Healthcare communications and marketing news and information

This month, Wyeth’s new birth control pill Lybrel will be hitting pharmacy shelves.  The product, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May, is being touted as the first medication that will eliminate a woman’s monthly period.  On Tuesday, the New York Times published a powerful editorial by Karen Houppert who accused Wyeth of demonizing a bodily function that most women accept as just another part of life.  She said:

“While it may be good news for the 8 percent of women who have debilitating periods (a constellation of symptoms known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder), the rest of us may be puzzled by the fuss.  Sure, getting our periods can be a bother sometimes, but after the traumatic moment of menarche — ‘How can this be happening to me when the sixth-grade pool party is tomorrow and I have no idea where that tampon goes?’ — most of us get used to it. . . . This is not a particularly profitable attitude for Wyeth, angling for its share of the $1.7 billion annual American market for birth control pills. . . . So what’s a poor company to do?  Re-conceptualize menstruation as a disease in need of treatment.”

Houppert is not the only person skeptical of Wyeth’s new birth control offering.  Conduct a Google search on Lybrel you are likely to see a post from the popular blog The Well-Timed Period.  Commenting on media coverage of Lybrel, the blog’s author says: “The FDA approves Lybrel, the first Pill brand packaged for continuous use, and the MSM [mainstream media] misinforms you like there's no tomorrow. . . . Misinform & Condescend, the new standard in women's health reporting.  Not only are women given incorrect information about Lybrel and its effect on the menstrual period, their very identity is defined by the state of the lining of one of their internal organs.  Brilliant!”

What This Means For Wyeth

Women searching online for information about Lybrel will undoubtedly be looking for the “real deal” about Wyeth’s new product.  Here's a sampling of what they'll learn:

-There are cheaper ways to stop your period.  For example, they can skip the placebo pills included in their regular birth control prescription or take Seasonale, which “offers just four periods a year.”  There’s also a generic version of Seasonale available.  

-That some women are bristling at marketing messages they think stigmatize periods, which (they believe) is a natural, normal function

-A few women think that having a monthly period is a real drag.

-No one knows the long-term effects of supressing periods. 

I’m sure that Wyeth and its marketing firms have developed (and are transmitting) carefully crafted messages about Lybrel.  However, because people are going online to get "straight talk" about new products -- one has to wonder how much these messages will resonate.  In addition, the company does have a responsibility to help those looking for the facts about the product sort through the online noise.  

This seems like a perfect opportunity for Wyeth to step up to the plate and (transparently) participate in the ongoing online dialogue about the period -- and the pill.  And, I'm not talking about putting together slick Websites (like this one).

This social media based conversation does not even have to be linked to its product.  There’s lots to talk about, including the social, economic and psychological impact of the pill on women.  They can also address questions from people who wonder if having a period is really a problem -- or if supressing it is unnatural.

Is Wyeth willing to join the conversation?  If it chooses to accept this difficult mission, the company can earn some street cred in the women’s health arena.  If not, well the pill will sell, but the company will have have missed a wonderful opportunity.  Comments -- especially from company executives -- are very welcome.