I don’t lose sleep very often, but recently, we have been in meetings with clients who CLEARLY have no idea about PDMA (Prescription Drug Marketing Act) – and more frightening, some of the vendors they are depending on to ensure adherence to requirements are in the dark as well. Since we are responsible for the delivery of online sampling programs, we make sure we are well versed in the PDMA requirements – especially in the arena of e-signature and ensuring that are clients’ chosen sampling paths are low risk.

We have decided to create an educational program for our clients that gives them what they need to know about PDMA – we are planning a 2 – 3 part podcast, each running a few minutes that helps our clients (and anyone else who needs or wants to know!) become savvy – our bet is that we will have better programs with educated clients and who knows – we could save our clients millions of dollars in fines – wouldn’t that give our programs a great ROI?

Wow, I just had a very enlightening conversation about how pharma companies and agencies are so NOT on the same page regarding proposals. As an agency, we write a lot of proposals, a certain percentage get signed, a certain percentage get turned down and a certain percentage go into a big black hole. I just found out what happens to the black hole proposals (and I suspect a good number of them) – the product manager/e-business manager throws your proposal out because it’s too expensive and chooses a different path (or company) – and NEVER calls the agency to discuss the proposal.

Here’s a heads up pharma companies – we will HAPPILY talk to you about the price – start a conversation! At the end of the day, we may not decide to move forward and that is cool – but give us a chance to understand what you really need – I bet we can figure out a way to make it happen and fit your budget.

I was on a flight with my family and happened to reach into the seat pocket to retrieve a magazine. Instead of the magazine, I had the “barf bag” in my hand. Except it wasn’t called a barf bag, it was the “For Motion Discomfort Bag” (and you were instructed to “call the flight attendant for bag disposal” – nice, huh?) I started thinking about calling things as they are. Most brand sites DON’T put the side effects of their drug front and center on their brand sites. Some drugs have some rather unpleasant or weird side effects – instead of hiding it, why don’t we clearly state on the front page of the brand site what the side effect is – especially if it has become a brand thorn – and what the patient or caregiver should expect and what they should do.

My niece has suffered from discolored extremities. She went through a bunch of testing and it turned out that it is known to be a side effect of a certain drug. Had the brand put this information front and center on their brand site, my sister-in-law and her doctor would have known about these issues from a simple review of the brand web site, saving them countless, frustrating visits to the doctor. Now that they understand it is a side effect and is harmless, they have decided to stay with the drug.

I’m just wondering how many patients we could save a huge hassle, how many doctors we could save huge amounts of time and confusion and how much impact this could have on health care costs? The truth is powerful – think about embracing it.

The Tesla Roadster is a great example of what can be accomplished when someone doesn’t listen to critics and listens instead to their own intuition. It’s an 100% electric sports car that goes 0 – 60 in about 4 seconds (as fast as any Ferrari or Porsche) and gets 200 miles/charge. No emissions and the equivalent of 135 miles/gallon – yet fast as hell. That’s my kind of car. Finally, we’re getting closer to having a real alternative to the internal combustion engine. For some reason, the “Big Three” can’t figure out how to do it but a guy in his garage can. The car has won numerous awards and although expensive, shows that the fabled “American Ingenuity” is still alive and kicking.