anaphylaxis have been reported rarely.

See "Warnings," "Precautions," and "Adverse Reactions" sections of full Prescribing Information. More information, including the full Prescribing Information, is available at www.betaseron.com.

About Multiple Sclerosis

MS is a chronic, progressive disease of the central nervous system and the likelihood of disability increases the longer someone has MS. Symptoms of MS vary from person to person and can be unpredictable. They may include: fatigue or tiredness, dimness of vision in one or both eyes, weakness in one or more extremities, numbness and tingling in the face, arms, legs and trunk of the body, spasticity (muscle stiffness), dizziness, double vision, slurred speech and loss of bladder control.

About Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the U.S.-based pharmaceuticals operation of Bayer HealthCare, an affiliate of Bayer AG. One of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry, Bayer HealthCare combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care, and Pharmaceuticals divisions. In the United States, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals comprises the following business units: Women's Healthcare, Diagnostic Imaging, General Medicine, Hematology/Neurology, and Oncology. The company's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human health worldwide by diagnosing, preventing and treating diseases.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

The Bayer Cross, BETASERON and BETAPLUS are registered trademarks and myBETAapp is a trademark of Bayer.

iPhone and iPod touch are registered trademarks of Apple.

SOURCE Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals

RELATED LINKS

http://www.bayer.com

Bringing Prescription Drug Policing to the People

by Michael Spitz
Senior Digital Strategist, Ignite Health


Bringing Prescription Drug Policing to the People
What the New FDA “Bad Ad Program” Means To Pharma and Its Marketers


What Is It?

On May 11, 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched the “Truthful Prescription Drug Advertising and Promotion (“Bad Ad Program”) empowering healthcare providers with the ability to report drug promotion considered to be misleading directly to the agency’s Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communications (DDMAC). Categories of promotion include:

- Sales representative presentations

- Speaker program presentations

- TV and radio advertisements

- All written or printed prescription drug promotional materials

What Is the Call to Action?

Healthcare professionals are now encouraged to report a potential violation in drug promotion by sending an email to mailto:badad@fda.govor calling 877-RX-DDMAC. The agency enables anonymous submissions, but encourages inclusion of contact information for follow up. Violations to recognize and report include promotions that:

- Omit or downplay risk

- Overstate effectiveness

- Promote off-label, or unapproved, uses

- Contain misleading drug comparisons

What is the Rationale?

As described in the Dear Colleague Letter introducing the program, spending on advertising to healthcare professionals outpaces spending on DTC by nearly 3 to 1, and often takes the form of “detailing” which occurs primarily in places such as medical offices, hospitals, pharmacies, at medical meetings and symposia, and other meeting facilities. Although informative and responsible promotional efforts by pharmaceutical companies can provide healthcare professionals with valuable information about the latest drug therapies, the FDA is asking for help in their efforts to scrutinize these more private promotional channels.

How Will It Work?

Administered by the agency’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), the program will roll out in three phases, beginning with the engagement of healthcare providers at specifically-selected medical conventions and partnering with medical societies for the distribution of educational materials. The latter two phases will expand on these collaborative efforts and update these materials accordingly.

What the Program Means to the FDA

“The Bad Ad Program will help healthcare providers recognize misleading prescription drug promotion and provide them with an easy way to report this activity to the agency,” said Thomas Abrams, director of DDMAC.

What the Program Means to Healthcare Providers

Democratization of the Internet through social media has empowered millions with the opportunity to share their opinions and communicate directly with one another through Web 2.0—a communications strategy expertly channeled by the Obama campaign and now his presidency, fostering such recent and potentially promising initiatives as the HHS Open Government Plan.

The “Bad Ad Program” seems an organic extension of that idea, “crowdsourcing” expert surveillance of drug promotion through the healthcare professional audience itself. Since many physicians have been early adopters of social media, embracing peer-to-peer discussions through platforms like SERMO and Medscape Physician Connect, active engagement and feedback should come naturally to them.

But how well and to what extent professionals comply is dependent on numerous variables, including success of the program’s education goals and their willingness to police promotional materials. Anonymous submissions would allay risk, but will additional incentives be required to encourage and sustain engagement? Only time will tell.

What the Program Means to Healthcare Marketers

Strict regulatory compliance with all public-domain promotional materials such as TV and radio advertisements and websites is a given in our industry. We also understand that more internal channels such as sales rep and speaker presentations must contain accurate data and sufficient fair balance, but these outlets have been far less scrutinized. Not anymore. Knowing that all healthcare professionals are now encouraged and empowered to recognize and report any potentially misleading drug promotion, it behooves us to take extra care and to ensure that all the materials we produce are compliant to the fullest extent of the law.

Meanwhile “Government 2.0” has clearly arrived, one where citizens become extensions of the agencies serving them. The good news is that this high degree of interactivity fosters transparency and freedom; the potential bad news is that it can also promulgate misinformation and confusion. Along the way we’re all going to have to get used to a world where individual consumers have unprecedented influence over our brands and how we promote them, compelling us to stay true to the mission we as healthcare marketers must share with DDMAC:

- Protect the public health by assuring prescription drug information is truthful, balanced, and accurately communicates

- Guard against false and misleading advertising and promotion through comprehensive surveillance, enforcement, and educational programs

What Does the Program Mean to YOU?

Share your thoughts regarding the FDA’s new “Bad Ad Program” below. We’d like to hear from you!

Agency's Social Media Work for Diabetes Awareness Earns Recognition

Source: Press Release


IRVINE, California –May 19, 2010– Ignite Health, an inVentiv Health Company, (NASDAQ: VTIV) and a leading marketing agency that specializes in patient-centered technology-driven healthcare communications, was awarded two Dosie Awards from Dose of Digital, one of the leading marketing blogs in the healthcare industry. The awards, which recognize the best examples of social media in pharmaceutical and healthcare, were announced on May 11th at CBI’s 2nd Annual Social Communications & Healthcare Conference by the blog's author, Jonathan Richman.


Juvenation.org, a Website created by Ignite Health for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), was awarded Bronze in the Best Patient Community (non-branded) category. Juvenation.org is one of the largest and most active social networks for people living with Type 1 diabetes. The site, made possible by an unrestricted grant from Novo Nordisk, recently passed the 10,000 member milestone and continues to add dozens of members every day.


“JDRF is honored that Juvenation was recognized with a Dosie Award for Best Patient Community, but the credit really goes to our wonderful members for creating such a rich and supportive environment for people with type 1 diabetes," said Rachael Lewinson, National Manager of Online Communications for JDRF. "The ongoing feedback from Juvenation members shows that this social network is truly changing lives for the better, and that’s the greatest reward we could ever receive.”


Another social media initiative for people with diabetes, Roche's "Accu-Chek Diabetes Link" community, was also recognized with a Bronze Dosie Award in the Best Brand-sponsored Patient Community category. Ignite Health, the creators of the Twitter aggregation portal Diabetes Nest, developed a "Nest Widget" for Roche's award-winning site that features tweets from some of the most active and influential health activists in the online diabetes space.


“The Diabetes Nest widget is a great addition to the Diabetes Link website, and demonstrates a way that companies can work alongside the blogging community,” said Jim Lefevere, Global Group Manager of Commercial Marketing at Roche. “Their involvement is crucial to helping us establish our presence as a trusted part of the diabetes community online. We want to be an arrow pointing to, not competing with, their excellent resources.”


The Dose of Digital Dosie Awards is a newly created award program that recognizes exceptional examples of social media in pharma and healthcare. Over 500 nominees were voted on by the public who represent all sectors of the industry including patients, caregivers, service providers and healthcare professionals.


"The patient community category received more overall votes than any other," said Jonathan Richman, Director of Strategic Planning at Bridge Worldwide. Mr. Richman, author of the popular "Dose of Digital" industry blog, created The Dosie Awards. "What was most interesting was that diabetes-focused programs dominated this category simply because these tend to be some of the most active and engaged communities out there. It showed in the level of commitment that many of these communities put into trying to win the awards.”


"We are thrilled that the work we have done in the social media space is being recognized by the community," said Fabio Gratton, Chief Innovation Officer for Ignite Health. "The passion of our team at Ignite along with the enthusiasm and support of our clients resulted in two well-executed campaign strategies that helped to achieve our number one goal – and that was to educate and support patients that are living with diabetes."


About Ignite Health


Ignite Health is a new breed of advertising agency with a fresh approach to healthcare marketing and communications. By complementing highly focused print strategies with a wide range of tailored digital strategies – from online advertising and patient education to custom-engineered games and simulations – the company helps clients meet their objectives with unparalleled effectiveness and efficiency. For more information, visit www.ignitehealth.com http://www.ignitehealth.com


About inVentiv Health


inVentiv Health (NASDAQ: VTIV) is the leading provider of commercialization and complementary services to the healthcare industry globally. inVentiv delivers its customized clinical, sales, marketing and communications solutions through its four core business segments: inVentiv Clinical, inVentiv Communications, inVentiv Commercial and inVentiv Patient Outcomes. inVentiv Health's client roster is comprised of more than 350 leading pharmaceutical, biotech, life sciences and healthcare payor companies, including the top 20 global pharmaceutical manufacturers. For more information, visit www.inventivhealth.com http://www.inventivhealth.com/.


This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks that may cause inVentiv Health's performance to differ materially. Such risks include, without limitation: changes in trends in the pharmaceutical industry or in pharmaceutical outsourcing; our ability to compete successfully with other services in the market; our ability to maintain large client contracts or to enter into new contracts; and, our ability to operate successfully in new lines of business. Readers of this press release are referred to documents filed from time to time by inVentiv Health, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission for further discussion of these and other factors.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:


Dawn Marinacci, inVentiv Communications
614.543.6787 or mailto://dmarinacci@inventivcommunications.com

Google ranks second to doctors for health info influence

Source: Press Release

A national survey finds Americans rely highly on Google searches as a source of health care information. The survey, conducted in April 2010 by Capstrat and Public Policy Polling, finds 22 percent of respondents consider Google searches “influential” in seeking health information. The search engine ranked second only to doctors (44 percent) in reported influence and was named more than twice as often as nurses, pharmacists, advocacy groups and friends or family members.

After asking where people turn to for health information, the poll asked which sources they trust. Health advocacy groups emerged as a particularly trusted source of online health information: 71 percent judged Web content of such groups “somewhat reliable” or “extremely reliable,”considerably higher than the 59 percent who felt that way about organic Google searches.

Online communities aren’t yet a major influencer in health care. Only 12 percent of respondents used online forums in their last search for health information, and only 37 percent considered forums “somewhat reliable” or “extremely reliable.” Of those who did look to online communities, the number one reason was their around-the-clock availability.

The survey revealed significant differences in the way various segments of society use online communities. African Americans and Gen-Xers are significantly more likely to consider them reliable sources of information. Younger respondents were also much less likely to see pharmacists as reliable sources of information, perhaps reflecting the more impersonal relationship they have with chain pharmacists compared to their parents’ long-standing reliance on the mom-and-pop operations that used to dominate the landscape.

“We found it interesting that popularity and trust don’t always go hand-in-hand,” said Karen Albritton, Capstrat president. “People are quick to search the Web for health information, just as they use it for most other questions today. But when it comes time to make a decision, their trust resides where it always has – in people. This insight can be instructive to organizations working to combine health expertise with new strategies for communication.”

Other notable findings:

• 32 percent of African Americans cited Google as the most influence source for health decisions, compared to only 15 percent of Hispanics who found Google influential
• 63 percent of women considered Google reliable on health, compared to 53 percent of men
• 53 percent of respondents ages 30 to 45 found online forums to be reliable, compared to only 37 percent of respondents ages 46 to 65
• 65 percent found a phone conversation with a nurse to be somewhat or extremely reliable

Download Capstrat's white paper on these results.

To view the whitepaper, visit http://bit.ly/bz1buD.

To view complete survey results, visit http://o.capstr.at/x.

About Public Policy Polling

Public Policy Polling has conducted regional and national surveys since 1991. The firm employs Interactive Voice Response or IVR methodology. Just as polling evolved from mail-in surveys and door-to-door interviewers to live telephone interviewers, the polling industry is evolving into automated telephone surveys (IVR) and internet polling. An analysis by the Wall Street Journal of swing state polls in the 2008 presidential campaign concluded that Public Policy Polling was among the two most accurate survey firms.

About Capstrat

Capstrat is a communications agency based in Raleigh, N.C. The firm specializes in communications for complex issues that health care, technology, energy/infrastructure and financial organizations face at critical moments. Capstrat provides counsel on public relations, marketing communications, interactive communications and public affairs. Visit Capstrat at www.capstrat.com.

From Twitter 05-07-2010

• 07:14:19: VERY well done! PHARMA IQ REPORT analyzes & ranks the digital competence of pharma brands (8MB PDF): http://bit.ly/c4vV1H #fdasm #hcsm
  
• 07:16:31: RT @MerrimackPharma: Check out this video of some newbies talking about working at Merrimack! http://bit.ly/am6ROx
  
• 07:17:28: @MerrimackPharma I can add you, but I'm trying to understand if this is a corporate account or personal or both?
  

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 05-06-2010

• 00:03:05: Earthquake Rattles Peru, Tweets Pour In - http://bit.ly/cHeB2V (via @mashable)
  
• 13:28:00: Parents Use Social Media to Sound Off on J&J Recall: http://bit.ly/daPcgB #fdasm #hcsm
  
• 13:35:00: inVentiv Health to be Acquired by Thomas H. Lee Partners - MarketWatch http://bit.ly/bj4Glq
  
• 13:54:43: inVentiv's acquisition =TERRIFIC news. Ignite 2 be privately-held company again! Translation: Even greater ability 2 invest & innovate!
  
• 16:50:46: Very cool. "Future iPhones Might Include Heart Rate Monitors"- http://is.gd/bXB2R via @mashable
  

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From Twitter 05-05-2010

• 06:45:55: 8:30 am is NOT social. Morning, Shwen. RT @shwen: At the #DDW10 "Tech Update for GI's - Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, mobile, and more..."
  
• 06:55:53: http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/resident-student-focus/20100120profess-conduct.html
  
• 06:59:40: Interesting study about the issues raised by use of social media by medical students: http://bit.ly/97CHWz #ddw10
  
• 12:25:19: CDC launches new "Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings" website - http://is.gd/bVK0V
  
• 12:45:29: Google Search Gets a Major Overhaul [PICS] - http://is.gd/bVLKv
  
• 17:09:35: Awesome! Skype to Add Five-Way Video Calling: http://mashable.com/2010/05/05/skype-group-video-calling/
  

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 05-04-2010

• 15:20:42: AIDS.gov blog post "Health Information Technology and the Response to HIV": http://bit.ly/bb6Y8Y #aids #HIV
  

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

From Twitter 05-03-2010

• 08:36:13: @DarrellWhite yeah, seems steep. I would aim for $.25 -.30... But definitely try cpm. Could be way cheaper. Lmk how it goes.
  
• 08:38:37: See you all soon at DDW! @Shwen @LizzieReachMD @bucktown @mkmackey @Doctor_V
  

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From Twitter 04-30-2010

• 14:46:33: New Blog Post by @digitalbulldog & @spitzstrategy re: e-Marketing, Pharma & Facebook’s New “Like” Feature" http://bit.ly/dwccTL #hcsm #fdasm
  
• 15:13:34: RT @PfisterInsights: Take a look at Ignite's POV on Facebook "Like" feature and #ePharma implications http://bit.ly/by3iS0
  
• 15:44:06: @PhilBaumann i take it you would find Novartis' fpatient "Christopher Chronicles" offensive?: http://bit.ly/aHtEPq #hcsm #fdasm
  
• 16:39:40: Dear @aairwave (Am. Air). Plane ran out of red wine in coach. When 1st class drunk, attndnt poured me their wine. You DO know why I fly :)
  
• 17:35:47: @PhilBaumann Not a "hard" vs "easy" thing (2 me). I see it as a creative/strategic approach that COULD b effctive. Not aways. Sometimes. No?
  

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What Pharma Should Like (and Dislike) About Facebook’s New “Like” Feature

authored by
Ross Fetterolf, SVP Brand Strategy and Channel Innovation
Michael Spitz, Senior Digital Strategist
Ignite Health

In case you haven’t heard, the biggest news in social media this week is “Like.” No, it’s not the return to 80’s valley girl speak that some of us have been looking forward to for decades—according to Facebook, “Like” is their new feature that promises to change the web through a technology called “Open Graph”. At their latest development conference (click here for a webcast of the live event), Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the new “Like” feature pushes us one step closer to the promise of Web 3.0, the semantic Web. For those of you in the Pharma community who don’t know whether or not to like “Like,” the Ignite strategy team wanted to offer up some thoughts that present a compelling story for each side of the argument. Here goes…

Why Pharma Should Like “Like” Ross’s POV

A small snippet of code can now turn even the most traditional of sites into a social experience. Real Pharma social media has never felt so attainable as the day when Facebook “Like” was introduced. Here’s why:

Get By with a Little “Like” from Your Friends

• The new “Like” feature turns the Web into a shared experience, so I can immediately see which people in my social circle (i.e., Facebook friends) have visited an online property, and what they found interesting or helpful within that site. Imagine going to a website to learn about a new medication and finding out that one of your friends “liked” it. Powered with this information, I am now one step closer to making a treatment decision—and can reach out to my friend to learn more.

I Think You Two Might “Like” Each Other

• So maybe none of your friends is taking the product you are considering, or reading the same disease information you came across. Well according to “Like”—there are people out there that are. Who are those people? Maybe they are people that should be part of your social circle, people you should be connecting with. Pharma has been experimenting with the creation of product user communities for a long time now—the first example of this was Roche’s Pegassist Buddy program—that connected users of their product to communicate in a setting outside the jurisdiction of the Pharma company through a simple exchange of e-mail addresses. And while Pegassist Buddies have come and gone, new efforts have emerged which are aimed at generating the same kind of peer-to-peer interaction—programs like the Tysabri Mentor Program.
  

• Facebook “Like” essentially does the same thing—connecting users of a product or with an interest in a disease state, so they can discuss their own experiences in an “off-brand” setting. This feature alone could give a new sense of relevancy to Pharma brand sites, which could not only serve as the official destination for prospective patients to learn about a product, but also the place where they could go to virtually meet other patients who are using a product and are satisfied/dissatisfied with its results. A connection to shared experiences – all powered by a simple click of the “Like” button – social behavior has never been so simple…

Learning Users Likes and Dislikes

• Aside from the ability of “Like” to connect the user to others inside or outside their social circle, how about the ability for the Pharma Company to simply learn more about the content preferences of their users? We’ve piloted this basic concept on disease education sites in the form of the ability to rate content, and it has been a great way to really learn what content our users find valuable, and even determine which content isn’t as helpful. “Like” introduces a layer of user feedback on top of your site that should enable future content decisions, shaping the user experience to be most beneficial to your audience – the inherent goal in any eMarketing effort.

Why Pharma Should Dislike "Like" Spitz's POV

Although the new and revolutionary Facebook Open Graph technology will synergize the digital experience for millions of users as Ross describes, this communications model creates immediate and potentially intractable dilemmas for Pharma. Here’s why:

Mr. Zuckerberg Goes to Washington

• Mark Zuckerberg’s recent announcement of this new model was genuinely exciting—so much so that several senators, led by Charles Schumer of New York, organized themselves to take action regarding potential privacy violations. "We look forward to the FTC examining this issue,” stated the group. “But in the meantime, we believe Facebook can take swift and productive steps to alleviate the concerns of its users."
  

• The problem here is two-fold: On the one hand, Open Graph will make participating Facebook users’ personal information available to numerous and unspecified third-party businesses; on the other, the technology automatically pulls this data unless users voluntarily and proactively choose to opt-out—far from an obvious process. The special risk to Pharma websites is obvious, as private information regarding an individual’s treatment preferences is made available to unseen marketers and who knows who else.

Do You Want ISI with That?

• Pulling information from a consumer website and making it available on Facebook (as demonstrated by the screenshot from Ross’ own Facebook page below) might work well for jeans or other unregulated products, but the social media guidance so important for Pharma marketers has yet to be mandated. Imagine this functionality made available on a typical brand.com for a drug—would the same rules of fair balance apply within the “Like” box embedded in the news stream on Facebook as the original content on the brand.com itself? To what extent? Who is held accountable?

Adverse Event Commenting

• And that brings up the third potential problem—what about the comment feature below the Facebook “Like” box? How would your brand manager or eMarketing director feel when visitors to your branded websites are able to post text and graphics featuring your heavily regulated drug on Facebook pages, enabling and encouraging their friends and family to openly and enthusiastically comment on them? Should one of them post an adverse event, then who would be held accountable? How would the Pharma Company be able to monitor potentially thousands, if not millions, of individual Facebook pages?

Conclusion: “Like,” What’s Not to Like?

The new Facebook “Like” feature might sound like an exciting and affordable way to reach millions of additional people with your brand messaging, but the privacy, regulatory, and AE concerns are unexplored and potentially severe—not to mention the inherent threats to your brand’s reputation.

That said, despite the remaining unknowns and inherent risks of Facebook’s new communications model, the opportunities for marketing specialists—including those in Pharma—are so exciting and powerful that Open Graph cannot and should not be ignored. The onus therefore rests on us as digital experts to educate our teams, mitigate the risks, and utilize this exciting technology for the benefit of our clients and the healthcare professionals and patients they serve.

So now you’ve heard our thoughts on “Like”—but we’d like to hear yours. So drop us a line in the comments section (and please, no jokes about Ross’s skinny jean experimentation, that’s not what social media is all about—or is it?)

From Twitter 04-29-2010

• 06:29:58: Epilepsy.com launches new iPhone app to help people with epilepsy manage seizures, symptoms, and treatment http://bit.ly/9Yfemw #epilepsy
  
• 06:36:40: #1 parent-2-parent recommendation re: children w/asthma: Learn all you can. Sepracor helps w/new website www.everyonebreathe.com #asthma
  
• 06:51:31: Absolutely fascinating. "FTC uses game site to ad-ucate kids about advertising" Http://bit.ly/9HnfXB
  
• 09:53:22: New blog post from ignite health's Laura Pfister: "Earned media earns more on social platforms" http://bit.ly/cQklTv #fdasm #hcsm
  
• 11:45:28: Droid certainly DOES. Jst as Jobs is dissing flash, droid launches skyfire
  
• 11:48:12: Droid DOES. As Jobs dissed flash, Droid launches SKYFIRE app that plays flash video on android platform mobile browser. http://bit.ly/dBIcl8
  

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

Earned Media Earns More on Social Platforms

by Laura Pfister
VP, Strategic Insight, Ignite Health

The concept of “earned media”, that in which your target audience engages with your brand message and then passes along to their social sphere of friends, family and acquaintances, is far from new; however, new social platforms, such as Facebook, have created a fundamental change in the way earned media is experienced and accepted through this interactive medium.

Social Technologies Facilitate Earned Media

Technological advancements have lead to increased amplification and speed of earned media’s “voice” of the target audience as a single posting possesses the ability to reach hundreds friends in a fraction of a second. Previously brands had little to no control over the earned-media messaging, as an individual passed along a message via traditional word-of-mouth, they now are designed in such a manner to allow for a controlled message to be passed along ensuring message consistency. Additionally, the web-based platforms allow for significantly increased measurability, as well as a further examination of the relationship between a paid impression and the resulting earned media’s impact on brand perception.

Nielsen & Facebook Earned Media Study Overview

Nielsen, in partnership with Facebook, released an April 2010 study entitled “Advertising Effectiveness: Understanding the Value of a Social Media Impression” . [Accessed April 28, 2010 at http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/nielsenfacebook-ad-report/] that examines just these relationships. The study, conducted over six months with over 800,000 Facebook user surveys and 125 advertising campaigns utilizing Nielson’s proprietary BrandLift research product, reveals findings that are of importance for those currently engaged with or considering the development of social media programs.

Earned Media Makes Major Measurable Impact on Social Platforms

As seen below, this report focuses on the three types of advertisements utilized to drive reach and brand messaging within Facebook: Standard Homepage Ad, Homepage Ad with Social Context, and Organic Impressions





Within the study, it was found that the social advertisements and organic impressions as the result of brand interaction possessed significantly higher recall, awareness and purchase intent rates.





Brand Impact Longevity Increases with Social

Also of interest was the target audiences possessed a higher willingness to absorb the social earned messages over a longer duration of time than seen with traditional advertising formats. With traditional advertising, audiences tune-out after approximately 4 impressions, however, with social there appears to be growth even after 10+ impressions. This provides the opportunity for increased momentum for campaigns within a social sphere, as audiences stay open to message consumption longer with increased impact potential.


Conclusion: Social Investment Offset by Significant Earned Media Potential

The social media platform, specifically Facebook, allows for controlled earned media that has proven increased impact across awareness, recall and intent. All of these have the potential to drive value to our campaigns; however, in order for our audiences to engage our messaging within these platforms, it is first necessary for us to possess a meaningful presence within them. Once this has been established, brands need to get the ball-rolling through paid advertising that is interesting and engaging, thus starting the influx of earned media. Following this initial building phase, brands should measure the growth of new members and ad interaction rates to ensure that they do not stagnate, providing boosts of paid media support to maintain momentum through the course of the campaign as necessary, thus maximizing earned social media potential.

Beware the Ides of March—How to Thrive in the Wake of the Social Media Revolution

by Michael Spitz
Senior Digital Strategist , Ignite Health

Overview

Analysis suggests social media networks will eventually transform the entire digital ecosystem. But data regarding information consumption and influence reveal healthcare is well behind the curve. What can we learn from the powerful features and functionality of social media, and how can we apply these insights to safe and effective solutions we offer our clients today?

Revelation A: Social Media Supersedes Search as the Next Digital Paradigm Shift

On March 15, Hitwise Director of Research Heather Dougherty shared an astonishing metric: Two days earlier the market share of visits to Facebook overtook that of Google.

Weekly Market Share of Visits to Facebook.com and Google.com

Even more astonishing is the social network’s geometric growth: compared to the same week in 2009, market share of visits to Facebook increased by 185%, while visits to Google increased by only 9%. Taken together that week, total visits to Facebook and all Google properties accounted for more than 17% of all Internet traffic—nearly 1 in 5 web visits.

Implication A: Technology Has Finally Caught Up To User Behavior

The web has been continuously evolving since inception, responsive to changes in technology, innovation, and market dynamics. From the birth of email to the earliest websites, from the first portals to the ascendancy of search and multimedia, and from wireless and smart mobile to the skyrocketing popularity of social networks, these trends have all been driving to the same ultimate goal: creation of a user experience that best reflects how human beings naturally communicate.

Primarily visual, instinctively social, always on the move, people now demand their channels be similarly interactive, connected, flexible, and dynamic. According to the Cybercitizen Health 9.0 report from Manhattan Research, more than 39% of consumers make health decisions and actions strongly influenced by the web. As healthcare communications experts it behooves us to acknowledge these revolutionary changes in where and how our audiences choose to find and share health information, and ensure that the tools and resources we provide reflect a comparable level of sophistication.

As even a quick glance at Ignite Chief Innovation Officer Fabio Gratton’s FDASM mash-up attests, the buzz around social media for health-related communications is vibrant and ongoing, spawning a dedicated community to follow its twists and turns. With assurance from the FDA that some form of official guidance can be expected before the end of 2010, the industry is eager for a mandate through which to better and more safely explore this channel. When that enthusiasm will find full expression remains to be seen; nonetheless, the momentum behind making the inevitable possible is a force few deny.

Revelation B: Despite that Trend, Conventional Healthcare Websites Retain More Traction

As additional Manhattan Research suggests, conventional brand.com’s and social media sites currently rank about the same in terms of influence on consumers health actions and decisions:

Percentage of Consumers Whose Health Decisions and Actions Are Strongly Influenced by Various Online Sources

Although overall Internet user behaviors are trending toward the enthusiastic adoption of social media, the data here reveals that the influence of health-related information instead follows a different hierarchy of importance: From specific unbranded disease sources through government-sponsored, advocacy, and insurance company sites, and finally to branded properties and social networks, which score comparably.

Whether the relatively low influence of social media is caused by a lack of health-related social media websites, a lack user engagement, or suspicions about transparency begs the question—unbranded and branded pharma sites get more traction than social media sites. The question then becomes, all things considered: If healthcare/Pharma social media initiatives are more difficult to create, approve, implement, and maintain than conventional brand.com work, then why bother?

Implication B: Keep the Momentum Going, and Learn from What Works

As the web continues to “socialize,” and the ePharma industry continues to work together and with the FDA for the creation of social media guidance, our clients meanwhile demand safe, practical, and effective communication solutions. Knowing how effective social media can be, yet mindful of the current roadblocks, it becomes our responsibility to discover what can be done now to optimally reach, engage, and sustain relationships with our diverse audiences.

Disease education and brand.com websites might be more influential than social networking websites for the time being, but strategic insights and even tactical recommendations can and should be extracted from social media. Although open fields and true user-generated content are either too risky or subject to rigorous filtering and delay for ePharma, the functional qualities that make social media so powerful are nonetheless at our disposal. The only limit is our creativity and ability to understand and even internalize

our audience points of view.

Specifically, the astonishing popularity of social media is fueled by several high-level strategies and numerous tactics, ones that, when possible, should be integrated into our general communications approach. These imperatives include:

· Create an Immersive Experience
The passive display of information is always less compelling than open, two-way communication because interest is directly proportionate to involvement. Flash animation, dynamic content, and focusing attention on the audience benefits instead of the product features are proven strategies for heightening user engagement.

· Get Users Directly Involved
Techniques such as interactive, user segmentation-driven navigation, patient profilers, dynamic therapy guides, survey and rating tools, dosing calendars, treatment algorithms, patient and physician video testimonials, and key opinion leader “Ask the Expert” roundtables are all compelling and help create a resonant user experience.

· Connect Online and Offline Worlds
Facilitating and encouraging physician-patient conversations lies at the heart of most healthcare communication initiatives, and can be stimulated with the same elements that make social media so powerful. For example, interactive dramatizations and dynamically generated “Questions to Ask Your Doctor” tools add resonance and meaning.

Conclusion
Remember the Apple Newton? Compared to today’s iPhone the device was clearly a mobile computer for Neanderthals—the concept itself was spot-on, however, only years ahead of its time. And if Apple hadn’t started there and continued to develop the technology, the iPhone never could have come into existence.

The same can be said of healthcare social media. As the web continues to evolve and social media eventually envelopes all media, people will be digitally conversing as actively and openly about their health as they do now about consumer products, entertainment, and sporting events.

Until that happens, healthcare communications experts can adapt the learnings from social media to create immersive user experiences that achieve optimal results. By evolving to better meet the changing needs of our audience and their unique points of view, we can safely and effectively help fulfill Pharma’s goals of stimulating physician/patient conversations, providing the right information to the right targets at the right time, and demonstrating the level of transparency required to engender trust.

A Review of HPV Vaccine Adherence Programs

Source: ePharm5

Automated reminder and follow-up calls for HPV vaccinations increase adherence rates from 5% to more than 20%, according to a white paper by iReminder. iReminder's HPV Vaccination Compliance white paper includes best practices to help patients complete all three HPV vaccinations.

The Impact of “Tweetvertising” on the ePharma Space

by Ross Fetterolf
SVP, Brand Strategy and Channel Innovation, Ignite Health


Advertising has come to Twitter in the form of “promoted tweets,” and copywriters everywhere will now set their sights on new 140 character messages that drive consumers to action. We’ll examine what the experts think this means for the future of advertising, as well as the basic rules and potential limitations of this new medium, and then turn our attention to what impact this could have on the ePharma space. Ultimately, we’ll reveal that this new, streamlined successor to the mighty PPC ad could be the breakthrough format that makes our brands part of the dialogue.

Background

A wide range of pundits has weighed in on what Tweetvertising could mean for the popular start-up. From the New York Times, who highlights the advertisers who will be part of this inaugural crew (it’s no coincidence that the initial list is made up mostly of hip retailers and caffeine purveyors) and the concept of letting businesses, “insert themselves into the stream of real-life conversations of Twitter,” to the business community, that gets to the heart of why companies advertise (to “help them achieve business objectives”), to Twitter itself, where we learn about how this advertising model came to be, why it’s happening now (it was their mission to “optimize for value before profit”), and the rules of this “simple service.”





The above “promoted tweet” from Starbucks, which is being offered up as the standard, speaks volumes in terms of the actual potential for this medium. In the span of a simple tweet, they manage to encapsulate the essence of advertising while providing a strong message (ditch your paper cup), an equally strong offer (free coffee on 4/15), and a link for more info (with the capability for every click to be measured). Better still, this ad manages to transcend even the untouchable PPC ad in its ability to, with one click of the “retweet” feature, be infinitely sharable within your extended network. The future of advertising has been distilled down to its purest and most actionable form.

Key Findings


Here are some key details about promoted tweets from this wide spectrum of sources:

• “Promoted tweets” will initially appear when people search for particular terms and be clearly labeled as “promoted”


• A single promoted tweet will appear alongside search results


• The tweet will appear as long as it demonstrates “resonance” with the audience by being clicked on or re-tweeted


• Twitter won’t charge companies whose sponsored tweets don’t generate high resonance, but tweets with high resonance scores will likely pay price premiums


• Later these promoted tweets will find their way into user feeds both on Twitter.com and a vast number of services that access Twitter (like TweetDeck, TwitterBerry, and Tweetie)
  

Based on this basic list of details, here are a few potential limitations that could impact Pharma’s adoption of this new medium:

• One Click Rule 2.0
  o Not again – another medium that will try the boundaries of this now infamous “guideline.” Who is going to be the first Pharma to test the compliance of branded tweets run on disease search terms?


• Establishing Your Brand’s Twitter Voice
  o Tweets showcase a person’s voice, while many PPC ads just showcase a call to action. Are you ready to decide what your brand’s voice should be in this medium? Starbucks clearly is….

Promoted Tweets vs. Comprehensive Twitter Strategy
o We’ve gotten comfortable with the PPC ad over the past decade, and the reality is nobody is following the dramatic arc of your PPC efforts on Google. Do you just want to test the unexplored waters with a tweet or two, or are you committed to creating a larger communication plan for your messages, and Twitter in general?


Potential Actions for Pharma

Given the details and potential limitations of this new ad model, what’s an ePharma marketer to do next? Here are a few considerations regarding how this offering could transform the future of Pharma brand and social media planning:

1) Utilize promoted tweets as a way to get brand offers and information out to your users

This concept of the “resonance” of promoted tweets is a novel one, which I will simplify as follows: create offers that provide value to your potential customers, or your offers go away. While I know the concept of a “free trial offer” or “free device” doesn’t apply to all brands, this approach alone could make Pharma sponsored tweets popular. Product offers would have a great opportunity to be re-tweeted, since it’s clear that everyone likes to pass on the savings. (Note to my Ignite colleagues, please stop sending me e-mail discounts for Starwood Hotels. So what if I travel a lot?) And they could even result in the fulfillment of offers via the Smartphone device (where we know a lot of users are interacting with Twitter), as users can click through to coupon codes that could be presented at the point of sale.

To follow through on this concept, imagine the simplicity and impact of seeing this statement when you picked up your next prescription or visited the website of a product you are taking: “follow us on Twitter for money saving offers.” This platform could be utilized to power the next opportunity:

2) Launch a Twitter account for your brand

Brand Twitter accounts, traditionally ignored by Pharma in favor of corporate accounts or disease education efforts, would now gain relevance and could utilize “promoted tweets” as a way to build a strong following. Someday I will find the time to do an analysis of Pharma Twitter account followers, and I’m guessing that this will reveal that many followers of Pharma Twitter accounts are actually Pharma and Agency people, not the patients at whom a lot of these efforts are aimed. If a brand Twitter account is utilized to push out coupons and offers, it also presents the opportunity to present education and resources to an engaged audience, thereby helping users be more successful with your brand (new term – Twitter Relationship Management, TRM?). And yes, of course you could throw in the occasional safety-focused tweet to provide a healthy sense of balance and FDA friendliness.

3) Leverage promoted tweets to help your ranking on search engines

While I consider myself a pretty avid Twitter user (check out @DigitalBulldog to judge for yourself), I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I have actually used the Twitter search feature to find something. But recent information [link to: http://mashable.com/2010/04/14/Twitter-registered-users/] from Twitter’s Chrip development conference tells us that there are almost 600 million searches per day on Twitter. Top Twitter search lists reveal that a large portion of this search activity is dedicated to celebrities, gossip, and entertainment (evidenced by “Twilight” being the top searched term about one year ago).

My instincts tell me that for more serious business like health, people will use Google (sorry Bing) to search for information; a real opportunity for Pharma therefore will be for their “promoted tweets” to start making their way into true Google search results listings, which seem to be pulling in tweets with much more regularity. This appears to be entirely achievable through the principles of the retweet, and when performing a search for “Starbucks” on Google you still see people tweeting about the 4/15 free coffee offer being indexed in the Twitter feed that is pulled into search results. Well, what if coffee didn’t really do it for you as much as an alertness agent like Nuvigil; couldn’t this same offer permanently embed itself within the “latest results” section of a search on “sleepiness”?

Conclusions

Like all new technologies, the “promoted tweets” we have seen starting to show up recently within search results are but a 1.0 version of what will likely evolve over time. These new tweets have the potential to change the way we view Twitter in the same way that AdWords transformed Google from a stark search site with a cool logo to one of the most powerful companies in the world. For Pharma this represents another unique opportunity for consumers to develop a relationship with our brands, be it in the form of brand offers that serve up savings and education, a branded Twitter outpost that provides critical brand updates, or simply as another method for getting brand information to show up on the first page of classic search results. All these directions deliver us one step closer to the new goal of advertising in the Web 2.0 world - having our brands be an important part of the dialogue.

A New Beginning for Food Safety Education

Source: Food Safety news

BY INTERNATIONAL FOOD SAFETY INFORMATION COUNCIL | APR 23, 2010

Last [month] I joined food safety educators and experts from around the globe in Atlanta for the 2010 Food Safety Education Conference. My time at the conference flew by, but due to the incredible amount accomplished and learned there, it is hard to believe I was there only a week. While it is difficult to whittle my newfound wisdom down to a few "key takeaways," I decided to pick my three favorite pieces of knowledge from the conference for those of you unable to attend.

1. Food Safety is a priority for President Obama and his administration. 


Secretary Vilsack of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) emphasized during his video speech on Wednesday that President Obama and his administration are committed to food safety. This was echoed and emphasized by many representatives from government agencies at the conference, including Jerold Mande, Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA and Michael Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Foods, FDA. The Obama administration has created a Food Safety Working Group that is tasked with improving our food safety systems and ensuring safe food that does not cause us harm. The time is ripe for food safety education, and the conference was filled with enthusiastic food safety educators.

2. Social Media may be potentially revolutionary for food safety communications.


The theme for the conference was Advancements in Food Safety Education: Trends, Tools and Technologies, so it only made sense that there would be a large focus on the evolving technology of communications and social media. Throughout the conference, government agencies, as well as those from the private sector, highlighted their success at communicating food safety through channels such as blogs, Twitter, Facebook, podcasts, YouTube, and even handheld devices. When used appropriately, social media allows food safety educators to effectively reach large audiences with minimal resources. As the International Food Information Council Foundation is getting more and more involved in social media (fan us on Facebook, follow us onTwitter), I feel even more equipped to make a difference and capitalize on these tools to communicate about food and health.

3. Partnerships are crucial to further food safety education.


In the current economic environment, many people are dealing with decreased budgets and cutbacks. It is even more important that we capitalize on partnerships to streamline resources and be effective. The Partnership for Food Safety Education, which includes government agencies, academic institutions, trade associations, and scientific societies, is an excellent example of people joining forces to work toward a common goal--food safety education. By working together, we can expand our reach and amplify our messages, thus being more effective. Friendships made at the conference will likely foster increased communication among food safety educators and potentially could turn into partnerships and collaborations down the road.

For those of you who are interested in some of the highlights from the 2010 Food Safety Education Conference, I would encourage you view these videos provided by the USDA:

Secretary Vilsack's Address to the Conference

Highlights from Day One

Highlights from Day Two

I would also encourage you to view the Twitter stream, as many took the lessons on social media to heart and "tweeted" during the conference. #FSEC2010

Now that I'm back in Washington, DC, I must say that my interest in food safety has been re-energized. I was inspired by many of the people I met and presentations I attended. There is so much good work going on around food safety education, and I am pleased and honored that the Foundation is a part of the fold. Jerold Mande, the Acting Under Secretary of the USDA, said it best when he praised the high attendance of the conference but warned that success of the conference will been seen by reduced incidence, hospitalization, and death from foodborne illness. I look forward to seeing all of the positive efforts and outcomes that will come from the conference

What are you doing for the sake of food safety?

An End to the 2010 Food Safety Education Conference, A New Beginning for Food Safety Education, by Katie Burns, was originally published on the IFIC Nutrition Blog. Republished with Permission.

DTC National: Understanding What Motivates the Empowered Patient (via Health Central)

This morning I received an e-mail from Health Central's CEO Chris Schroeder who was kind enough to provide some information to the community regarding his recent DTC National presentation. As some of you may have heard, the always brilliant Mr. Schroeder presented some very insightful data at the conference (in partnership with University of Virginia professor Jim Burroughs).

Mr. Schroeder writes: "This information explores the unique attributes of empowered patients – those who ask for treatment and prepare for their doctor appointments."

Using established consumer psychology scales, Health Central surveyed nearly 3,000 patients from their communities to explore the following:

• What drives an empowered patient, including need for cognition and relationship with doctors
• How empowered patients can convert traditional mainstream patients to in-control consumers
• Where to find and how to recruit empowered patients effectively

Click here to view a blog post about the study.

Below is the Slideshare presentation of the DTC presentation.

Dtc Presentation 2010 HealthCentral

View more presentations from guest9409435.

Video: How Promoted Tweets Work

Here is a video that explains how promoted tweets will work. Click here to read more about Promoted Tweets. Coming Soon: Ignite Health's POV on Promoted Tweets for ePharma Marketers from Ignite's SVP of Digital Strategy Ross Fetterolf.

Promoted Tweets on Twitter(2) from Twitter Tweets on Vimeo.