Healthcare communications and marketing news and information

This morning an interesting story appeared in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) focusing on how databases and powerful software are enabling researchers to identify “signals” regarding the side effects of prescription medications.  According to the article, Ralph Edwards, director of the World Health Organization’s, drug monitoring center:

“[H]as amassed about four million reports of medical problems experienced by people taking prescription drugs. His job is to sift through these so-called adverse events, looking for ‘signals’ of potential side effects.”

The Journal goes on to note: “Sophisticated software allows health authorities to troll through huge databases looking for possible drug dangers. The data mining can detect rare side effects that didn't show up in clinical trials. But it can also raise false alarms and force regulators to divert time and money from more pressing dangers.”

Public health officials and pharmaceutical executives are facing similar issues when it comes to social media.  Blogs, bulletin boards and social networks are providing people looking for real-time information about the safety and efficacy of drugs with valuable and sometimes controversial insights.  For example, last year doctors using the social network Sermo reported that patients taking Lipitor were experiencing vivid and repeated nightmares.  This finding was the subject of national news and illustrated the power of social networks to highlight information that may warrant further investigation.  

People from pharmaceutical companies are understandably nervous about how this technology (i.e., statistical or social media analysis software) may impact their financial and regulatory fortunes.  However, when used carefully and appropriately, these tools can help pharma executives achieve their goal of developing and marketing safer medicines.