No one is tracking pharma's social media presence better than WhyDotPharma, and the site/blog has done a nice review of which pharma companies are Twittering the most (Amgen, Boehringer, JNJ, Genentech), and how they're doing it. Some companies are using Twitter to establish a presence and get the word out on corporate news and policies, while others are using Twitter to follow and see what's being said about themselves and the industry.

From 'On Pharma'

If you put credence in Swiss firm Covalence's annual ethics rankings, yes, GSK, BMS, and J&J are the most ethical companies in the Pharmaceuticals and Biotech sector. The list looks like this:

1. GSK

2. BMS

3. J&J

4. Abbott

5. Novartis

6. Roche

7. Boehringer Ingelheim

8. Astra Zeneca

9. Pfizer

From 'On Pharma'

The past few months have seen renewed vigor from FDA's DDMAC (Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communications) in scrutinizing manufacturers' claims of safety and efficacy. In particular, DDMAC has cracked down on makers and marketers of ADHD medications for their alleged false and misleading claims.

From 'On Pharma'

Professor Joachim Herz, M.D., from the Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas (USA), received this year’s Heinrich Wieland Prize from Boehringer-Ingelheim (BI) for his exceptional work on lipoprotein receptors. He was awarded a EUR 50,000 tprize in a ceremony at the Ludwig-Maximilian-University in Munich, Germany.Lipoprotein receptors are key regulators of cholesterol and lipid metabolism. Among those are two types of receptors, the low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) receptor and LDL-receptor-related proteins (LRPs). Herz discovered LRP1, the first in the group of LRP receptors. LRP1 plays an important role in the uptake of lipids from food during digestion. LRP1 (scientifically named ‘chylomicron remnant receptor’). For more read on.

The prize is named after Nobel laureate Otto Wieland, a cousin of BI founder Albert Boehringer's wife.   From 'On Pharma'

Boehringer Ingelheim narrowly beat out Genentech and Amgen in Science’s annual survey of top employers in the biotechnology, biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical and related industries. The survey was based on industry responses by participants to whom they regarded as the best, average and worst employers in the field. Respondents then rated the companies that they had chosen on 23 driving characteristics, such as financial strength, adaptation to change and a research-driven environment. Only those companies rated by at least 20 respondents qualified for inclusion in the survey.

 

While this survey might be seen as a popularity contest (63 percent of participants work for the employers that they regarded as best), the rankings for most important driving characteristics were interesting. The top six drivers in order were: 1. being an innovative leader; 2. treating employees with respect; 3. having work cultures aligned with personal values; 4. having loyal employees; 5. being socially responsible; and 6. doing important quality research.

Respondents also were asked about the industry as a whole. According to the survey, what should companies do to improve their own and the industry’s reputation? Be honest, ethical, and more accountable as well as educate and communicate with the public.

BS

From 'On Pharma'

The Financial Times reported yesterday that Boehringer-Ingelheim and Roche have both had to recall drugs in the U.S. and Europe within the past few weeks due to manufacturing quality issues. 

Roche recalled its HIV treatment, Viracept, in Europe and some developing nations a few weeks ago because the drug contained chemical impurities, and higher than normal levels of methane sulfonic acid ethylester.

B-I's recall  of its pet arthritis drug, Synoquin, is particularly interesting, since it was reportedly motivated by a competitor, the Nutraceuticals supplier Vet Plus.  Vet Plus ran lab tests on the B-I product which found that it contained less than the required amount of active ingredient.

...More arguments for use of process analytical technologies during manufacturing.

But, as competition in the industry intensifies,  could more companies adapt Vet Plus' "guerilla" pharma marketing strategy? Analyze the competitor's product,  then publicize any quality problems discovered... cGMPs as marketing tool...

From 'On Pharma'