Healthcare Marketer Authors Book On Contraception
Considering that last week was the official Sexual Health Week, healthcare marketer Percy Skuy's new book, Tales of Contraception has hit the market at the right time.
The book is now available through Planned Parenthood for $14.95 plus $2 for shipping and handling. Five dollars from each sale goes to Planned Parenthood.
Skuy details how in June of 1969 he challenged Canada's outdated laws banning the advertising of contraceptives. Skuy, then director of marketing for pharmaceutical giant Ortho, placed an ad in popular Canadian magazine Chatelaine.
When it was too late to pull it, he told the federal government of his so-called "mistake." The reaction was next to nil and the next month the wording of the law was changed. The new book has a host of fascinating stories about what Skuy calls "people's ingenuity and determination to control their reproductive lives. The book is available by contacting the Planned Parenthood Federation, 1 Nicholas St., Suite 430, Ottawa, Ont., K1N 7B7 or by calling 613/241-4474.
Mediconsult Launches Virtual Clinic
To help healthcare marketers, Mediconsult.com has just launched a virtual medical clinic on the Internet. It now provides access to information for 50 medical conditions.
Located at http://www.mediconsult.com, access to the site is free. Mediconsult.com has completed its eight-month development phase and is already attracting 100,000 visitors and delivering 500,000 page transfers per month.
Mediconsult.com provides comprehensive medical information to help patients make better healthcare decisions and communicate more effectively with healthcare providers.
The site now provides access to information on 50 medical conditions. (Judith Sykes (416) 780-1068.)
Happy Birthday To Alan Weiss Productions
Alan Weiss Productions, one of the industry's most popular video producers, is celebrating its 10-year birthday this week.
The company created Memorial-Sloan Kettering's welcome video for juvenile patients, and the first series of patient education videos for Time Warner Inc.'s [TWX] Time Life Medical unit.
The flurry of activity in the health care market has created an amazing level of activity among companies communicating medical information. Video producers, Web site designers and Web-related companies are churning out multimedia products to explain conditions and treatments to patients. (Alan Weiss, 212/908-1204)
Have You Had Your Oats Today?
The Quaker Oats Co. is rolling out targeted and general marketing campaigns in response to the Food and Drug Administration's affirmation last month of oatmeal's role in reducing the risk of heart disease. Quaker plans targeted marketing to healthcare providers in the coming weeks
While Quaker didn't have specifics on the direct mail campaign, such as a drop date or the number of pieces to be mailed, Ron Bottrell, director of public relations, said nutritionists and physicians are the targeted audience. The direct mail packet will aim to make healthcare providers "aware of the FDA action so that when they get questions from their patients they can give them the latest information," Bottrell said. (Quaker Oats, 312/222-7111)
Dutch Pharmacy Fights Back
Dutch pharmaceutical manufacturers association Nefarma has started an advertising campaign this week to bring home to parliamentarians and the public the problems of the government's refusal to allow new drugs to be made generally available. It wants to draw as much attention as possible to representatives of parliament and the press to the fact that under the new drug pricing law -- Dutch patients cannot obtain a large number of medicines that have been approved for use by The Agency for Drug Registration. Nefarma argues that all products that have received registration on the basis of safety and efficacy should be accessible to the public, and that the interests of patients are not served by unnecessary delays.
CVS No Longer A Drug Store -- A Healthcare Provider
Fundamental changes in the way healthcare is delivered in the U.S. has prompted the drugstore chain CVS to reposition its marketing as a leading healthcare provider.
To address those demands, CVS has reoriented its corporate pharmacy staff away from a narrow focus on retail pharmacy toward a broad focus on healthcare. All of its pharmacy and healthcare related functions were folded into a healthcare services department headed by Chris Bodine, vice president of healthcare services. The restructuring was designed to direct the actions of CVS's corporate staff and retail pharmacists toward efficiency, innovation, service and quality patient care. Before the restructuring, pharmacy related functions reported to several key executives. Now these departments, as well as pharmacy technology, clinical operations and government relations, report to Bodine. (CVS, 800/786-1100)
Groups Join New Coalition
The Health Alliance for NTI Patient Safety, a nonprofit coalition formed last month to raise awareness about narrow therapeutic index (NTI) drugs, has added two new charter members: The United Seniors Association and the American Psychiatric Association. Other members include the American Medical Association, the Epilepsy Foundation and the Association of Black Cardiologists. (Alliance, 202/955-6215)