Drug Makers Tweeting About Their Tweatments?
The pharmaceutical industry, like many other sectors seeking a way to stay viable in a world where customers are becoming ever more elusive (um, like maybe journalism?), is dipping its toes into the brave new world of social media. At a small meeting room at the Madison Hotel today, a group of attendees heavy on public relations and drug company employees brainstormed about the possibilities of using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to get the word out about their products, or maybe about a particular condition, and connect with the end users: physicians and patients.
There’s a big catch for drug makers, however. The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t really determined where these communications fit into its regulatory scheme. Mark Gaydos, a senior director of regulatory affairs at Sanofi-Aventis, said he is heading a somewhat informal task force of representatives from 5 drug makers seeking to create voluntary guidelines on the industry’s use of social media. The companies have already been talking with the FDA’s division of drug marketing, advertising and communications about their efforts, Mr. Gaydos said.
Biggest problem is they’re usually thinking of social media in terms of how can they market and sell, not how can they build relationships with doctors and patients. While such companies often expound this patient-first focus, I’m not convinced that their actions are always congruent with this professed corporate value. They are public, for-profit companies, after all.
But, yeah, these are murky waters. I hope there is someone who actually knows something about social media involved in these talks. Expecting a bunch of senior executives to come up with a policy, when I’m pretty sure they’re not the most knowledgeable folks about the medium, is asking for… maybe not disaster, but certainly something ineffective and meaningless.
I’d love to be the person at FDA in charge of developing the agency’s social media strategy and guidelines for regulated industries to follow.