'Round the Sphere: Not-as-black-as-you-think-you-are and Blog Schmog Point-Counterpoint

Jim Edwards over at BrandweekNRX wonders whether "not-as-black-as-you-think-you-are" genes are responsible for lackluster sales of BiDil -- the first drug approved specifically for "self identified" African Americans. Jim posits that maybe this group is not as black as they think they are and casts doubt on "race-based medicine" (see "BiDil Falters, Casting Doubts on Race-Based Medicine").

John Mack, over at Pharma Marketing Blog, believes this is a bogus argument and places BiDil's problems squarely in marketing's court (see "BiDil Sales Disappoint: Blame Genes or Marketing?"). As usual, I don't just criticize, I offer an innovative solution to the problem of marketing to minorities.

Meanwhile, Agnes Shanley over at On Pharma is casting some doubt of her own and questions the utility of blogs: "Zube-gate aside, rumors of your power to change the world have been greatly exaggerated," says Shanley (see "Blog, Schmlog: Tales from the Dark Side of Web 2.0").

"I Beg to Differ!," says Fard Johnmar over at HealthcareVOX. "To say that blogs are not significantly influencing health and healthcare is far from correct," says Fard (see "Agnes Shanley Says 'Blog Schmog'; I Beg To Differ").

Agnes has been posting some very interesting things on her blog lately and seems to have picked up some pointers from the rest of the pack, especially heating things up with some controversial postings.

Don't worry about lack of comments, Agnes. Keep up the good work and I am sure the comments will follow. It's not the quantity of comments you receive, but the quality and whether or not they move the discussion forward and teach us a thing or two.

Speaking of moving the discussion forward: don't bother making any comments here if all you are doing is pointing out my shortcomings! I am fully briefed on that subject. Just stick to the subject at hand and I am glad to pass your comments on. Otherwise, hasta la vista, baby!

'Round the Sphere: Zee French Have Zee Multi Drug

Where did the new brand name for Acomplia come from?

An anonymous commenter to a Pharma Marketing Blog gave this enlightening and thoroughly plausible explanation:

I think Zimulti came from a twisted English language branding workshop with only Dehecq and LeFur in the room. When considering that rimonabant is being tested for MULTIple indications, they both exclaimed at the same time about its uniqueness and appeal "Eet ees Zi-Multi drogue" (it is the multi-drug). If you've ever heard Dehecq speak English you know his accent is pretty thick and this is completely plausible. I participated in the original branding workshop for the drug and I suggested "Butt-Off" since it applies for both smoking cessation and weight control. Nobody in the room got the joke. Maybe that's why I no longer work there, ha ha.

And you thought the guys at WSJ had a lock on "Zimulti Humor" with their "We'd like the Zimulti with clams, please."

It also beats my "Yummi! It's Zimulti Italian Pastry" joke.

Any other "Zimulti" jokes out there? It's been a long time since we've had a brand name with so much joke potential!

P.S. I just noticed that Ed Silverman over at Pharmalot also got in on the joke and made a comment that Zimulti sounded more like a dessert to him. Glad to see that great minds think alike, but how about a hat tip to me for the Italian dessert reference, Ed?

BTW, it's Zimulti, not Zumulti; otherwise the French origin joke wouldn't work (Zu is more German than French, n'est pas?).

Pointing Fingers

There's been some interest in the First Ever Pharma Blogosphere Reader Survey from bloggers in the Pharma Blogosphere^TM.

Recently, Rich Meyer, author of World of DTC Marketing (rated as one of the TOP 5 "useful" blogs by survey respondents) suggested that people who have not worked in the pharmaceutical industry should not "point fingers."

Rich was disturbed to learn that according to the survey, "BLOGS critical of the pharmaceutical industry are viewed more credible than BLOGS supportive of the industry. ...unless you have worked in the pharma industry there is no way that you can sit on the fence and point fingers at people inside the house." (See "Unless you have been there don't point fingers".)

The blogs that Rich says in "no way" should point fingers at pharma include:

• Pharmalot
• PharmaGossip
• Pharma Marketing Blog
• BrandweekNRX

Of these, only PharmaGossip meets Rich's criteria for the right to point fingers. PharmaGossip is supposedly written by an industry insider. However, the author is anonymous and there is no way to confirm that he/she is an authentic "insider." But I take the Insider (aka "Jack Friday") at his word.

I think it's incredible for Rich to make this kind of statement. First, any one has a right to point fingers and some of the best finger pointing may be done by "outsiders," such as Democrats in Congress pointing fingers at the Bush administration.

The press (of which we have freedom of here in the USA) is another good example of outsiders pointing in. Pharmalot and BrandweekNRX are two "critical" blogs written by reporters and they are doing a wonderful and critically acclaimed job of pointing fingers.

Of course, the "finger pointer uber alis" is Peter Rost of Question Authority. Rost used to be on the inside but now he is on the outside, so I guess he's OK in Meyer's book.

Meyer plays the "pharma is unique card": "Working in the pharma industry is unique and unless you have spent time on the inside I don't believe that you can understand the environment in which we work."

OK, let's have some sympathy for the environment in which these guys work. But that is no excuse for premeditated abuse of laws, regulations, guidelines, and ethical marketing practices, which are plain for anyone to see, inside or out.

P.S. Meyer relates he has seen a lot of wrong committed inside the tent by fellow pharma people. His blog is a good example of how someone on the inside can take a critical look at this situation and I applaud him for doing it. I also applaud his company, which Meyer doesn't name, for not terminating or muzzling him.

Mack Quoted in Boston Globe Story About Pharma's Empathy Pitch to Physicians

While in Las Vegas I received a voicemail from Stephen Heuser, a staff reporter at the Boston Globe. He was doing a story on an exhibit at the American Academy of Neurology meeting that "claimed it could create, in a perfectly healthy person, the disorienting symptoms of multiple sclerosis."

I called him back and we discussed what seemed to him to be a new technique employed by pharmaceutical companies to market to physicians.

Today, Heuser's article -- "MS drug makers try a new pitch: empathy" -- appeared in the Boston Globe. The article includes a few words of wisdom from moi. I'll have more to say on this topic later on Pharma Marketing Blog, but here are a few of my pearls quoted in the article:

"They're always looking for something new," said John Mack , publisher of Pharma Marketing News and author of a watchdog blog on drug company marketing excess. He was not at the Hynes this week, but is familiar with the heart-failure simulator. "Doctors are very gadget-oriented, and they like this sort of thing," Mack said. "It's also very medically oriented."

The marketing theory behind the simulator is that a more empathetic doctor is more likely to treat patients aggressively, which means prescribing more drugs. O'Leary said one survey showed that the strategy seems to work: Doctors emerged from the anemia simulator measurably more interested in treating patients' symptoms.

"The whole thing was not to push the drug, it was to push the importance of treating the disease," said O'Leary.

Mack, the marketing specialist, is skeptical. A cardiologist with a lot of experience treating congestive heart failure "probably knows all there is to know about being empathetic," he said.

He does, however, believe simulators and other high-tech educational tools can fill important gaps in medical education, even if they are funded by companies that stand to profit from increased drug sales.

"Obviously, pharma companies have a vested interest, but medical schools are just starting to teach doctors about bedside manner and having empathy for the patients," he said.