Activity is heating up in the social pharma arena just as the FDA meeting approaches next week. A few concrete examples of progress on the engagement front.

Lilly used Twitter to promote its Oncology on Canvas competition, now in its fifth year. Lilly launched this “Expressions of a Cancer Journey Art Competition and Exhibition” in 2004 to acknowledge those affected by cancer, including patients, caregivers, friends and family members. The artwork from last year’s contest is on the site – really quite lovely.

Boehringer Ingelheim teamed up with our friends at the Diabetes Hands Foundation (we profiled Manny Hernandez way back when…) to create a video contest called Making Sense of Diabetes. The objective is to help people open up about what living with diabetes feels like. DHF asked entrants, “What does diabetes taste, smell or sound like to you?” The videos were to focus on the impact of diabetes through one of the five senses. You can see the winning videos on TuDiabetes and they will also be played on World Diabetes Day, November 14th. Even the press release announcing the competition made good use of social media.

Save the Date! November 12th and 13th in Washington DC, you are cordially invited to attend the FDA’s first ever public hearing on “Promotion of Food and Drug Administration-Regulated Medical Products Using the Internet and Social Media Tools.” This is excellent news that many in our industry should welcome.

Will anything substantive get done? Always unclear. I have been to these kinds of meetings before and there is much talking and commenting, which is not always followed by action on the part of the Agency. That said, the fact that FDA is finally holding a public forum on the issue of social media means the topic is on the radar and hopefully will result in better guidance from them in the future.

Meeting Substance

From the document about the meeting

Questions have arisen regarding the application of the prescription drug and device advertising and labeling provisions, regulations, and policies of promotion on the Internet, especially with regard to the use of emerging technologies such as blogs, microblogs, podcasts, social networks and online communities, video sharing, widgets, and wikis. This section briefly discusses the issues the agency has identified as most frequently raised by regulated companies and other interested parties…We are specifically interested in data and research on the use of social media tools in promotion, including data from companies on their own experiences, the extent to which health care professionals and consumers are using and are influenced by various social media tools, and the impact of Internet and social media promotion on the public health.

Specific questions to be discussed at the meeting include:

1. For what online communications are manufacturers, packers, or distributors accountable?
2. How can manufacturers, packers, or distributors fulfill regulatory requirements (e.g., fair balance, disclosure of indication and risk information, postmarketing submission requirements) in their Internet and social media promotion, particularly when using tools that are associated with space limitations and tools that allow for real-time communications (e.g., microblogs, mobile technology)?
3. What parameters should apply to the posting of corrective information on Web sites controlled by third parties?
4. When is the use of links appropriate?
5. Questions specific to Internet adverse event reporting

A few quick details (all in this document):

• If attending in person, the session runs from 8-5 each day. It is being held at the NTSB Conference Center
• If you can’t make it but would still like to make comments submit them electronically; in fact you can submit until February 28, 2010
• A transcript of the meeting is supposed to be posted here about 30 days after the meeting

Tearing myself away from Twitter for a few minutes to share info about an example of pharma engagement: check out CML Earth a global social network for those affected by chronic myeloid leukemia. The site was developed and is supported by Novartis Oncology to help connect patients, patient advocacy groups and healthcare professionals touched by this rare cancer. For some reason it has not gotten as much coverage as other (albeit few) social media initiatives from pharma even though it was launched in late December (08).

CML Earth allows members to create profiles where they can describe their story as well as choose responses (drop down menu) to things they love, like to eat, like to listen to, like to watch, line of work. Members determine whether or not they wish to be contacted and the language in which to do so. CML Earth supports 16 languages and is live in 38 countries. Click on “map” and you’ll find lots of dots, which correspond to members throughout the world. Participants can also send hugs, smiles and high fives to each other.

The site is not easy to navigate. For example I could not change my profile from patient (which I’m not) to a different category. Finding other members is not completely intuitive – there is no directory button and only a few featured profiles on the home page. You must use the search function or go to the global map and click on the dots to find others.

Navigation issues aside, I hope the site does well and commend Novartis for taking a chance and trying to foster a community for CML patients.

This article was co-written by Bunny Ellerin of Pharma 2.0 and Eileen O’Brien, digital pharma diva.

Tweeting is fast becoming a must-do vs. a what-are-you-doing for business generally and CEO’s in particular. Just last week Twitter published Twitter 101, a guide to help businesses leverage the service. Last month, BusinessWeek ran an article about business leaders who use Twitter and profiled 50 CEO’s from a range of industries. There was definitely an over-representation of tech CEO’s, but BW also talked to those from advertising/pr, construction, research, media, retail. But none in healthcare.

Where are all the healthcare CEO’s on Twitter? We found a couple like @paulflevy (Paul Levy of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) and @livestrongCEO (Doug Ullman of Lance Armstrong Foundation) but not many others.

If you’re a CEO or high-level executive, why use Twitter at all? Well, at the core, you are the company’s chief evangelist and represent the brand best. As Michael Hyatt, the CEO of a publishing company, pointed out in the BW article, “Twitter enables me to humanize Thomas Nelson and thus better connect me with our key constituents—our employees, authors, and customers.” Others cited reasons like:

• Building relationships with customers/clients/vendors
• Generating real-time feedback from those people
• Disseminating information quickly to internal and external constituents
• Meeting potential employees and getting a sense of what current employees really think
• Acquiring new product/service ideas

We encourage more in the healthcare C-suite to tweet. We follow several CEO’s on Twitter, and have compiled a list of Dos and Don’ts for C-level types to follow when using this amazing technology.

1. Content. To engage people, you must post a combination of business-related information and personal anecdotes. On the business side, this is really why people are following you, so let followers know about company news, important events, interesting company tidbits/facts. You can also post links to interesting articles or retweet good posts. It’s ok to highlight press releases, but don’t make them your main contribution. Followers will unfollow you quickly if that’s the only thing you post. Twitter is about interacting and sharing, not just reprocessing canned messages. Plus, you should pepper your posts with a bit of the personal from time to time. It will draw people in.

Good content examples:

Richard Rosenblatt, CEO of Demand Media, has a great Twitter style. Here are a few of his @demandrichard posts: sharing info on the business, inviting people to connect, letting people get to know more about the person.

• “Demand Media Daily Fact: Demand Studios has paid out more than US$14MM to its creator community as of June 2009.”
• “Looking forward to the Fortune conference in LA. May attend thursday. Please reply if you are attending.”
• “Made it to mtns after the conference; worth it…3 glasses of wine down and kids all over you tube and watching our videos on wakeboarding.”

2. Interaction. Twitter is not just a vehicle to push information out about your company. It’s about engaging in the dialogue. The most successful CEOs on Twitter make an effort to interact with followers. Search topics on Twitter and answer questions or provide advice. If you are overwhelmed by questions or comments from followers, be sure to say so and let them know that you aren’t ignoring them.

3. Tone. Authoritative but not smug. And definitely throw in some humble now and again. The regular folks will relate and admire you all the more.

4. Authenticity. It’s got to be genuine and in your voice. The ideal is for you to write your own posts from wherever you happen to be. But let’s get real. Not everyone who should be tweeting has the desire or even has the manual dexterity to do it. So you may need a little help getting started. Pick someone who knows you well or can get up to speed quickly. Be sure to listen first (follow others) and get a sense of the community before you jump in.

5. Don’t Tweet to Tweet. Personal details are good (see Content) but not that interested in what you ate for breakfast (unless it was with Obama) or that you’ll be on the phone all day.

6. Commitment. Be prepared to be in this for the long haul. The only thing worse than an out of date CEO blog is an abandoned CEO Twitter account. No fewer than 3 tweets a day or people won’t take you seriously. Once you have been tweeting for a few weeks and feel comfortable, add your Twitter name to your email signature and business card.

7. Follower etiquette. Follow others who interest you. It is imbalanced if you have 2200 followers and follow only 100. You can’t engage in a dialogue if it’s all one-sided. Plus, part of the value of Twitter is hearing what others have to say. Also encourage people to follow those you like to follow.

8. Have an opinion. There aren’t too many public company CEO’s on Twitter because their CFO’s and compliance people worry it might affect the stock price. But if you’re a private company CEO, then have an opinion. Don’t like parts of the health care bill, say something. This is your opportunity.

9. Twitter is a Permanent Record. It goes without saying that once someone has Tweeted it’s public record.

10. Twitter vs. Facebook. No contest. Twitter is a business tool. Facebook, while it is trying hard to position itself as a business tool, is a personal update tool. Haven’t used either? Don’t waste time on Facebook, go straight to Twitter.

Are you ready to go? Set up an account at twitter.com and follow us at @BunnyEllerin and @EileenOBrien.

If you have no clue how to get started, but know you should be on Twitter, contact us for help.

In early June Novo Nordisk launched a Twitter page @racewithinsulin with race car driver Charlie Kimball, who has diabetes and uses Levemir, a Novo product. Charlie tweets about his day-to-day activities, a little about his diabetes and mentions Levemir/Novo now and again. The posts are pretty benign – Charlie heading to the track, Charlie talking about the weather, Charlie telling us about whatever city he’s in. The site is fully branded with Novo’s logo and Levemir and Novolog product information.

I have read some negative reviews about Novo’s use of Twitter, primarily because there is no two-way dialogue on the site. Charlie follows no one; he only lets people follow him. Twitter, at its core, is about sharing, conversing, engaging. So using Twitter as an outbound tool only is not the way to maximize its utility. On the other hand, no pharma company has tried this before so I’d give Novo a pass. For those who question a spokesman tweeting about a product, have you seen how many patients who have no connection to a company tweet about the specific drugs they take or devices they use? And particularly in diabetes. I see no problem with Charlie tweeting about Levemir since he uses it.

Give Novo Nordisk props for trying Twitter for something other than issuing corporate press releases.

My InterbrandHealth colleague and friend Rebecca Robins was featured in the WSJ Health Blog offering views on how pharma marketing has changed. Some key take-aways:

• Companies are starting the brand development process earlier – phase II vs phase III
• They are thinking more holistically – highlighting emotional, not just functional, benefits
• Branding clinical trials and shaping perceptions of brand in scientific communication
• Future trend: far more corporate branding, including savvy use of social media like Twitter

Nice piece, Rebecca!

Not to boast but we were on the pharma apps trend (thanks to Eileen O’Brien) before Ad Age’s June article: For Pharma Marketers, the IPhone Is a Perfect Conduit to the Consumer. (You need to be a subscriber, which I’m not, but I was able to see it when it first came out online.)

The Ad Age article points out that Apple is actively courting pharma to create medical and wellness apps. Diabetes is a natural fit (see our Mobile Health post). At the launch of its 3.0 software-development kit in March, Apple invited LifeScan to demo a prototype application that would allow diabetics to upload readings from their glucometers and chart the results to better manage their their condition throughout the day. Not to be outdone, Roche Diagnostics is apparently working with MYLEstone Health to add its Accu-Check educational program to the Glucose Buddy app (according to mobilehealthnews). O’Reilly Media reports that medical apps are the third-fastest growing category for Apple. And Georgetown is now requiring its second-year med school students to use an iPhone or IPod Touch.

So just remember where you heard it first – right here at Pharma 2.0.

McNeil is using Facebook to reach ADHD patients with its ADHD Allies page. It is a fully branded Facebook page with info on McNeil, its interest in the space and features a self-assessment tool as well as resources. Nice real-world example of using social media to reach your audience.

Manhattan Research reports that physician adoption of Internet resources is global, and in fact, essential. When asked whether they considered the Internet essential to their professional practice, the results were universally high:

• 89% of online U.S. physicians
• 88% of online South Korean physicians
• 87% of online Australian physicians
• 81% of online European physicians

According to Manhattan Research, physicians use the online information to support clinical decisions, make recommendations to patients and stay up-to-date with the latest medical advances.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project has released a major new study on the impact of the Web on health information uptake by consumers: The Social Life of Health Information. You can review the results online or download a PDF version. Very cool the way they have it set up.

There is far too much to excerpt here but some key stats for the data junkies in the house:

General

• 74% of American adults go online
• 57% of American households have broadband connection
• 61% of American adults look online for health information (Pew calls these people “e-patients”)
• 52% of all online health inquiries are on behalf of someone other than the person typing in the search terms.

Seeking/sharing health info

• 41% of e-patients have read someone else’s commentary or experience about health or medical issues on an online news group, website, or blog.
• 24% of e-patients have consulted rankings or reviews online of doctors, hospitals, or other providers
• 12% of e-patients use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves or to see updates about others

Acting on the info

• 60% say the information found online affected a decision about how to treat an illness or condition.
• 56% say it changed their overall approach to maintaining their health or the health of someone they help take care of.
• 53% say it lead them to ask a doctor new questions, or to get a second opinion from another doctor
• 38% say it changed the way they cope with a chronic condition or manage pain.

Credible or not?

• 42% of all adults, or 60% of e-patients, say they or someone they know has been helped by following medical advice or health information found on the internet.
• Just 3% of all adults, or 3% of e-patients, say they or someone they know has been harmed by following medical advice or health information found on the internet