Is it time for pharmaceutical companies to get social?

By Rachel

Discussions have been bubbling away around the Social Web and how the healthcare industries – in particular the pharmaceutical industry – should be getting involved. However, with strict regulations around off-label promotion, adverse event reporting, and direct-to-consumer advertising across Europe, it is easy to see why many pharmaceutical companies are still hesitant to launch into anything that encourages patients or physicians to talk publicly about the drugs they manufacture.

Yet evidence is mounting around the use of the Internet among stakeholders. Several published studies indicate that both patients and healthcare professionals are relying more on the Internet to gain health-related information:

• Survey findings illustrate that patients are most interested in using the Internet to communicate directly with their healthcare provider
• Men with prostate cancer have benefited greatly from accessing information online, limiting inhibitions experienced in face-to-face encounters
• Nearly half of women diagnosed with breast cancer have turned to the Internet for information
• Using Google may help doctors to formulate a differential diagnosis in difficult diagnostic cases. Google searches found the correct diagnosis in 58 per cent of cases.

This evidence emphasises that the Internet and components of the Social Web, including blogs, forums, podcasts, communities, wikis, etc are communication channels that should not be ignored by pharmaceutical marketers. With careful consideration and strict operating protocols, those getting on board at an early stage are having an advantage over their competitors.

Below are examples of how some of the pharmaceutical companies are engaging with their stakeholders through the Social Web.

• Bristol-Myers Squibb has provided unrestricted funding to support the launch of an online community for women with advanced breast cancer. Here women can learn about breast cancer and connect with other women with the same condition
• Abbott is supporting a series of podcasts on Crohn’s disease called Speaking from the Gut
• GSK has sponsored a community where patients can learn about and take part in a weight loss programme
• Johnson & Johnson has a corporate blog.

These are just a few but I’m sure we’ll be seeing more in the coming months.

Add comment November 14th, 2008