June 2009
CSOs and the specialty sales transition
Med Ad News spoke with Nancy Lurker, CEO, PDI Inc., about how contract sales organizations can help the pharmaceutical industry to fill its specialty sales force needs.
Behavioral science at work: MicroMass Communications
Alyson Connor, VP of behavioral planning and analytics for MicroMass, spoke with Med Ad News about several examples of the agency’s behavioral science work.
Behavioral science at work: Purohit Navigation
Ahnal Purohit, Ph.D. gave Med Ad News several examples of her agency’s behavioral science work in patient compliance.
Experimental drug harnesses T-cell’s tumor-killing powers
Christian Itin, Ph.D., president and CEO of Micromet Inc., spoke with R&D Directions about the biotech company’s experimental and potentially revolutionary new class of constructed monoclonal antibodies, drugs designed to direct a patient’s T-cells to attack and kill tumor cells that hide beneath the bone marrow.
ACRO’s Doug Peddicord addresses key issues
Doug Peddicord, Ph.D., executive director with the Association of Clinical Research Organizations, spoke with R&D Directions Managing Editor Michael Christel about several key issues facing CROs and pharmaceutical companies, including comparative effectiveness research and globalization.
May 2009
DTC and dangerous interactions
One scientist makes the case that by driving prescriptions of newly approved drugs with limited clinical experience, DTC advertising may be increasing the risk of dangerous drug-drug interactions.
Compliance certification provides a leg up
When it comes to regulatory compliance, healthcare advertising agencies must avoid being the weak link in the communications chain. Med Ad News spoke with Ilyssa Levins, president, Center for Communication Compliance (communicationcompliance.com) about the advantages agencies might find in compliance training and certification.
Partnerships in diabetes education
Since 2008, several pharmaceutical marketers have sought the assistance of organizations and celebrities for diabetes education campaigns and initiatives.
Navigating patient recruitment on global stage
Motivated further by today’s tenuous economic environment, international drug developers, seeking the benefits of faster patient recruitment and other clinical-trial cost savings, are increasingly migrating oversees to test their products.
Centralized patient recruitment really works
Rick Malcolm, CEO of Acurian Inc., presents three case studies that illustrate the value of centralized patient recruitment
Make or break: Retention tactics key
When it comes to successfully completing clinical studies, keeping patients enrolled is crucial. With a dropout rate in Phase II/III trials still in the 20% to 30% range, adopting more effective patient retention and compliance measures remains a top priority.
Imaging technique looks beneath the surface
The emerging technology of optical coherence tomography, or OCT, is being put to use in the diagnosis of a variety of central nervous system diseases. An optical signal acquisition and processing method, OCT allows researchers to take high-quality, micrometer-resolution, three-dimensional images from within biological tissue.
April 2009
Drug-safety service opens channels between industry and patient
Hugo Stephenson, founder
and president of iGuard.org,
talks to R&D Directions about
the intriguing side benefits
his consumer service offers
pharmaceutical researchers.
Multiplex biomarkers on the rise
Michael Spain, M.D., chief medical officer at Rules-Based Medicine Inc., an Austin, Texas-based biomarkers testing laboratory, answered questions from R&D Directions about the emergence of multiplex biomarker assays in drug development.
Q&A: CROs and China
Nick Wright, VP and general manager, Asia Pacific, clinical development, Covance, discusses the advantages and challenges for international contract research organizations in conducting work in China.
Breaking down the Merck-Schering-Plough merger
Merck & Co. agreed to acquire Schering-Plough Corp. last month for $41 billion in a cash and stock transaction expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. Datamonitor analysts recently broke down the R&D impact of the planned merger by therapeutic area.
March 2009
Cimzia Q&A
To learn more about the marketing efforts behind Cimzia, Med Ad News spoke with David W. Robinson, VP/general manager, U.S. Immunology Business Unit, UCB Inc.
85 New Medicines of 2008
Expanded descriptions of the products catalogued in the March 2009 issue's special report on new drug approvals.
Q&A: Hepatitis C
Robert Kauffman, M.D., senior VP of clinical development at Vertex, discusses the company’s late-stage hepatitis C inhibitor,
telaprevir, and the challenges of developing drugs for the virus.
Enrollment musts
Executives at patient recruitment provider Praxis tout the advantages of program-level recruitment in helping sponsors
speed up enrollment.
February 2009
Q&A: The making of prasugrel
To learn more about the development process behind prasugrel, Med Ad News spoke with Joseph Pieroni, president and CEO, Daiichi Sankyo Inc. and Francis Plat, M.D., VP of clinical development, cardiovascular medicine, Daiichi Sankyo Pharmaceutical Development.
Eidetics and drug/diagnostic combos
Med Ad News spoke with Robert Pearlstein, VP of Eidetics, about the transformative significance of drug/diagnostic combinations, examples of successfully marketed combos, and the work his company has done in this area.
Imaging partnership boosts trial efficiency
Many challenges face companies who manage and deliver clinical trial imaging data to clients.
Clinical trial checklist
Neil Patel, Pharm.D, pharmaceutical R&D operations, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, shares key factors to consider for any type of clinical study.
Q&A: Personalized medicine
David Sidransky, M.D., chairman of the board of directors at Champions Biotechnology Inc., is one of nine renowned scientists profiled in this month’s R&D Directions. The 20-year oncologist, known for his work in early cancer detection (he was named by Time as one of the top physicians and scientists in 2001), expands on the topic of personalized medicine and the tough challenges researchers still face in developing effective targeted therapies
January 2009
Q&A: Joe Pieroni
For the pharmaceutical manufacturer perspective on the major issues of the coming year, Med Ad
News spoke with Joe Pieroni, president and CEO of Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
No perfect strategy
Late last year, Ernst & Young released the sixth issue of Progressions, the organization’s global
pharmaceutical report. For insight into the report’s fi ndings, Med Ad News spoke with Carolyn Buck-
Luce, global pharmaceutical leader, Ernst & Young.
The sales force agenda
In 2009, pharmaceutical sales forces will continue to shrink while relying more on technology as a
means to reach the physician audience.
The agency agenda
With the economy in crisis and political uncertainty in Washington, the agenda for healthcare
advertising is intense for 2009. In this online exclusive, a number of top healthcare advertising
executives offer their view of the challenges ahead.
Biotechnology funding troubles
Small emerging and biotechnology companies are facing a perfect storm of funding challenges,
forcing them to cut costs, prioritize products, and act strategically as they they try to track down
capital.
Drug distribution reform in China
The Chinese drug distribution system poses signifi cant challenges to even the largest pharmaceutical
company, but the government has been proposing some reforms.
The preemption question
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on preemption in the Wyeth v. Levine case could have serious
consequences for pharmaceutical marketers.
Report spotlights trial-termination trends
Termination of clinical trials, most common at Phase II, is a natural consequence of drug development.
Q&A: Research and recession
Terri Cooper, principal in Deloitte
Consulting Life Sciences
practice, answers questions
from R&D Directions on the
economic tightrope facing the
pharmaceutical industry to
sustain innovation.
Striving for excellence in China
By Chris Perkin, corporate senior VP and president of Canadian Preclinical Services, Charles River
Management Method Boosts Drug-Development Timelines
As many R&D organizations struggle to meet deadlines and launch products, Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals has found a way to revitalize its clinical trials process – Critical Chain Process Management, or CCPM.
