When Lance Armstrong captured a record sixth straight Tour de France last week, he cemented his place as one of the greatest athletes ever. But the win was also a victory for
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., which made the chemotherapy drugs that helped save Armstrong's life after he was told (in 1996) that he had testicular cancer that had spread to his
brain and lungs.
Bristol-Myers is one of Armstrong's sponsors and the cyclist served as a spokesman for the company during his (successful) battle with cancer. At a time when the drug industry
is suffering from an image problem because of the rising costs of prescription drugs - even former Merck CEO Roy Vagelos has started to speak out -- the partnership serves as an
example of how drug companies can communicate the benefits of drug treatment in an emotional way. Drug companies need to aspire to creating "Aha" moments the public can relate to,
as opposed to drug company executives saying that because drug research is so expensive, so are the drugs - a formula for PR disasters.
The drug industry "hasn't done a very good job of saying, 'We know there's a problem'" with high drug prices, says Ame Wadler, chair of the U.S. healthcare practice at Burson-
Marsteller, whose clients include Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Pfizer.
To enhance its collective image with the public, Big Pharma managers "have to come down from the Ivory Tower and be able to touch the hearts and minds of consumers," Wadler
adds. "Nobody says there isn't a value to cutting-edge medicine, but consumers don't want drug companies to spend their money on advertising when they want and need to know about
the cost of their medications."
Of course, the problems associated with the high cost of prescription drugs cannot be solved by the drug industry alone; a comprehensive and concerted effort by government and
the entire healthcare industry has the best chance of making some headway. But if the debacle over former President Clinton's efforts to reform the healthcare system in the early
1990s is any indication, don't hold your breath. Still, considering the onslaught of baby boomers heading into their golden years, the issue is likely to leapfrog policymakers'
efforts. Better for drug companies to step into the void now rather than later.
Drug companies and their PR agencies face an uphill battle. There's a huge disconnect between what consumers want - unlimited healthcare at reasonable prices - and what
(profit-driven) drug companies can provide. "There's a lack of reality assigned to the industry," Wadler says. "Profit margins on a box of cereal are OK, but profit margins on
drugs frightens people."
James Grief, communications specialist with the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), says all of the major drug players could do a better job of
communicating to consumers how drugs are manufactured without getting bogged down in the minutia.
Grief has been busy plugging the AAPS' Pharmaceutical Scientist Expert Resource Service, a group of about 200 drug scientists from industry, government and academia who are
made available to the media to comment on any drug development and what it means for consumers.
To avoid backlash among consumers, drug companies must fundamentally change their communications. "They need to talk to the public in terms they can relate to," Wadler says.
"One more statistic on research is meaningless because at the end of the day [consumers] are spending whatever it takes to buy their medicines."
For Big Pharma to enhance its image with the public Wadler recommends a "bottom up" approach to communications, in which real people (read: patients) share their stories of how
prescription drugs saved (or significantly improved) their lives. "They need to put a face on it and have to talk to Sally Jones," she says. From an outside perspective "these
companies are cold buildings with a bunch of suits running them, but inside are people with the same issues and same passions as Sally Jones."
There are many ways that drug companies can tap into that passion -- and for PR execs working in the industry to prove their companies are not run by a bunch of ogres.
Tracey Zeeck, now a senior strategist with Boulder, Co.-based Ground Floor Media, worked as director of communications for L&R Motorsports, which from 2000 through 2002
participated in NASCAR's Craftsmen Series. One of the automotive's primary sponsors was Aventis Behring (since acquired and renamed ZLB Behring), which, at the time, was marketing
a drug for treating hemophiliacs. Companies like Aventis were still reeling from the damage in the 1980s, when a large percentage of the hemophilia population died from AIDS-
infected blood.
"The thought was, 'Why should I let my son use this product?'" says Zeeck. "So we had to really bump up the care factor."
Working through local chapters of the National Hemophilia Foundation, Zeeck was able to invite between 50 and 300 people with hemophilia (and their families) to 25 NASCAR races
throughout the country. (A day or so before the races NASCAR drivers -- decked in Aventis garb - visited hemophilia centers at local hospitals. Local print and broadcast outlets
periodically picked up the stories.) People with hemophilia were seated together at the events and given educational information on Aventis' blood products and trends in
hemophilia treatment (as well as all sorts of NASCAR goodies). For people suffering from acute hemophilia, annual medication costs can run up to $500,000, so the various
investments in finding and feting hemophiliacs were well worth it.
"It was a win-win kind of program," Zeeck adds. "The kids get to do something that's really cool and the drug company looks good in front of the families who make the buying
decisions."
Contact: James Grief, 703.248.4744, [email protected]; Ame Wadler, 212.614.4534, [email protected];
Tracey Zeeck, 303.417.1132, X15, [email protected]