Are We Over Prescribing Drugs? ? ?Most people..still want pills.? -Bob Ehrlich That question was asked in a recent survey by the company Poll Position. In a poll conducted among 1,168 adults on 11/22; 52% said “yes.” There was a larger affirmative answer from African Americans at 59%. There was not much difference between men […]
Author Archive | Bob Ehrlich
By Bob Ehrlich
November 18, 2011
Direct to Consumer Care
Direct to Consumer Care One of the biggest challenges in America is providing low cost care to the uninsured or those who can no longer afford a typical insurance plan. Even a modest family plan would cost at ? ?I ask our over regulated medical bureaucracy to think practically.? -Bob Ehrlich least $6.000 if not […]
By Bob Ehrlich
November 11, 2011
Macro Drivers for Future Pharma Success
Macro Drivers for Future Pharma Success ?Big pharma will go through a faster change process in the next 20 years.? -Bob Ehrlich The success of the pharmaceutical industry over the next ten years is going to depend on its ability to deal with some macro drivers that are dominant. Some companies will succeed and others […]
By Bob Ehrlich
November 4, 2011
Combo Drugs: The Next DTC Wave?
Combo Drugs: The Next DTC Wave? ?Most seniors can be better served with fewer pills.? -Bob Ehrlich Merck recently got approval to combine two drugs for different conditions into one. Juvisync combines diabetes drug Januvia with cholesterol reducer Zocor. People with type 2 diabetes often have high cholesterol and a combo drug makes it easier […]
By Bob Ehrlich
October 28, 2011
New Study Wants More FDA DTC Explanations
New Study Wants More FDA DTC Explanations ?The authors feel consumers misunderstand what FDA approval means.? -Bob Ehrlich Two physician researchers, Drs. Schwartz and Woloshin, have studied and published on DTC for years. They have generally been critical of drug industry communications. In their latest study published 9/12/2011 in the journal ?Archives of Internal Medicine?, […]
By Bob Ehrlich
October 21, 2011
DTC Digital Frustration
?Drug company management is in a defensive posture.? -Bob Ehrlich I just returned from our annual digital DTC conference in New Jersey. I can describe the general sentiment as one of frustration. That is, frustration with FDA and their glacial movement on guidance, frustration with the pharma industry on their reluctance to take risks, and […]
By Bob Ehrlich
September 30, 2011
A Lapse in Communication
A Lapse in Communication ?Doctors and patients are not properly communicating.? -Bob Ehrlich A rather disturbing survey done by Consumer Reports shows Americans are increasingly skipping their medications, cutting doses, and failing to fill a prescription entirely. That number stands at 48% of those surveyed, up 9 points from 2010. The problem is partly the […]
By Bob Ehrlich
September 26, 2011
FDA and America's Biggest Problem – DTC-In-Perspective
by Bob Ehrlich, CEO, DTC Perspectives After rejecting the three most promising obesity drugs in the past year, FDA has finally done something to bring some hope to the obesity category. Orexigen, the maker of Conclave, announced they had reached an understanding on the outcomes FDA expected from a new clinical study needed to get […]
By Bob Ehrlich
September 9, 2011
The Future of Big Pharma
There are many reasons one can cite to predict big trouble for the drug companies in the next decade and beyond. The most significant is cost control and the expectation that government and private payers will squeeze drug company margins through price controls and less patent protection. Second is the trend towards regulatory conservatism requiring […]
By Bob Ehrlich
September 9, 2011
Open Facebook Postings Get Mixed Response
As of 8/15/11, Facebook required pharmaceutical company pages to allow consumer comments to company postings. This is on the Wall section of the page. Some drug companies have taken down their pages, others have left it up with ongoing monitoring to watch for side effects, comparative drug comments, or other things that could cause regulatory […]
