I have spent many hours the past few weeks reviewing DTC advertising. We are in the final stages of judging award winners in many media categories to be presented at the?DTC National?in April. I have been impressed overall with the quality of the ads. While DTC ads are the butt of many jokes, parodies and […]
By Bob Ehrlich
February 26, 2014
FDA to Study Reducing Risk Disclosure on TV
Less is more goes the common saying. FDA, announced 2/18 in the Federal Register, that they are going to study having less risks read in TV ads. Their hypothesis is the litany of risks and warnings make it harder for the consumer to remember the most important ones. I have advocated, as have many advertising […]
By Bob Ehrlich
February 17, 2014
Selling Sex in DTC
I must start off by saying that I qualify for free Viagra, still being on the retiree Pfizer medical plan. Actually I am a “firee” not a retiree, but I qualify anyway for continued coverage, having worked enough years at Warner-Lambert to continue on the Pfizer plan after they took us over. That bias towards […]
By Bob Ehrlich
February 10, 2014
DTC in Perspective: FDA Does its Own DTC
The FDA is getting into the DTC business with an effort to stop teens from smoking. The campaign, starting February 11, is an attempt to stop teens from smoking by discussing the harm it does to things teens care about. While teens probably do not think about lung cancer or heart attacks they do care […]
By Bob Ehrlich
February 4, 2014
Remembering Lipitor – BBC Story To Profile Its Success
The United Kingdom?s BBC is airing a documentary later this year on consumer cultural changes using several iconic brands as representing those shifts. One of those brands they chose to profile is Lipitor. I was asked to appear on that program to discuss the consumer launch of Lipitor. I was proud to do it, not […]
By Bob Ehrlich
January 27, 2014
The Warfarin Replacement Ad Fight
One of the hottest DTC categories is atrial fibrillation. Pradaxa, Xarelto, and Eliquis are fighting for share in this new category. These drugs are fighting to replace warfarin, a drug that thins blood but requires frequent monitoring to make sure the levels are correct. For elderly people, going to the doctor frequently to get a […]
By Bob Ehrlich
January 23, 2014
FDA Draft Guidance on Social Media
The long awaited?FDA draft guidance on social media?is probably not what many in the industry wanted. It does not make doing social media easier or provide more options to creatively use new media. It essentially is a guide to what content a drug company is responsible for and when it is not responsible. It is […]
By Bob Ehrlich
January 10, 2014
The End of a Great Publication
Most of you know that?Med Ad News?has ceased publication, along with web properties PharmaLive and Pharmalot.?Med Ad News?had become thinner and thinner lately indicating slim ad sales. There is no doubt that printed magazines are hurting in general. The decision to end PharmaLive and Pharmalot also indicate it is hard to make money on content […]
By Bob Ehrlich
December 23, 2013
The Same Criticisms about DTC 16 years Later
I was reviewing some opinion pieces on The New York Times web site about DTC from 12/15/13. The section was titled Developing Cures or Hyping Up Demand. A number of industry critics gave their views, mostly negative. The usual reasons were given for the anti-DTC stance: DTC creates demand for drugs that are not needed. […]
By Bob Ehrlich
December 9, 2013
Obamacare's Unintented Consquence: The Rise of Consumer Information
Despite the flattening of DTC spending in the past few years, there is a tidal wave of DTC opportunities coming for health marketers. I will broaden the definition of DTC to beyond drugs and devices and include health services which include health providers, clinics, and diagnostics. What people are realizing about Obamacare is that cost […]
