Sales & Marketing

Pfizer's consumer ads for Lipitor are causing a stir on the blogs and in Congress. Did the company cross the line by using a famous (but unlicensed) doctor to market a drug, or is this a case of a mistaken identity?

More and more consumers are surfing the Web for information about prescription drugs, but many bypass brand.com sites, a new report says.

Lilly is in the midst of settlement discussions with federal prosecutors over the pharma company?s off-label marketing of the antipsychotic medication Zyprexa. If settled, Lilly could be shelling out more than $1 billion in fines.

Merck is under investigation for allegedly pushing physicians to prescribe Vioxx for unapproved use. Federal investigators are scrutinizing Merck?s marketing and sales practices in search of shady business tactics.

With sales forces shrinking, how does the industry combine new technologies with old-fashioned face time to maximize sales?

A black-box warning needn't spell doom for your product. Here's how to take the good with the bad and end up on top.

Novartis and Cadient served up a very successful unbranded campaign on YouTube. Pharma should take note of this Web 2.0 victory.

After watching similar legislation barring data mining for Rx info get shut down in Maine and New Hampshire, Vermont changes tactics and amends its law.

Unlike Vioxx, Vytorin works exactly as explained in its now-famous food-and-family ads. So why are people up in arms against the drug? Experts ponder what went wrong.

In a surprising but not completely unexpected move, FDA announced last week that its Prescription Drug User Fee Act was dead on arrival. Feds cite lack of funding as main reason.

New report finds that neither sales reps nor patient requests are the deciding factor when it comes to physician prescribing habits, information is-the more the better.

New study finds that risks and side effects don't get their fair share of time in television advertising. The authors cry out for more educational information in DTC ads--but is it necessary if the ads aren't breaking the law?

We asked seven industry experts to talk about today's best (and worst) pharma icons

Welcome to the new employer's market for reps. The Hay Group's annual survey reports how, as the primary sales force contracts, so too does its pay.

GlaxoSmithKline locks up MediaCom as its only ad-buying/planning provider. The agency will handle GSK's massive ad spend, which last year hovered around $1.1 billion.

Drug manufacturer shakes things up with new Web site that functions as an open book into the world of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The company hopes that its transparent approach to design will be a lesson to pharma companies still fearful of online media.

There was a large minority of physicians who said they did, in fact, favor a DTC moratorium of some length. So the question is, why didn't it happen?

Top pharma brand experts discuss today's issues: safety, compliance, corporate branding, combatting generics, and more.

With ads on topics ranging from addiction to disease states, this year's Rx Club Award winners connect creativity with emotion

The impact of high-quality online training tools would be difficult and costly to replicate offline given the dynamic and interactive aspects offered

Lynn Upshaw posits that marketing with integrity is key to success in these skeptical times. To do so, a company has to live its brand. In his book, Upshaw tells you how.

The direct-to-consumer marketing campaign for havidol, a drug for dysphoric social attention consumption deficit anxiety disorder, is drawing lots of public reaction. (but neither the drug nor the disease is real.)

Choosing a name for a new pharmaceutical product used to be a pretty straightforward proposition. Twenty years ago, most drug names were descriptive or functional in nature; they relied on the indication, therapeutic category, or generic name for their creative direction.

The hard work being done by the industry to prove its commitment to patients and better health is being hampered by its reputation of unreliability

With Exprience and A new means of measuring impact on patient behavior, branders have never been in a better position to make their strategies work