That word, 'communications,' is really what it's all about. Find out what people are thinking and act on it as much as you can.
Pfizer, Pfizer, Pfizer. Depending on your point of view, it's ironic, inspiring, or merely interesting that the company that staggered out of 2006 with its every vulnerability and vanity exposed in the media glare nonetheless finishes in Pharm Exec's winner's circle once again.
In ways both expected and unexpected, 2006 was a year of tumult for global pharma as the dynamics of the market continued to shift. New products shook up major therapy classes, promising molecules stumbled, governments and others tackled issues of access and affordability in earnest, and at least one major group (the Gates Foundation) threatened to side-step the pharma industry in seeking new solutions for HIV/AIDS. At the same time, millions of patients were newly diagnosed, treated and helped by pharmacotherapy.
The exodus of bright young talent from France was one of the more interesting themes of the recent French presidential election. Observing the debate from the UK, France's very open struggle to adapt to the modern world seems not dissimilar to that of pharma companies trying to create the best environment for discovering and developing drugs.
Many issues emerging in the pharma industry will affect current risks areas but from a new perspective.
EU regulations on personal privacy are strict, and almost all European countries have added their own particular nuances. Despite this, there are many things that pharma marketers can do to communicate with their patients in the EU, but, to date, very few are doing much of anything. Yes, the regulations are tight and there are big penalties if you cross the line. Because of that fact, many marketers seem to shy away from attempting to get closer to their patients; they shouldn't, because that is doing both their company and their patients a disservice.
Russia's expected accession to the WTO signals a commitment to ... increase the country's global competitiveness.
Accurately predicting the future success of a novel therapeutic compound in today's burgeoning oncology market is perhaps best achieved by consulting a really good crystal ball. Alternatively, R&D managers can plot a drug's strengths and weaknesses against the emerging universe of insights into the molecular basis of disease and factor in the challenges of increasingly rigorous data review, high drug development price tags, unpredictable development timelines, and a wary post-launch reception from cost-cutting reimbursement regulators in every major pharmaceutical market.
The muppets understood. There is a video showing a muppet giving a heartwarming corporate speech that quickly transforms into a fevered plea to SELL! "... for puppy dogs and kitty cats, for everything that is near and dear to us, I ask you to remember just one word, the one word that makes it all possible, and that word is SELL! I want you to SELL! I want you to get out there and sell your socks off ... "
