Social Media
Social Media trends, regs, and apps
By Robin Robinson
Industry Leaders Adjust Social Networking Activities Trend Watch: Companies add, abandon Facebook, increase blog presence, join Pinterest. ViroPharma Launches Hereditary Angioedema Facebook App ViroPharma, the maker of Cinryze, launched the hereditary angioedema (HAE) Family Tree Facebook app to raise awareness and encourage testing and diagnosis of the disease. HAE is genetic, making identification of a family history of HAE critical for diagnosis. ViroPharma found that despite this knowledge, family members of people diagnosed with HAE often go untested. The app enables people with HAE to connect and share educational resources with family members. ViroPharma policies, posted on the site, include an explanation of why comments are not enabled, and a notification that any ads that appear on the page are not the responsibility of the company, but rather third parties, such as Facebook and its partners. The page is not intended to be the Facebook page for ViroPharma or any other affiliated programs and/or partners; the purpose is to facilitate the HAE Family Tree application and not to serve as an ongoing communication portal among the Facebook community. “ViroPharma operates in a highly regulated environment," the policy reads. “We are not able to publish any users’ comments; therefore, you will not see a comment or post made by ViroPharma on this Facebook page." To motivate people to use the app, for every HAE Family Tree created on Facebook, ViroPharma will donate $25 — up to $5,000 — to the U.S. Hereditary Angioedema Association in support of the first international HAE Awareness Day on May 16, 2012. { For more information, visit facebook.com/haefamily tree. Janssen UK shuts down psoriasis Facebook page Janssen UK, a division of Johnson & Johnson, was an innovator in the pharma/Facebook space by launching Psoriasis 360 and allowing comments to be posted unmonitored on its Facebook page. It may have been that decision that required it to shut down the page 18 months later as the company reports it was having difficulty keeping the comments-enabled page compliant with fair balance regulations. According to the post announcing the decision, which has since been removed, a growing number of comments had to be deleted because specific drugs were mentioned or, in some cases, offensive language was used. Over time, Janssen says it was removing “a larger and larger proportion of posts, stifling worthwhile discussions." The post stated that instead of accomplishing its original intention of facilitating meaningful conversations, the experience led them to believe they were actually hampering conversations that could take place freely on a page run by someone else. Psoriasis360 posts and information are still available on Twitter. Follow @psoriasis360. Lilly expands blog footprint LillyPad, a corporate blog in operation for more than 18 months, has spruced up its look and has plans to expand its blogosphere. The new blog format is more branded to Lilly than before, and the landing page was restructured for easier navigation and transparency. On March 20, LillyPad blog contributer Greg Kueterman wrote that the core topics of discussion will remain the same — public policy, corporate responsibility, and life at Lilly — but a newer search and archive feature will keep important posts close at hand, and help in continually providing relevant information to its readers. In this post, Mr. Kueterman also announced that affiliate businesses in other countries will soon be launching their own versions of LillyPad, and posts from those overseas countries may appear in the U.S. blog, and vice versa if the topic is relevant to the other audiences. { For more information, visit http://lillypad.lilly.com/. Novo Nordisk secures Pinterest page In our April social media column, we wrote a brief regarding the growing interest in Pinterest, a virtual bulletin board where people — 97% of whom are women — post images of their favorite things. Since then industry thought leaders have been discussing on Twitter and in the blogosphere whether Pinterest can be a beneficial channel for pharma. Some observers raise the red flag on FDA compliance risk involved in posting product information to the board, while others are more hopeful that Pinterest could be an interesting channel for pharma to build relationships and offer pertinent information. While industry thought leaders such as John Mack, DJ Edgerton, and Eileen O’Brien have identified several imposters using a pharmaceutical name as their Pinterest account, Novo Nordisk’s page is legitimate and contains several pins and boards. Industry thought leaders encourage other companies to at least secure their name before someone else does and presents information that might be detrimental to the brand. { To view the Novo Nordisk Pinterest page, visit pinterest.com/NovoNordisk/. Genentech and 23andMe conduct online genetic research 23andMe and Genentech are conducting a study of bevacizumab, the generic name of Avastin, which enrollees will participate in online from home. The study is being undertaken to determine how genetics can influence a patient’s response to bevacizumab in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. To participate in the InVite Study, a participant enrolls and gives consent through the 23andMe website; sends in a saliva sample collected in a 23andMe DNA kit; takes a baseline survey about her breast cancer diagnosis and experience on bevacizumab; and answers short follow-up questions every three months about any changes in health or treatment. Participants can also provide a blood sample, but it is not required for participation. InVite Study will enhance research in this area by: » Providing a large-scale genetic database to correlate with metastatic breast cancer diagnosis and progression, and to better understand why bevacizumab works well in some patients but causes side effects in others; » Enabling a wider demographic of patients to participate through a Web-based, geographically neutral platform; » Reducing traditional time and cost barriers in cancer research that limit recruitment of an adequately sized study group and control group required for scientific discovery; and » Bringing together scientists and actively engaged participants in a collaborative effort to advance understanding of metastatic breast cancer progression and variation in bevacizumab response. { For more information, visit 23andme.com/ invite-study. Janssen UK shuts down psoriasis Facebook page Janssen UK, a division of Johnson & Johnson, was an innovator in the pharma/Facebook space by launching Psoriasis 360 and allowing comments to be posted unmonitored on its Facebook page. It may have been that decision that required it to shut down the page 18 months later as the company reports it was having difficulty keeping the comments-enabled page compliant with fair balance regulations. According to the post announcing the decision, which has since been removed, a growing number of comments had to be deleted because specific drugs were mentioned or, in some cases, offensive language was used. Over time, Janssen says it was removing “a larger and larger proportion of posts, stifling worthwhile discussions." The post stated that instead of accomplishing its original intention of facilitating meaningful conversations, the experience led them to believe they were actually hampering conversations that could take place freely on a page run by someone else. Psoriasis360 posts and information are still available on Twitter. Follow @psoriasis360. Lilly expands blog footprint LillyPad, a corporate blog in operation for more than 18 months, has spruced up its look and has plans to expand its blogosphere. The new blog format is more branded to Lilly than before, and the landing page was restructured for easier navigation and transparency. On March 20, LillyPad blog contributer Greg Kueterman wrote that the core topics of discussion will remain the same — public policy, corporate responsibility, and life at Lilly — but a newer search and archive feature will keep important posts close at hand, and help in continually providing relevant information to its readers. In this post, Mr. Kueterman also announced that affiliate businesses in other countries will soon be launching their own versions of LillyPad, and posts from those overseas countries may appear in the U.S. blog, and vice versa if the topic is relevant to the other audiences. { For more information, visit http://lillypad.lilly.com/. Novo Nordisk secures Pinterest page In our April social media column, we wrote a brief regarding the growing interest in Pinterest, a virtual bulletin board where people — 97% of whom are women — post images of their favorite things. Since then industry thought leaders have been discussing on Twitter and in the blogosphere whether Pinterest can be a beneficial channel for pharma. Some observers raise the red flag on FDA compliance risk involved in posting product information to the board, while others are more hopeful that Pinterest could be an interesting channel for pharma to build relationships and offer pertinent information. While industry thought leaders such as John Mack, DJ Edgerton, and Eileen O’Brien have identified several imposters using a pharmaceutical name as their Pinterest account, Novo Nordisk’s page is legitimate and contains several pins and boards. Industry thought leaders encourage other companies to at least secure their name before someone else does and presents information that might be detrimental to the brand. { To view the Novo Nordisk Pinterest page, visit pinterest.com/NovoNordisk/. Genentech and 23andMe conduct online genetic research 23andMe and Genentech are conducting a study of bevacizumab, the generic name of Avastin, which enrollees will participate in online from home. The study is being undertaken to determine how genetics can influence a patient’s response to bevacizumab in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. To participate in the InVite Study, a participant enrolls and gives consent through the 23andMe website; sends in a saliva sample collected in a 23andMe DNA kit; takes a baseline survey about her breast cancer diagnosis and experience on bevacizumab; and answers short follow-up questions every three months about any changes in health or treatment. Participants can also provide a blood sample, but it is not required for participation. InVite Study will enhance research in this area by: » Providing a large-scale genetic database to correlate with metastatic breast cancer diagnosis and progression, and to better understand why bevacizumab works well in some patients but causes side effects in others; » Enabling a wider demographic of patients to participate through a Web-based, geographically neutral platform; » Reducing traditional time and cost barriers in cancer research that limit recruitment of an adequately sized study group and control group required for scientific discovery; and » Bringing together scientists and actively engaged participants in a collaborative effort to advance understanding of metastatic breast cancer progression and variation in bevacizumab response. { For more information, visit 23andme.com/ invite-study. TECH CHECK Apps, Tweets, and Videos Apps… Highlight app known for fun, not business function While PharmaVOICE strives to feature apps that have some application (pardon the pun) to the industry, we are briefing this non-medical, non-health related app solely for its coolness factor. Described in a Mashable blog comment section as a “feature with no hope of a business model. The end," by Tom Denison, founder of Startup Matchmaker, the app will most likely have only personal implications, if any. But boy, is it cool. The frictionless, proximity-based, auto-social network works as a connection detector to notify you of who is around you wherever you go. If someone standing near you (within 100 feet) also has Highlight, the person’s profile will show up on your phone. You can see their name, photos, mutual friends, and anything else he or she has chosen to share. When you meet someone, Highlight helps you see what you have in common with them. The app proclaims to give users “a sixth sense" about the world around them by showing hidden connections. Highlight is currently available for free on iPhones only, and users must log on through Facebook, which helps authenticate someone’s identity, the app maker Math Camp Inc. reports. { To download, visit, http://itunes.apple.com /us/app/highlight/id441534409?mt=8 Tweets… Roche Diabetes Care sponsors Ignite Health’s Diabetes Nest Diabetes Nest, a Twitter-based platform using the latest technology to curate, filter, and present relevant, real-time conversations to the diabetes online community originated by Ignite Health will get an upgrade of sorts. Roche Diabetes Care will further its reach by sponsoring the site, which includes adding a widget featuring content from the network to the company’s social media community page Accu-Chek Diabetes Link. Diabetes Nest connects established voices in the diabetes online community with newcomers and aspiring thought leaders, and provides a platform for them to be heard. With support from community advocates including Diabetes Mine, Ninjabetic, and Scott’s Diabetes, Diabetes Nest enables both experienced social media users and novices to get the most out of their social interactions online. The Twitter-based social network accomplishes this by aggregating tweets from a curated list of diabetes experts, using an exclusive algorithm to sort and rank the tweets, and creates an interface to engage users from any browser or mobile device. On iPad and iPhone devices, users can bookmark the home screen to create a link for easy access. { For more information, follow twitter.com/#!/thediabetesnest or visit diabetesnest.com. Videos… ACRO Launches a YouTube Channel In an effort to educate the public, media, and policymakers about clinical trials and the growing role of clinical research organizations in the drug development process, the Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO) has launched a YouTube channel. “Increasingly, the ACRO member companies constitute the global drug development infrastructure," says John Lewis, ACRO VP of public affairs. “With a footprint in 115 countries and responsibility for annually conducting more than 11,000 clinical trials involving 2 million participants, we have an obligation to engage and educate our various constituencies about issues affecting clinical research. Topics range from ensuring human subject protections to cultivating favorable regulatory and economic environments that promote more efficient drug development." The first two videos feature 2012 ACRO Chairman Jeff McMullen, president and CEO of PharmaNet/i3, discussing the association’s agenda for the year, and Neil McCullough, VP of global quality and compliance at Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD), discussing issues surrounding bioethics and the globalization of research. { To upload video, visit: youtube.com/user/ACROHealthChannel. Send us your favorite industry apps, Twitter feeds, YouTube videos, and Facebook links to [email protected].
