Social Media Trends, Regs, and Apps
Featured Briefs: Product Websites Drive Consumer Action Sidebar: Top Prescribing-Driving Sites Levitra top product website to spur consumer action Science Takes a Hit in Social Media Sanofi-Aventis Sets Ground Rules for Blogging MerckEngage Health Partnership Program Offers Patient Support Reverse Texting Improves Teen Med Adherence Tech Check – Apps / Tweets / Videos iPregnancy App Grows with Baby Evidence-Based Information, Streamlined Lilly Employees Are Part of “It Gets Better" Campaign Trend Watch: According to recent Manhattan Research, 74% of e-pharma consumers visiting brand websites take a product-related action afterward — either discussing product information with their doctor, family, or friends; requesting or filling the prescription; or searching for more product information online. Levitra top product website to spur consumer action According to Manhattan Research Healthcare Marketing Analyst Maureen Malloy, a recent study determined that fewer than 20% of consumers who go online for pharma information mistrust pharma websites, including corporate, product, and unbranded websites. “We found the degree to which consumers are open to online content from manufacturers surprising, considering the common perception that consumers are generally critical of pharma-generated information," Ms. Malloy says. Though general health websites are the top resources used by ePharma consumers for prescription drug information, this segment is considerably more likely to use pharma product and corporate websites for prescription drug information than government websites, pharmacy websites, patient association websites, and social media sources, she adds. The Manhattan Research ePharma Consumer v10.0 study also provides other metrics for hundreds of pharma product websites, including satisfaction, reasons for visiting, and post-visitation actions, as well as adoption and interest in various types of online resources and services from pharma. Among the more than 320 pharma product websites tracked in the study, the brand website of erectile dysfunction treatment Levitra was the most likely to drive visitors to request a prescription for the drug from their doctor. The brand websites for Chantix, Cialis, Nexium, and Yaz round out the top five most likely to drive visitors to request prescriptions. These top websites have several things in common: they provide content and structure designed to lead consumers to talk to their doctor. Additionally, many of these products, such as the sleep aid Lunesta and the acid reflux treatment Nexium, feature doctor discussion guides or worksheets on their websites. { For more information, visit manhattanresearch.com/epc. Science Takes a Hit in Social Media Peer-review takes on a whole new meaning in these times of social media, with critiques of study analysis and methodology occurring within hours, instead of years, of publication. According to Nature News, (@naturenews), as soon as research has been posted, science researchers are already online reviewing the accuracy and adequacy of the study. Papers are increasingly being taken apart in blogs, on Twitter, and on other social media within hours rather than years, and in public, rather than at small conferences or in private conversations, Nature News reports. Other issues, such as who owns the study once it has been made public on a blog, are also discussed in the article. { To read the article, visit http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110119/full/469286a.html. Sanofi-Aventis Sets Ground Rules for Blogging Sanofi-Aventis has launched Discuss Diabetes, a blog that allows for a two-way dialogue with diabetes patients. (Next month PharmaVOICE will speak with Laura Kolodjeski, the community manager for Sanofi-Aventis U.S. Diabetes, about the purpose and vision behind the blog.) To set the groundwork for a dialogue with patients in the heavily regulated environment, Ms. Kolodjeski offers these guidelines in her first blog post: “Blogging isn’t easy for a healthcare company. We want to engage and participate in the community and share useful information, but we operate in a heavily regulated industry. As such, we want you to understand some of our ground rules: 1. All comments must be previewed before posting. Please don’t let this deter you from commenting, but understand there is a review process that may take hours, or even days. While some messages may not be posted, we are still listening and encourage you to continue sharing. 2. If you comment about an individual health issue or a particular issue with one of our products, we may need to contact you directly. Don’t let this deter you from commenting, but you may receive an e-mail and possibly a follow up phone call. 3. In posts where we discuss our products, we will also provide important information for that product. It is valuable information you need to know about our products, and we encourage you to read it carefully." Ms. Kolodjeski concludes by saying: “We know our blog operates a little differently from others you may visit, and we thank you in advance for understanding our ground rules." Let’s hope that Ms. Kolodjeski and Sanofi-Aventis get the interaction they are looking for as one of the first pharma companies to venture down this interactive path. { For more information, visit discussdiabetes.com. MerckEngage Health Partnership Program Offers Patient Support The MerckEngage Health Partnership Program sent out e-mails to its members recently with advice on how to have a more productive conversation with physicians. The e-mail provides links to tutorial videos and checklists to enable a patient to build a working relationship with his or her doctor. Links direct users to a series of MerckEngage microsites that feature best practices of working with physicians, making informed decisions, what to do before and after a doctor visit, and how to choose the right health screenings. { For more information, visit merckengage.com. Reverse Texting Improves Teen Med Adherence According to iReminder, texting is the key driver of medication adherence among teens and young adults because it is their primary method of communication. iReminder has implemented a program of reverse texting to help teens better manage their asthma, control diabetes, and adhere to their vaccinations schedule. For example, in a pharmaceutical sponsored program, patients who want to receive vaccination reminders by text message are asked to text Compliance for Life. Once enrolled, reminders are automatically scheduled according to the vaccination protocol, and text reminders are delivered at the appropriate times. { For more information, visit ireminder.com Apps… iPregnancy App Grows with Baby The iPregnancy app was awarded Best Pregnancy Planner, listed in the top 25 health apps by Parent Magazine, and boasts more than 100,000 users. ObGyn Dr. Gregory Moore created the pregnancy application for iPhone and iPod Touch users to help keep track of all developments from conception to baby naming. Features include a due date calculator, baby’s gestational age in weeks and months, lunar months, and current trimester, and 3-D ultrasound picture and schematic of the baby at each week. Future versions of iPregnancy will include a section of information specifically for fathers, and a feature that will let users connect to Facebook — all for $5. { To download, visit: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ipregnancy-pregnancy-app/id295598816?mt=8 Evidence-Based Information, Streamlined The Micromedex app contains unbiased, referenced information about drugs, toxicology, diseases, acute care, and alternative medicines that a physician can use to make informed clinical diagnosis and treatment. The app provides a complete picture of all available information about a drug or condition on a single screen, including drug summaries, images, consults, comparative efficacy, labeled and off-label indications, and treatment options. Created by Thomson Reuters, the app is free with a Thomson Reuters Healthcare subscription and can be accessed on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and BlackBerry 3G devices via wireless browser, and Palm or PocketPC, by downloading the application. { To download, visit: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/micromedex-drug-information/id390211464?mt=8 Videos… Lilly Employees Are Part of “It Gets Better" Campaign Daniel Savage, author of the internationally syndicated relationship and sex advice column, Savage Love, created the “It Gets Better" campaign last fall. Mr. Savage was spurred to create the campaign after reading the news regarding the suicides of several gay and lesbian teenagers. The campaign is designed to inspire hope among young people. What started as a grassroots project has ballooned into more than 5,000 personal stories of encouragement. Members of Lilly’s GLEAM, which stands for gay and lesbian employees and advocates, share their life stories and offer encouragement for gay teens. The eight-minute video features several Lilly employees who are eager to help young people in distress. They say if the messages save even one life, mission accomplished. GLEAM is an employee affinity group at Lilly established almost 20 years ago and committed to offering a welcome, safe, and productive working environment regardless of one’s sexual orientation. Lilly is recognized as one of the Best Places to Work for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Equality. { To download the video and read the LillyPad blog, go to http://lillypad.lilly.com/life-at-lilly/from-lilly-it-gets-better Novartis CEO uses YouTube for annual address In his first year as CEO, Joseph Jimenez, used YouTube to comment on the 2010 performance of Novartis. The Novartis Channel has been up since August 7, 2009, and has been viewed 135,855 times. { To download, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O8fsaPZETc&feature=uploademail Send us your favorite industry apps, Twitter feeds, YouTube videos, and Facebook links to [email protected].
