Dozens of Pharma Blogosphere Bloggers Call It Quits: Cite Economy
"Following Pharmalot's closure and Scott Hensley's departure from the WSJ Health Blog, Insider has decided to throw in the towel." -- Jack Friday at PharmaGossip
"I have to focus on making a living and writing a blog just isn't enough," said Steve Woodruff after he shut down his Impactiviti blog.
The list goes on.
Only two bloggers remain:
- John Mack - Pharma Marketing Blog
- Peter Pitts - Drug Wonks Blog
"I'm quite well off and enjoy a great government-run health plan," said Peter Pitts. "I also get paid to blog by the pharmaceutical industry."
Although the bloggers who shut down cited monetary problems, an un-named informant from PhRMA told this reporter that PhRMA, the US drug industry trade group, invited at least a dozen pharma bloggers to a symposium at a resort location -- all expenses paid. At press time, this was unconfirmed and PhRMA refused to comment when we did not call them.
Could an all-expense paid educational retreat be the reason why all these bloggers called it quits?
"All PhRMA offered me," said John Mack, "was a bus tour of America in its orange bus. I wasn't about to be holed up in a smelly bus with Montel Williams for days and days! Maybe if they invited me on that retreat I would have reconsidered."
