Layoffs at Amgen and Increase in DTC Advertising Are the Dominating Topics in Pharmaceutical Blogs This Week
NEWTOWN, PA, August 17, 2007 – Amgen announced this week that it will be laying off 12% to 14% of its 20,000-person work force, causing Amgen employees to speak out against CEO Kevin Sharer. DTC advertising has steadily increased over the past few years despite predictions that it would taper off. Christiane Truelove, editor of Med Ad News and R&D Directions, summarizes the thoughts of popular industry bloggers on these and other topics in this week’s PharmaBlogs: Week in Review eNewsletter.
Some of Ms. Truelove’s highlights in this eNewsletter:
• Bloggers speculate on the cause of Amgen’s
layoffs. Scott Hensley at the Wall Street Journal Health Blog
reports that cuts come as sales of Amgen’s anemia drug
Aranesp fall, while Dr. Derek Lowe of In the Pipeline wonders if
Amgen’s acquisition of Alantos was a good move.
• John Mack of the Pharma Marketing Blog is not surprised
DTC spending increased saying, “The New England Journal of
Medicine authors seem surprised that DTC ad spending would rise at
such a rate DESPITE criticisms and pressure on pharma to reduce
spending. I say the spending increased precisely BECAUSE of this
pressure, especially from Congress. Pharma marketers have always
lived by the rule ‘spend it or lose it.’ In the current
political climate, the rule is ‘spend it while you
can.’”
• Johnson & Johnson’s suit last week against
the Red Cross continues to stir up comments among bloggers. The
anonymous blogger at Pharm Aid says J&J has flushed whatever
good will the company had from the way it handled the Tylenol
tamperings in the 1980s.
Read more about these and other topics covered this week by subscribing to the PharmaBlogs: Week in Review eNewsletter. Visit www.pharmalive.com/enewsletters.
About PharmaBlogs: Week in Review
Designed as a time-effective approach to keeping current on the
industry’s blog discussions, PharmaBlogs: Week in Review is
the first online newsletter focused on recapping pharmaceutical
blogs. The e-newsletter is published by industry information
provider Engel Publishing Partners and sent to your e-mail inbox
each Friday.
About Engel Publishing Partners
For 25 years, Engel Publishing Partners has been the source that
pharmaceutical executives turn to for the information they need to
create competitive business strategies. Engel Publishing Partners
carries a full product line, offering industry-leading publications
Med Ad News and R&D Directions, informative newsletters, and
data-rich interactive products. Through these channels, Engel
Publishing Partners disseminates original and un-biased content
that provides insight into industry trends and events, as well as
extensive analysis of companies, products, and pipelines.
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Contact
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Posted: August 2007
