Drug firms keep out of on-line conversation

A US reader on the Lifehacker weblog or "blog" (www. lifehacker.com) asked for advice on purchasing medicines via the Internet from Canadian pharmacies. The site's editor, Gina Trapani, who describes the purpose of Lifehacker as recommending "the downloads and web sites that actually save time," wrote to her 120,000 recorded daily readers: "I can't say I've ever purchased meds on-line, but maybe you have. Help us help Carol and spill about your good (and bad) experiences in the comments or to tips@lifehacker.com."

Among the commenters who responded were: several Canadian pharmacists extolling the virtues of their services (one of them apparently mails its products from within the USA to avoid customs seizures); some readers who recommended their favorite sources; a writer who warned of the unreliability of suppliers and the illegality of such imports; and two commenters who suggested that "Carol" should either try to get information about discounted drugs through her doctor, or contact her insurer about bulk prices negotiated with drug firms. The glaring omission in the responses was that no one provided a voice from the drug industry or its trade associations, not even to offer details of where to find information about patient assistance programs (Marketletter May 29).

According to a report by ePharm5, a specialist pharmaceutical business publication based in Massachusetts, USA: "while many pharmas are hiring third parties to observe conversations occurring in the 'blogosphere' and gather market research, few, if any pharma are using corporate blogs to spread goodwill and put a face on pharma, which some experts suggest they should." There are several problems for drugmakers in the USA, given that they operate in a communications environment that is regulated for both medical information with the US Food and Drug Administration, as well as market-sensitive issues with financial exchanges and regulators. In Europe, where direct-to-consumer communication is prohibited, the margin for maneuver is even more constrained.