This Week Pharmaceutical Blogs Discuss Departure of Managers from Pfizer’s HIV Division, Approval of Selzentry, and Johnson & Johnson Suing the Red Cross
NEWTOWN, PA, August 10, 2007 – Three managers departed the HIV marketing team at Pfizer while the company was investigating allegations of improper marketing of the HIV drugs Viracept and maraviroc, Johnson & Johnson initiates a PR nightmare in filing a civil complaint against the American Red Cross for misuse of the Red Cross Trademark, and pharmaceutical bloggers are on the attack – against each other. 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:
- Dr. Peter Rost at NRx finds the timing of Selzentry’s approval and the departure of Pfizer’s HIV marketers very interesting, saying “All of this could, of course, be a highly unusual string of coincidences. If it is not, it may indicate that Pfizer negotiated a quid pro quo approval in return for an internal house cleaning.”
- Steve Woodruff of the blog Impactiviti says Johnson & Johnson has given a lesson on how to get entangled in a no-win situation. However, he says “…I actually sympathize with J&J’s business stance here. I’m no trademark lawyer, but it appears to me that the Red Cross folks took a couple of steps down a slippery slope, and the J&J people recognize that once this mark starts getting used commercially, there will be no end of violations.”
- Ray Jordan of JNJ BTW, the company’s own blog, has posted a response to critics of the move, saying “…companies like Johnson & Johnson built on innovation and long-lived brands must resolutely defend their rights in these innovations, and in these brands.” He adds, “So, I’ve now lived a classic corporate public affairs nightmare: announcing a lawsuit against the American Red Cross. Would I have chosen this exercise as a reputation-building opportunity for Johnson & Johnson? No, of course not.”
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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