tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8683569349355130322011-11-27T18:28:45.065-05:00A Blog about Blogging about the Pharmaceutical Industry!PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.comBlogger2931100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-39935277862645688042009-05-20T09:00:00.003-05:002009-05-20T09:13:15.515-05:00

Some of you may have noticed recently that we’ve been on well… a bit of a break… and I thought it high time to let you know what’s up with CNTO411, I mean Pharma BlogoSphere.The long and the short of it is that I don't have the time to write long posts to this blog about other pharma-related blogs and bloggers.I've decided that Twitter is Better!It only requires 140 characters! It helps me

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-47037029490695493682009-04-01T06:31:00.005-05:002009-04-01T07:12:03.123-05:00

"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 BlogPeter Pitts - Drug Wonks

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-1541552199825476662009-03-23T08:33:00.004-05:002009-03-23T08:44:23.331-05:00

I noticed that lately the Wall Street Journal Health Blog was a bit light on number of posts being made. At first I thought that not having Ed Silverman and Pharmalot to compete against, the folks at WSJ Health Blog were just being lazy. But now I learn that Scott Hensley is leaving. Here's his farewell post:A little more than two years ago, I first clicked the publish button on this blog,

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-27163889628205962922009-03-18T09:48:00.002-05:002009-03-18T09:57:49.131-05:00

Several blogs in the Pharma Blogosphere are now going dark (see "CNTO411: We'll Meet Again, Don't Know Where, Don't Know When"), which is why I am writing this post.Around this time a few months ago, John Mack introduced the blog Pharma Blogosphere to offer perspective about blogging about the pharmaceutical industry. Though we were initially pretty good at posting content, some of you may have

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-33825154497914103872009-01-16T10:36:00.003-05:002009-01-16T10:41:39.405-05:00

This note comes in from pharmalot refugees 'Justice in Michigan' and 'Jaynesday'In fondest tribute to Ed Silverman and his extraordinary Pharmalot site, and with appreciation to the Newark Star Ledger for sponsoring Pharmalot, a few of us Pharmalot "refugees" have founded the site, "Pharmalittle".This is an all-volunteer, unfunded effort. Needless to say, it ain't no Pharmalot. Our hope is

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-29723405880100154382009-01-14T07:36:00.005-05:002009-01-14T07:56:36.777-05:00

Every aspiring king, prince, or FDA Commissioner should have a family "shield" (aka "coat of arms") to use on his letterhead and Peter Rost, who aspires to be the new FDA commish, says someone sent him just the shield he's been "looking for" (that's it on the left; see the original here).BTW, back in January, 2008, when I was writing about Rost speaking before the Swedish parliament, I came up

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-12567822052135436822009-01-06T08:14:00.003-05:002009-01-06T08:21:30.415-05:00

I was sorry to hear that Ed Silverman "took the money and ran" and will no longer be writing for Pharmalot, which I assume will fold without him. I will miss Ed's presence in the Pharma Blogosphere, although I am sure he will continue to contribute somehow."This is my long goodbye," said Ed in his final post."For two glorious years, I have had the privilege and good fortune to run this site. Now,

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-82346997683446612092008-12-04T10:24:00.006-05:002008-12-04T10:51:46.534-05:00

As I reported on Pharma Marketing Blog, Peter Rost -- who has made a reputation as whistle blower, muckraker, and Pfizer nemesis -- holds the lead in my "Who Should Obama Nominate for FDA Commissioner?" survey (see "Meet the Person Likely to be the Next FDA Commissioner").Today, I received a note from Rost that reproduced email he received from U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and U.S. Representative

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-55162153778836957612008-11-20T16:30:00.004-05:002008-11-21T08:47:46.731-05:00

Yesterday, Ed Silverman -- the prolific Pharmalot blogger -- wrote that he was taking the afternoon off for a "speaking" engagement at a major pharmaceutical company:"Pardon the interruption this afternoon," Ed wrote, "but believe it or not, we have again been asked to talk about what we do - you know, covering pharma and this new media world in which we live. Who asked us this time? Well, if you

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-49838356412894943522008-11-16T09:54:00.004-05:002008-11-16T10:33:31.224-05:00

Today I noticed that Peter Rost -- former Pfizer Marketing VP, turned drug industry whistle blower, author, and blogger -- changed the name of his blog (again!) to PETER ROST FOR FDA COMMISSIONER.It all started when I reported on Pharma marketing Blog that FDA Intern -- Strange visitor from an Ivy League school who came to FDA with powers and ability far beyond those of Janet Woodcock or even FDA

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-46588838039257921262008-11-12T17:08:00.003-05:002008-11-12T17:16:39.764-05:00

The last post made to the alliconnect blog was on September 3, 2008 (see screen shot below).

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-40588424386155065392008-11-12T09:57:00.001-05:002008-11-12T09:59:53.561-05:00

Click on the image to take the survey

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-64561710637900500202008-11-06T13:58:00.002-05:002008-11-06T14:09:59.850-05:00

I just discovered or re-discovered Pharma 2.0, which is a blog written by Bunny (aka Beatrice) Ellerin who is a Managing Director in the New York office of InterbrandHealth, a brand consultancy, which is part of Interbrand, which is part of the marketing communications giant Omnicom.Bunny leads the research division and is responsible for all facets of the business including operational

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-85632075574945652492008-10-27T11:03:00.005-05:002008-10-27T11:36:34.446-05:00

This past week I noticed 3 indicators that Ed Silverman, author of Pharmalot, may soon be losing his job at the New Jersey Star-Ledger, the newspaper that owns Pharmalot.First, Insider over at PharmaGossip picked up the story of trouble at the Star-Ledger (see "Let's Hope Ed at Pharmalot is OK"):The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., will reduce its newsroom staff by nearly half through voluntary

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-66053362281975507712008-10-24T08:08:00.003-05:002008-10-24T08:29:40.272-05:00

For a real life demonstration of how inadequate McCain's health plan is, even for well-off pharmaceutical company retirees, I offer the following from Bob Ehrlich who wrote in his eNewsletter for DTC Executives (find his entire article over at DTC Perspectives Blog):"I am considered a Pfizer retiree. I worked there for about three days after their takeover of Warner-Lambert in 2000. I am covered

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-41633011354136801562008-10-02T06:59:00.004-05:002008-10-02T07:19:22.948-05:00

Presidential candidate John McCain currently has one of his 7 or so houses up for sale on Realtor.com. I learned about this from Peter Rost's Blog where you can find the link to the listing of this $12,000,000, 9 Bed, 8 Bath, 14,000 Sq. Ft. house that would cost you $65,619 per month if only you could obtain a mortgage.Scrolling through the 13 photos of this "single-family" dwelling, I found the

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-23103388244520483482008-10-01T05:49:00.005-05:002008-10-01T06:53:32.558-05:00

We've known for a long time that the pharmaceutical industry is in a recession. The results of a poll of readers of Pharma Marketing Blog that I started back in March, 2008 has consistently said so (see "Is the Pharma Industry in a Recession?" and the chart above showing recent results; go to Pharma Marketing Blog to take the poll).We've all seen the stories of decreasing pharmaceutical marketing

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-70851389986802215212008-09-11T09:08:00.007-05:002008-09-11T11:10:30.332-05:00

There are only 3 degrees of separation between me and Kevin Bacon! I know and have hung out with Fabio Gratton, who was Tom Cruise's personal assistant, and Tom Cruise was in the movie A Few Good Men with Kevin Bacon!Fabio, as you may know, founded Ignite Health, a technology-based healthcare communications [got to correct the spelling on your LinkedIn page, Fabio] agency committed to innovating

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-19505065928900337932008-09-10T08:50:00.005-05:002008-09-10T09:25:38.370-05:00

I've often criticized "blogs" owned by the print media (ie, newspapers) as not being in the same category as "traditional" blogs written by individuals. For one thing, editorial policies that rule these "media blogs" often do not allow readers to "look under the curtain" that news organizations place around the news.Another problem, which I have often noticed with media blogs, is that they tend

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-5330783686422991802008-09-08T08:02:00.007-05:002008-09-08T08:31:28.253-05:00

Fard Johnmar, founder of healthcare marketing communications consultancy Envision Solutions, LLC and author of the blog HealthCareVox, just released results of a new study of the Health Blogosphere. Here are some snippets form the press release:"According to a national survey we commissioned, the U.S. adult health blogging population currently stands at 13.6 million. (We defined health bloggers

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-72044929832392683062008-08-18T06:33:00.005-05:002008-08-18T06:57:56.056-05:00

It's the end of summer and practically no-one is at work in the Pharma Blogosphere. But someone who always seems to have a heavy workload is Chris Truelove, a "meta-blogger" over at PharmaBlogReview where she endeavors "to sum up what other bloggers who look at the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries are writing about, combining news and personal views with discussion and a dash of humor."

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-85522972783152004762008-07-31T13:55:00.004-05:002008-07-31T16:10:38.790-05:00

Chris TrueLove over at Pharma Blog Review notes that she would make some comments about items written in DrugWonks this week, "but hackers and spambots seem to have taken over the comments pages. Go ahead and click on any item in the blog and you’ll see what I mean."I did and this is what I found:HeroComment:burlington baby depot promo code gray plain tiny myspace layouts medium layered bob mappa

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-38739582061454245352008-07-31T07:02:00.010-05:002008-07-31T08:08:53.316-05:00

Just when I was going to post something about the inactivity over at Centocor's CNTO411 blog, I see that Michael Parks, Centocor's Vice President of Corporate Communications and now CNTO411's only voice, just submitted a post about "GeneRAtions," a new rheumatoid arthritis awareness program and web site.Parks does not get into what he has been doing since he last made a post over 2 months ago on

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-78456749263398288932008-07-22T06:42:00.010-05:002008-07-22T07:40:01.849-05:00

"Like a bad penny, I have opened a new drug news blog, titled 'Jim Edwards’ NRx.'"That's how Jim's email announcement, which all you bloggers out there have probably received, starts out.You can find Jim's new blog at http://jimedwardsnrx.wordpress.com/It seems that Jim is simultaneously accepting freelance money from Brandweek--a company he used to work full-time for blogging--and yet claims his

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-60619368364301308942008-07-15T08:52:00.005-05:002008-07-15T09:07:28.140-05:00

First I find that PharmaGiles is deceased (see "Wha Happened to PharmaGiles?") and now Pharma Fraud access is "by invitation only" and I haven't been invited!Of course, I'm a conspiracy nut, so right away I sense that these two developments are NOT isolated and may be part of an effort by employers of these bloggers to reign their employees who speak out against the pharmaceutical industry via

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-49983799631514334742008-07-14T18:28:00.002-05:002008-07-14T18:36:08.421-05:00

Have you tried linking to Pharma Giles blog at http://pharmagiles.blogspot.com/ lately?I get a "Pharma Giles (deceased)" message.Anybody know what's going on?

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-54724022293319693162008-07-08T05:48:00.004-05:002008-07-08T07:01:35.475-05:00

I am always searching the Pharma Blogosphere for comments and opinions I can quote in the articles I write for Pharma Marketing News. Sometimes, bloggers send me their comments directly. That's how I learned about The Patient Centric Healthcare Blog written by George Van Antwerp. He sent me his comments on why many pharmaceutical marketers ignore ROI and rely upon anecdotal evidence:They haven't

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-89550695104616273122008-06-30T13:33:00.012-05:002008-07-01T12:44:54.378-05:00

Did you miss me when I was away in London? Well, I missed you!Anyway, here are a few photos. First, here I am riding the "London Eye." No, not the beefy guy with tattoos on his arm! The other beefy guy, sitting down and staring directly into the camera. Those other dodos in the gondola with me didn't have a clue where the camera was located!I had a nice visit with the folks at eyeforpharma,

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-9616610029410078422008-06-27T12:14:00.004-05:002008-06-27T12:39:50.139-05:00

While I was away in London this week, Richard Myer over at World of DTC Marketing sent me a copy of an email message he received from a reader of his blog who complained the that recent Evista TV ad, which shows menopausal women standing around wearing only towels, was "extremely offensive:"I have been searching for who I should contact about the ad for Evista. I have seen it several times and

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-86073374972014878772008-06-20T10:13:00.005-05:002008-06-27T09:25:03.104-05:00

I'll be in London next week where I will be giving the keynote presentation at the Measuring Marketing ROI in Pharma conference being held at the Meridien on Piccadilly Street.While there, I plan to meet up with a few people at various places around London -- see the Google Map I created to see the places I plan to visit.Hey, Insider (aka Jack Friday, PharmaGossip Guy)! How about meeting me at

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-86909138841744697722008-06-02T05:35:00.004-05:002008-06-02T06:13:32.419-05:00

Back in February, 2007, when I started Pharma BlogosphereTM -- a blog about blogging about the pharmaceutical industry -- it was the first ever "pharma meta blog." At the time, several bloggers questioned the wisdom of a blog about blogs. Today, however, there are at least 3 "blogs" in this category: this blog, Christine Truelove's "Pharma Blogs: Week in Review", and now Bob Ehrlich's Blog on

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-69910628340883939662008-04-21T15:00:00.005-05:002008-04-22T09:25:02.020-05:00

Just kidding! I'm just tired of all the phone calls from the Barack campaign here in PA! I thought after I told them I would be voting for Hilary that they'd stop calling, but noooo! That was like putting a sign on may back saying "kick me!" This is just my method of payback!After collecting 250 votes, my little survey of readers regarding the pharma industry recession is not so little anymore!

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-63784747631891484992008-04-07T14:02:00.000-05:002008-04-07T14:03:53.635-05:00

Or, at least, Senator Grassley would be calling for an investigation right about now.The New York Times reports on the untimely death of two bloggers in a recent article:"To be sure, there is no official diagnosis of death by blogging, and the premature demise of two people obviously does not qualify as an epidemic. There is also no certainty that the stress of the work contributed to their

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-79301510111639623722008-04-03T15:35:00.007-05:002008-04-03T16:15:26.788-05:00

There's a brouhaha going around the Pharma BlogosphereTM about an anti-GSK YouTube video posted by Bob Fiddaman, a UK blogger. Several denizens of the Sphere have taken up the cause as a "free speech" issue:Glaxo, An Angry Blogger And Free Speechand this list provided by PharmaGossip (find the links here):Does GSK Love Bad Publicity? (Clin Psych Blog)Video sets GlaxoSmithKline Hounds to

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-25404373965099777942008-04-01T15:45:00.005-05:002008-04-02T05:34:13.443-05:00

What's the difference between an award-winning journalist blogger and a plain old blogger? The journalist blogger can call the CEO of Sepracor and get a quote, the plain old blogger has to rely on his wits and talk to the non-C suite employees to get his information.Yesterday, Ed Silverman and I were speakers at an industry conference where we learned something about the Lunesta ad campaign from

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-40198860476125093822008-03-27T06:25:00.006-05:002008-03-28T15:11:48.911-05:00

I recently discovered Twitter -- a free social networking and micro-blogging service -- and admit that "I'm All a Twitter About Twitter."Twitter ... allows users to send "updates" (or "tweets"; text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) to the Twitter website, via short message service (e.g. on a cell phone), instant messaging, or a third-party application such as Twitterrific or

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-23132351275124142322008-03-21T12:08:00.004-05:002008-03-21T12:22:43.515-05:00

Any one who knows me, knows that I have been championing the notion of pharmaceutical company employee blogging for a long time (see, for example, "A Primer on Pharma Employee Blogging") and more recently I have challenged Centocor to give employees a voice on their CNTO411 Blog (see "Centocor: Let Thy Employees Speak!").Lo and Behold! Today marks the first employee profile on a drug company's

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-20442064904069858202008-03-17T10:05:00.006-05:002008-03-17T10:34:49.454-05:00

Several bloggers have picked up on the analysis by IMS, which indicated that Drug sales in the U.S. grew at their slowest pace since 1961 (see "Drug Sales in U.S. Grow at Slower Pace").This, IMS says, is due to "cheaper copies of top-selling medicines [flooding] the market and U.S. regulators [approving] fewer new products."Meanwhile, there seems to be a question if generic drugs are as good as

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-32837966372214656522008-03-12T09:14:00.004-05:002008-03-12T09:59:35.794-05:00

Pharmaceutical Exceutive Magazine's PharmExec Direct Marketing Edition -- not quite a blog, but close enough -- as well as other blogs in the Pharma BlogosphereTM, have picked up on the CNTO411 story (see "Centocor Enters Blogosphere").I was quoted in the article:"As far as blogs go, CNTO411 is a small step for a blog, maybe a giant leap for pharma," Pharma Marketing Blog writer John Mack stated

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-8968285351065247812008-03-11T10:06:00.003-05:002008-03-11T10:16:27.680-05:00

Finally, a conservative newspaper has joined the Pharma BlogosphereTM! It's Daily Diagnosis from the New York Daily News.Here's the welcoming blog post:If death is the great equalizer, good health is the ultimate privilege. And while we can’t change our DNA, scientists every day are giving us new ways of maximizing what we’re born with.The Daily Diagnosis will offer perspective and context on the

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-75516291390884086132008-03-07T15:47:00.004-05:002008-03-07T15:56:24.513-05:00

I just noticed that when I try to access Peter Rosts' Question Authority Blog by typing in http://peterrost.blogspot.com/, my clickstream gets hijacked so that I end up on the Pfizer Web site.Very strange!

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-89559122339458664822008-03-04T16:54:00.003-05:002008-03-05T09:44:57.674-05:00

I'm getting bored with pharmaceutical company corporate blogs! See my rant on Pharma Marketing Blog: "Centocor Blog - No Frying Pan and No Fire!"What's next from pharma, viz-a-viz Web 2.0 ventures such as blogs, podcasts, RSS, social networks, etc?C'mon. Make some predictions.I suppose we'll have to wait another 6 months or a year before a pharmaceutical company launches another me-too corporate

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-18106134581285225212008-03-04T11:11:00.004-05:002008-03-04T11:34:59.197-05:00

Michael Parks, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Centocor, Inc. and the brains behind CNTO411 (see "CNTO411: A New Pharmaceutical Company Blog") plans to be a guest on today's Pharma Marketing Talk podcast about Centocor's new blog.After Jack Friday threw down the gauntlet by launching his counter-blog CentocorGossip (see "CentocorGossip: An 'Unofficial' Centocor Blog!") Michael just

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-12766256305850815522008-03-02T07:48:00.009-05:002008-03-02T08:37:06.166-05:00

Just when Centocor thought it successfully maneuvered into the Pharma BlogosphereTM by launching the CNTO411 blog (see "CNTO411: Centocor's Groundbreaking Blog"), we learn that PharmaGossip's Insider has set up a shadowy blog on the Blogger server called "CentocorGossip (ie, cnto411.blogspot.com)."[Whoops! Looks like Centocor forgot to register "cnto411.blogspot.com". I also cannot find a

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-3085016853929838952008-03-01T07:20:00.012-05:002008-03-02T08:11:14.456-05:00

Centocor -- a J&J company that was the first to produce a feature length disease awareness documentary ("Innerstate") -- has just launched a new corporate blog that may break new ground in pharmaceutical company blogging. It's called "CNTO411".The brains and bloggers behind CNTO411 are Melissa Katz, Senior Director of Corporate Communications at Centocor and her boss, Michael Parks, Vice

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-77906017464657680542008-02-29T13:52:00.002-05:002008-02-29T13:56:08.935-05:00

Peter Rost just announced on his Question Authority blog:"After having been started in April 2007, BrandweekNRX was taken off the air in December, and brought back for the months of January and February this year.Unfortunately, money is tight over at Brandweek, and advertising on Internet sites such a BrandweekNRX is hard to come by . . . so, for now, BrandweekNRX is closing down again.Meanwhile,

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-81117029571250633152008-02-29T10:35:00.004-05:002008-02-29T10:48:01.569-05:00

A commenter to my previous post ("Dear Doctor Jarvik: Are You G**?") pointed out that Jarvik is married to Marilyn vos Savant (shown below on her non-exercise bike). She's a keeper and not an IDIOT SAVANT! I don't know if this proves if Jarvik is gay or not, but he's risen a notch higher on my esteem-o-meter!I found the following information about Marilyn over at marilynvossavant.com (she and

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-25273708252263307382008-02-29T08:49:00.008-05:002008-02-29T09:10:16.065-05:00

[WARNING. THE FOLLOWING POST MAY CONTAIN POLITICALLY-INCORRECT INNUENDOS. IF THIS OFFENDS YOU, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS POST.]Are you gay?Forgive me for asking this doctor, but I have been getting a lot of flack over at Pharma Marketing Blog after I suggested you might be gay (see "Jarvik: A Modern DTC Tragedy").Actually, I first suggested you were a "fop," which I guess is an old fashioned term

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-22292485119053362962008-02-25T15:24:00.005-05:002008-02-25T15:52:34.755-05:00

I am insulted!Christina Truelove's "Pharma Blogs: Week in Review" is a great weekly personal view of the Pharma BlogosphereTM. I read it religiously every week.But the advertising for it on the PharmaLive site includes a tag line that, unlike the tagline for sale over at BrandweekNRx, stinks!"We monitor pharma blogs so you don't have to..." ??????Truelove, you got some 'splaining to do!First,

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-42252887954789234802008-02-24T07:48:00.005-05:002008-02-24T11:09:24.996-05:00

Want to increase your blog traffic by 50%? That's the result Insider -- aka Jack Friday -- at PharmaGossip saw after he posted a link to the nude photo of Playboy model and Sanofi drug rep Cameron Haven doing her dirty laundry in Florida.Of course, I was one of those men -- and probably a few women -- who dutifully exited the PharmaGossip site within a millisecond and followed the link to the

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-5971977614351877642008-02-22T10:15:00.003-05:002008-02-22T10:50:59.695-05:00

This morning, I was greeted by email from Bob Ehrlich, chairman of DTC Perspectives, who made some predictions about what would happen to broadcast DTC if McCain or Obama were elected president.But Ehrlich didn't venture to predict what might happen to broadcast DTC if McCain won; he focused mostly on an Obama president scenario. You can read about Ehrlich's predictions in this post to the WSJ

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-16906357088688743872008-02-18T10:02:00.005-05:002008-02-18T13:44:05.647-05:00

Those pens that pharmaceutical sales reps hand out to physicians are often cited as examples of gifts to physicians that are meant to increase physician loyalty to the drug brand that made the gift.Do pens work?This advertiser in Pharmaceutical Executive Magazine thinks so.How many physicians' brains need to be influenced by pens in order to make an investment in free pens for docs yield a

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-14632177217328511702008-02-15T13:47:00.002-05:002008-02-15T13:50:09.259-05:00

Read about it in this post to Pharma Marketing Blog.

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-75829409042994415142008-02-13T14:35:00.002-05:002008-02-13T14:55:25.778-05:00

Let's face it. Marketers are not daVinci's, by which I mean they are not good at combining art and science.Despite all the talk these days about ROI this and ROI that, marketing remains aloof from attempts to measure its effects.In fact, many marketers keep soldiering on with ridiculous ad campaigns even when they are clearly in negative ROI territory. See, for example, "Rozerem Ad Spending

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-49394945643462569272008-02-12T06:23:00.000-05:002008-02-12T07:10:09.781-05:00

CafePharma faces a dilemma: should it hand over names of anonymous posters to the House Committee on Commerce, which requested these names as part of its investigation of "who knew what when" in the ENHANCE investigation? Or should CafePharma tell the committee to "piss off!"?The Committee sent a letter to Sarah Palmer, CafePharma's Webmaster/mistress, and her ISP asking for the names, addresses,

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-63112533181434303832008-02-08T12:44:00.000-05:002008-02-08T13:27:00.321-05:00

"He can't row," said Dr. O. H. Frazier of the Texas Heart Institute of Dr. Jarvik, Pfizer's Lipitor celebrity spokesperson. And Dr. Frazier should know -- he's a "longtime collaborator" of Jarvik's, according to a NY Times article published yesterday. Turns out a stunt double was used (see "Jarvik Can't Prescribe and Can't Row a Boat, But Can He Sell?" and here).This blogger just learned through

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-75294631426334752492008-02-05T14:40:00.000-05:002008-02-05T15:05:42.160-05:00

I've just returned from a few days vacation on the beach in Sunny Isles, Florida and I haven't yet recovered from the Motivational Deficiency Disorder (MDD) symptoms that resulted!If you haven't heard about MDD, you can read about it on the WSJ Health Blog and Pharmalot.Of course, MDD is a made-up disease and the butt of a spoof video produced by and organization called Consumers International (

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-70372265605798300052008-01-29T08:48:00.000-05:002008-01-29T11:13:09.106-05:00

Yesterday, I received an email from Peter Rost entitled "Schering-Plough tries to silence upcoming BrandweekNRX article," in which he summarized correspondence between him and some lawyer at Schering-Plough regarding an expose he said he was writing for BrandweekNRx/BrandWeek. I believe the documents in that correspondence were also posted on NRx for a short time yesterday, but I can no longer

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-53929668743124841872008-01-24T15:12:00.000-05:002008-01-24T15:33:09.757-05:00

Pharmalot recently reported that Public Citizen Demands A Black Box For Botox.A Public Citizen analysis of FDA data found that between Nov. 1, 1997, and Dec. 31, 2006, there were 658 reported cases of people suffering adverse effects from injections of botulinum toxin. Of these, 180 were associated with aspiration (fluid in the lungs), dysphagia and/or pneumonia; 87 required hospitalization.

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-28740991981485738252008-01-24T07:53:00.000-05:002008-01-24T08:12:21.605-05:00

Jack Friday at PharmaGossip and Aubrey Blumsohn at the Scientific Misconduct Blog both challenged me and other pharma bloggers to take the "Political Compass" survey and compare my results with theirs. Well here it is (click to enlarge).Take the test yourself and see how to analyze it here.On the left-right scale (economics), I am about as Marxist as Jack Friday, whereas Aubrey is a centrist. On

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-67768104935079334662008-01-20T12:09:00.000-05:002008-01-20T12:24:16.671-05:00

Give up? See "Different Views of Pharma and its Critics"Here's a hint taken from a scene shortly following the above encounter:Thanks to Eka's Portal for the image source.

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-58471081914467948032008-01-16T18:11:00.001-05:002008-01-18T12:49:33.637-05:00

Round 1: Lipitor's Jarvik is outedRound 2: Vytorin Trial Ends In Failure - Patients Left Out in ColdRound 3: Congress Investigates Vytorin AdsRound 4: Congress To Probe Vytorin Insider Stock SalesRound 5: Study Says Patients, Doctors Get Distorted View of AntidepressantsRound 6: FDA Won't be Previewing TV DTC Ads!Round 7: Taking Statins no Better Than Betting the Lottery!Announcer: "Big Pharma is

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-12209580025579214292008-01-15T07:54:00.001-05:002008-01-16T06:24:40.569-05:00

Do you take Zetia like me? Now that there's all this news about how the ENHANCE trial failed (see "The Controversial Vytorin Trial Ends In Failure"), I'm not sure what to do!The only expert opinion I've heard is from Dr. Steven Nissen (see below), head of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, who has called for a "moratorium" on the use of Vytorin and Zetia. "In the absence of any evidence

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-60058864633551189032008-01-11T12:55:00.000-05:002008-01-11T13:40:55.804-05:00

Some day I'll meet up with Chris Truelove -- she works just down the road from me! For now, however, I'll just have to be content with reading "Pharma Blogs: Week in Review," the weekly e-newsletter Chris writes (subscribe here). This week's edition is a gem, and not only because she mentions me at least 3 times! She managed to cite every one of the posts I made this week to Pharma Marketing Blog

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-3334220230860718322008-01-10T16:43:00.000-05:002008-01-10T16:53:34.303-05:00

According to Evelyn Pringle, investigative journalist writing for Counterpunch, the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest (CMPI), which brings us DrugWonks, is virtually run by ex-FDA staffers appointed by the Bush Administration. Here's what she has to say:On its web site, the Center describes itself as "a non-partisan, non-profit educational charity," and Mr Pitts is indeed listed as

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-67485158955320950432008-01-07T10:11:00.000-05:002008-01-07T10:46:15.756-05:00

Ed Silverman over at Pharmalot is trying to draw out the anonymous creators of a Website called BigPharmaRealPeople and challenged the principal--one Scott McTavish (aka John Galt)--to a blogging duel:"One other thing, Scott. Since you chose not to answer any of our messages directly, we are still curious to know more about your background and those of your ’staff.’ We would also like to know

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-53580431199165989262008-01-03T07:55:00.000-05:002008-01-03T08:58:46.454-05:00

After languishing for over a month without any word from Peter Rost, BrandweekNRx is "Baack"... sort of (hat tip to Pharmalot for that).This bit of news is now circulating through the Pharma BlogosphereTM (see, for example, here and here).Let's dig a little deeper and learn some more.Here, for example, is a comment from Todd Wasserman, BrandWeek’s editor, which was reported in Pharmalot:"We let

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-58304347273132194022007-12-20T07:43:00.000-05:002007-12-20T07:59:44.763-05:00

Bloggers in the Pharma Blogosphere did not like it when I asked readers to rate my blog and others (see survey summary here). That taught me a lesson: think of numero uno first! Therefore, I've been running a survey of readers of Pharma Marketing Blog for a while. Thank you if you have already taken that survey. If not, see Pharma Marketing Blog Reader Survey to take the survey - but only if you

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-33915919241236516132007-12-17T08:40:00.000-05:002007-12-17T08:42:07.194-05:00

Hint: It's an ENHANCED mistletoe product that is sure to liven up any dull office holiday party!Yet another reason to invite John Mack to your party.Read about it here.

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-63040781021261101032007-12-14T10:13:00.000-05:002007-12-14T12:11:21.721-05:00

It's a tradition!Every year at this time I make the rounds to holiday office parties in the tri-state area (NY, NJ, PA) and hand out favors and offers that cannot be refused.If you are having a party next week, why not invite me?I still have the tux I wore at the MM&M awards party -- see that story here.James Chase, Editor-in-Chief at MM&M, was glad that he invited me, if you know what I mean. (

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-10648594824598118602007-12-12T10:49:00.000-05:002007-12-12T10:52:51.012-05:00

Several weeks ago I received an email from John Virapen who published a fictional novel ("Side Effects: Death"; written in German) about corruption in the pharma industry.Virapen claims to have "damning evidence" exposing Eli Lilly bribing the regulatory board in Sweden to attain marketing approval for Prozac and he plans to write the true story based on his memoirs outlining his and Lilly's

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-32658866536800569862007-12-10T14:27:00.000-05:002007-12-10T15:05:43.845-05:00

NEW YORK, New York (PMB) -- The Critters that appear in many direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug ads will go on strike early Tuesday after their negotiating team recommended a walkout over royalties that could immediately pinch primetime news shows that depend on the ads for revenue.The DTC Critters Guild of America (DTC-CGA) board voted unanimously to strike as of 12:01 a.m. Monday (3:01 a.m. ET),

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-38140184394645542972007-12-10T10:54:00.000-05:002007-12-10T11:02:45.960-05:00

While I was looking elsewhere, a new blog entered the Pharma Blogosphere in September: Postscript. Looks worthy of your attention.Here's the maiden post describing its mission:PostScript, a blog from the Prescription Project, adds another dimension to the Project’s goal of raising awareness around the medical conflict-of-interest issues that are created when drug companies open their wallets to

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-86129363623880310312007-12-07T08:18:00.000-05:002007-12-07T08:51:23.263-05:00

Generally speaking, Peter Rost -- pharma whistleblower, blogger, and author -- needs no help from me to promote Peter Rost. He's the ultimate self-promotional machine!If you haven't noticed yet, Peter is now hawking his services as a "Litigation Consultant" on his new blog: "Pharma Marketing Expert Witness."I don't think he intends to be a witness for the defense of the pharmaceutical

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-35088741746151733842007-12-06T16:22:00.000-05:002007-12-06T16:36:41.296-05:00

Here's a challenge inspired by the Washington Post's Mensa Invitational.Take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.Here are some examples:Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-82207646151951990942007-12-05T08:22:00.000-05:002007-12-05T13:29:42.704-05:00

Couple of things:Insider, aka Jack Friday, over at PharmaGossip has joined me in the call for PhRMA to fire Montel Williams (see story in yesterday's post to this blog).If you would like to be added to the roster of pharma bloggers calling for Montel to be fired as PhRMA's celeb Partnership for Prescription Assistance spokesperson, you can leave a comment here or join in a discussion thread I set

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-61351820772261531532007-12-04T13:07:00.000-05:002007-12-05T07:16:32.229-05:00

So far, at least four blogs in the Pharma Blogosphere -- Pharma Marketing Blog, Pharmalot, eDrugSearch Blog, and WSJ Health Blog -- have posted comments about Montel Williams threat to "blow up" a Savannah Morning News high school intern reporter (see the story here, here, here, and here).Even PhRMA Intern has gotten into the act (see "PhRMA Intern v. Montel: HS Intern is Saved, But...").Survey

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-43765715687725331542007-12-03T08:23:00.000-05:002007-12-03T08:26:40.718-05:00

Not so long ago, I called for pharma advertisers to boycott the Imus show over his infamous "nappy-headed ho" racial slur against young college athletes who never did him any harm (see "Glaxo, Pull Your Imus Ads!"). The next day, GSK and other advertisers did pull their ads.Now another celebrity associated with the pharmaceutical industry has gone bad -- Montel Williams.How did Montel go "bad'

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-30306559527765862682007-12-01T09:40:00.000-05:002007-12-01T09:47:26.997-05:00

The Pharmalyst blog has shut down after accepting an employment offer from a pharmaceutical company. Here's the announcement made on November 17:Pharmalyst just came off the campus recruiting season and this explains the lack of any posts prior to this one in November.Well, it looks like all good things must come to an end and perhaps it is now the turn of Pharmalyst's blogging career. During the

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-57331458618305664572007-11-30T08:24:00.000-05:002007-11-30T08:59:15.830-05:00

Rich Myer over at World of DTC Marketing -- which has had a recent facelift (very nice) -- emailed me a link to an OpEd piece in the WSJ written by Sidney Taurel, CEO of Eli Lilly and Company (saint Taurel seen on left). The piece was entitled "The Media on Drugs" -- a title I find unfortunate in the context of discussing the "ethical" drug industry.Mr. Taurel chided the media for perpetrating

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-43246861230083614572007-11-27T10:00:00.000-05:002007-11-27T19:23:55.112-05:00

Dr. Carlat's (author of The Carlat Psychiatry Blog) confession of a past stint as a paid drug industry "consultant" was first sighted by me in the Wall Street Journal Health Blog here.[BTW, kudos for to the WSJ Health Blog for attaining the #6 position in eDrugSearch's list of Top 100 health Blogs. This beats Pharmalot, which has dropped back to #42. Pharma Marketing Blog, however, is close

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-76160821377569266112007-11-21T09:33:00.000-05:002007-11-21T16:11:47.299-05:00

Have you noticed how quiet the Internet is today?No spam email! Hardly any visitors to Web sites!Am I the last guy here?Like everyone else, I soon will be outta here and starting my traditional Thanksgiving Day period of celebration.Since I am hosting the feast this year, I am not traveling. So I may indeed be the last person to leave the Pharma Blogosphere, although I suspect I will be vying for

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-85631268857004087142007-11-19T12:46:00.000-05:002007-11-20T07:01:25.806-05:00

Alex Sugarman-Brozan, author of the Prescription Access Litigation Blog, sent me notice of the Blog Readability Test, which supposedly grades the readability of blogs and websites (see his post on this topic here).Alex points out several problems with the scoring system used by this test.Alex points out: "It’s at www.criticsrant.com/bb/reading_level.aspx. No information is available about who

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-58355605716593227302007-11-16T12:29:00.000-05:002007-11-16T12:54:55.085-05:00

Peter Rost, a former Pfizer VP, wins appeal in qui tam case against Pfizer Inc.Peter Rost, the writer of NRX, filed a qui tam suit against Pfizer Inc., during his employment as Vice President at Pfizer. The suit alleged illegal marketing of Genotropin, a growth hormone.The information in the suit resulted in Pfizer paying a $34.7 million fine in April 2007, however, the district court ultimately

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-81429773196448319532007-11-15T07:51:00.000-05:002007-11-15T09:42:14.272-05:00

It all started innocently enough with a post by Ed Silverman over at Pharmalot. On Tuesday, Ed called our attention to a Consumer Reports video critique of the classic "Creepy, Crawly" Requip Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) TV ad (see "Debunking TV Ads: Installment #1").Although Ed's post was published about 12 days after CR first uploaded the video on its web site, I think the post woke up the

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-33009730455689457912007-11-14T10:25:00.000-05:002007-11-14T10:30:15.393-05:00

According to Advertising Age, Americans Long for a Chance to Rest, Replenish and Reboot. We are, says AdAge, "Whipsawed by Stimuli" and "Our Attention Is Fraying and Disorders Are Multiplying."I call it Frayed Attention Disorder (FAD).What's the cause?According the AdAge reporter, what's causing FAD in Americans is all the bad news about "Car bombs in Iraq. Car bombs in Afghanistan. Coordinated

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-86588166088503139692007-11-14T08:02:00.000-05:002007-11-14T09:17:27.814-05:00

I find myself blessed! Buzz marketers have me on their short list of people/bloggers to notify about issues that benefit their lords and masters.Today, for example, I received a comment from that guy "Anonymous" who notified me that the Restless Leg Syndrome Foundation urged its "members" to cancel their subscriptions to Consumer Reports because of the "extremely sarcastic and insulting video"

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-89807827736479982302007-11-08T10:24:00.000-05:002007-11-08T10:56:11.705-05:00

Pharmalot and Pharma Marketing Blog have both reported on FDA's letter to Scios "requesting" that it cease dissemination of violative Natrecor computer mouse pad and pen tchotchkes that it has been giving as gifts to physicians.The mouse pad is pictured at the left.FDA cited these baubles as "inappropriate reminder labeling." Read more what the FDA said here.Speaking of "reminders," all this

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-49477782721403719472007-11-06T07:48:00.000-05:002007-11-15T09:42:40.280-05:00

Last week I challenged -- well, not exactly challenged; more like offered a prize -- to any pharma blogger who would rewrite the lyrics to "Puttin' On the Ritz" so that they were relevant to the pharmaceutical industry.Pharma Giles was up to the challenge (read his lyrics here).Giles suggests it would make for a "pretty funny (if gut-churning) video" and I agree. Anyone out there willing and able

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-49076964890946390692007-11-02T12:01:00.000-05:002007-11-02T13:11:43.579-05:00

What happens when two editors get together at a fancy dress party with an open bar?Smashed, that's what!Here's James Chase, Editor-in-Chief at MM&M, and me whooping it up at the 2007 MM&M Awards after party last night at the Tavern on the Green in NYC.I am sure James was smashed. I was merely inebriated.That's James posing with me on the left.I liked James right off the bat because he impressed

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-30373693840434193262007-11-01T09:51:00.000-05:002007-11-07T17:06:52.732-05:00

A Gold Award goes to any blogger in the Pharma Blogosphere who can rewrite these lyrics to fit the gala black tie event I will be going to tonight!Have you seen the well-to-doUp and down park avenueOn that famous thoroughfareWith their noses in the airHigh hats and narrow collarsWhite spats and lots of dollarsSpending every dimeFor a wonderful timeNow, if you're blueAnd you don't know where to go

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-72179756598016696372007-10-30T15:14:00.000-05:002007-10-30T16:10:54.309-05:00

Do you have a costume for the Pharma BlogosphereTM Halloween party? You can choose from the following. See below for some notes that may help you make your choice.1 -- Sorry. This one is reserved for a certain gossipy US expat Brit blogger.2 -- If you are a nerdy pharmacist blogger, maybe this would be a good choice for you. But I had some wankers in mind for this one.3 -- The Judge. 'nuff said.4

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-4807174472758219002007-10-30T09:15:00.000-05:002007-10-31T06:19:54.593-05:00

Have you voted for your "dream" pharma blog panel yet?I am trying to put together a panel that could participate in an industry conference or in an online virtual roundtable discussion. Please help me out.Select your dream members by taking the following poll. You will be able to see the results after you vote. If I left someone off the list, please add that name to the comments to this post.

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-4573658157065063762007-10-30T07:24:00.000-05:002007-10-30T07:29:12.313-05:00

Consumers International (CI), which claims to be the only independent global campaigning voice for consumers, yesterday accused Takeda Pharmaceuticals -- marketer of the sleep aid Rozerem -- of "taking advantage of poor US regulation and advertising sleeping pills to children, despite health warnings about pediatric use." To honor that achievement, CI awarded Takeda a 2007 International Bad

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-90626240900615403722007-10-27T06:12:00.000-05:002007-10-28T07:29:31.706-05:00

A few months ago, Ed Silverman over at Pharmalot, asked me if I would like to participate on a blog panel he planned to moderate at an upcoming DTC Perspectives conference (see "Do Pharma Blogs Have Any Influence?"). At the time, however, I was embroiled in a tiff with Bob Ehrlich (see "Mack and Meyer Clash with Publisher Over 'Journalistic Integrity'"), the chairman of DTC Perspectives. So I

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-75050427176060597422007-10-26T07:39:00.000-05:002007-11-15T09:43:47.246-05:00

A few of us blogger denizens of the Pharma BlogosphereTM were out and about attending and/or presenting at pharma industry conferences this week.Marc Monseau -- J&J BTW blogger -- and I teamed up at the Digital Pharma conference in Princeton, NJ, to do our audience-participation point-counterpoint routine on whether or not the pharmaceutical industry should embrace Web 2.0 (see "J&J Blog, Shire

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-52812104611199679442007-10-22T14:39:00.000-05:002007-10-22T14:46:13.455-05:00

Pfizer Inc. Chief Executive Jeffrey Kindler's decision to scrap an unpopular drug bucked an unspoken industry rule, according to a Wall Street Journal article ("Pfizer Breaks With Norm by Scrapping Drug"). Namely, products can linger on life support as long as they pose no safety problems.This reminds me of the story of Mike the Headless Chicken (read it here). Mike the Headless Chicken (April

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-68519715260189987662007-10-18T18:29:00.000-05:002007-11-15T09:44:35.438-05:00

Pfizer's announcement that it will no longer invest in the marketing or sale of Exubera set off multiple posts around the Pharma Blogosphere.There were quite a few creative headlines and accompanying graphics.Let's start with Pharmalot, which is often first up at bat, even though clean-up may often be better. "Pfizer Profit Plunges; Exubera Goes Up In Smoke," said Ed Silverman. To emphasize his

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-29411100129471956802007-10-16T06:02:00.000-05:002007-10-16T08:55:39.448-05:00

"For now, we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known." -- Cor. 13:12The recent announcement of the Pfizer-Sermo deal has been discussed by practically every blogger in the Pharma Blogosphere and beyond!Is Pfizer in this to promote its products to Sermo docs?Reading all these blog posts and articles written

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-868356934935513032.post-13301712241711251952007-10-12T10:00:00.000-05:002007-10-12T10:05:14.941-05:00

Chantix takes the place of nicotine and like nicotine stimulates dopamine production, which "gives you a feeling of pleasure."What I didn't realize is that the pleasure involves vivid, memorable dreams, which is a "side effect" that Pfizer describes as "changes in dreaming."I found that interesting, so I decided to mine some social networks to find examples of dreams that Chantix users were

PharmaGuynoreply@blogger.com0