Recommendations

It’s been a VERY busy month for recommendations! For me, it is incredibly gratifying helping clients find optimal vendor partners, and it is also gratifying intoducing great suppliers to new business opportunties with clients I enjoy.

Of late, a lot of the focus has been on eLearning – both custom eLearning courseware development, and technology solutions (LMS, Assessments, webcasting). With the help of client users (the Impactiviti recommendation network goes both ways!), I’m identifying best-in-class suppliers.

We’ve also provided recommendations in recent weeks for managed care workshops, selling skills programs, and facilitation/presentation solutions.

This week, we received another heartening testimonial: “When I have one of those rare, EXTREMELY positive experiences, I like to spread the wealth. Steve has been a valuable resource to me on many levels.  He is incredibly well connected and informed  in pharma, pharma training and training in general.  It is this connectivity that allows him to provide the unique service of listening to a client’s need and being able to match the best vendor to meet that need – at no cost to the client.  While his primary focus is in pharma training, Steve’s network is so broad that I have spoken with him about utilizing his partnering services for more general needs that I have here …” (from the Testimonial page)

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Your Personal Brand

Do you have a “personal brand”? I say Yes – whether you know it or not! A thought-provoking recent post on my StickyFigure marketing blog.

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For Geeks Only

I recently completed a six-part series (One Interface to Rule them All) on my StickyFigure marketing blog, regarding ideas I have for the “ideal” web interface. It generated a good bit of discussion in the marketing blogger/social media community. I’ll include a link here to post #1, which includes links to all the related posts.

Geek alert: this series will be most fully appreciated by those who enjoy thinking about software interfaces, and have some knowledge of web 2.0 stuff…

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Pharma News 7_19

J&J found not liable in Motrin case – Johnson & Johnson on Thursday won a lawsuit brought by the family of an 11-year-old girl who became blind after using the drug Children’s Motrin in 2003…more

Preemption reversed? – US District Court Judge David Hamilton has reversed his prior opinion in which he had dismissed a Paxil suicide case based on preemption, which says that FDA approval supercedes state law claims challenging safety, efficacy, or labeling. The FDA and drugmakers argue preemption exists by maintaining agency actions are the final word on safety and effectiveness. The case is now re-opened…more

Teva pays Barr tab – The world’s largest maker of generic drugs is expanding once again. Teva has agreed to pay $66.50, or a total of $7.46 billion plus the assumption of net debt of approximately $1.5 billion…more

AZ and Ethical pharma – AstraZeneca is training staff in a new Code of Conduct that aims to ensure employees at all levels and locations act appropriately. The Code was introduced in May and covers a number issues, including interactions with healthcare professionals, conflicts of interest and the ethics of R&D. It goes further than the recently revised EFPIA or PhRMA rules and explicitly spells out dos and don’ts on additional issues, such as political donations and insider trading…more

You’ve heard about the HR helicopter? Some folks take this literally.

PhRMA says, “Bag the Schwag” – A ubiquitous element of pharmaceutical marketing is scheduled to vanish next January 1, as the revised marketing code of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America goes into effect. Gone will be the non-educational freebies—the pens, pads, mugs, toys, and miscellaneous tchotchkes?that pharma companies distribute by the carload…more. And more here from Pharmalot.

The Washington D.C. rules and regs for pharma sales reps.

Glaxo to pay billions for a good night’s sleep – The drugmaker has agreed to pay that much for the licensing rights to Actelion’s investigational drug, almorexant…more

BI cutting neuro sales force – The neurology sales team, which peddles Aggrenox to neurologists for treating transient ischemic attacks and strokes, met last week in Chicago, where BI managers told them they are going to restructure…more

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After Hours 7_18

Now THAT’s a rainbow!

How has Wal-Mart grown over the years? Watch this fascinating time-elapse sequence.

Haven’t seen much of Russia myself. But here are some great bird’s-eye glimpses!

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Measuring Learning – free Job Aid!

Are you responsible for providing measurements of learning effectiveness? Here’s an interesting little tool (free download!) from the learning blog Will at Work.

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Vendor Relations: Are you Ravin’? or Ragin’?

I started out a lunch-and-learn workshop last week (Topic: Vendor Selection) with this question. I think it pretty well sums up the two primary reactions I get from pharma training professionals about vendor relationships.

What gets you ragin‘?

1. Trying to winnow through the barrage of phone calls and e-mails from vendors, both known and unknown.

2. Lies.

3. Pricing models that are obscure, inflated, or incomplete.

4. Vendor reps who really don’t know your business needs (and just want to make a sale).

5. Bad project management.

What gets you ravin‘?

1. Vendor/partners who actually listen.

2. An honest assessment of your needs, even if it may be different than you/they originally thought.

3. Flexibility.

4. Pro-active project managment.

5. Becoming part of the team, to help you over the long haul.

My consulting practice focuses quite uniquely on Project Definition, Vendor Selection, and Vendor Management. That’s why we not only provide a “matchmaking” vendor recommendation service (free of charge, to help you find the optimal partner[s] for your needs), but also offer an on-site lunch-and-learn program to help the entire department understand how to successfully define projects and select vendors. Contact us and let’s get you doing a lot more ravin’, and a lot less ragin’!

“When we needed to find new vendor/partners for some crucial eLearning projects, we turned to Impactiviti. With very short notice, Steve came up with targeted recommendations that turned out to be exactly right for our needs.” – Mohammed Tenouri — Manager, Technology & Assessment, TAP Pharmaceuticals

My mind is actually on those terms Ragin’ and Ravin’ a lot right now, as I’ve gotten in a fresh supply of my favorite BBQ sauce, Ragin’ Raven from Ravenswood vineyard. Rich, tangy, with a Zinfandel flavor.

Would you like to try some Ragin’ Raven? Call us in August to discuss your training needs, and let’s see if we can save you some time and effort by suggesting best-in-class suppliers for you. For giving us the opportunity to serve you we’ll send you a bottle (while supplies last)!

Contact Steve Woodruff at: stevew(at)impactiviti.com, 973.947.7429

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Pharma News 7_5

Prasugrel review extended – Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited, and Eli Lilly and Company said that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the review period for the prasugrel new drug application (NDA) based on supplemental information provided during the review period…more

Heart trials for diabetes medicines? – The agency wants its Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee to decide whether clinical trials to evaluate cardiovascular risks should be undertaken before the meds are approved or after marketing begins and the drugs are used by the population at large…more

Paxil and pregnancies – Much of the hoopla one reads about the controversial antidepressant concerns the risk of suicide and the extent to which the drugmaker disclosed – or did not disclose – meaningful clinical trial data…more

Doctors under the Influence?

Breathing easier at Merck and Schering? – Could it be? Are they getting a divorce over Vytorin? No, sorry to excite you. But the drugmakers are ending their respiratory joint venture and their eight-year effort to market a combination of their Claritin and Singulair medications, which are used to treat allergic rhinitis…more

Analyst takes up news space with BMS conjecture – The drugmaker looks increasingly attractive and a sale is a “distinct possibility,” according to Tim Anderson, a pharma analyst at Sanford Bernstein…more

Pharma’s sinking reputation – The latest Harris Interactive poll that examines American attitudes toward corporate America offers a sobering view of and for the pharmaceutical industry. Only 26 percent of Americans view the industry favorably…more

Can’t make this stuff up – A drug developed using nanotechnology and a fungus that contaminated a lab experiment may be broadly effective against a range of cancers, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday…more

Sweet home Alabama – A state court jury decided the two drugmakers defrauded Alabama in a long-running Medicaid drug pricing scheme and ordered them to pay more than $114 million in damages, the Associated Press reports…more

Pfizer rocking the CME funding world – In what may be a first, a drugmaker will still support continuing medical education courses at academic institutions, teaching hospitals and those supported by medical societies, but no longer directly support CME courses offered by for-profit medical-education and communication companies, Dow Jones reports…more

Xience (drug-eluting stent from Abbott) gets approval.

They do pass laws in D.C., after all – Earlier this year, the city became the first in the country to license sales reps, whose licenses can be revoked if their activities are deemed fraudulent. The bill was passed in hopes of enforcing good business practices on people who have undue influence over docs, and therefore patients…more

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After Hours 7_5

Wish I’d thought of this sign.

Ever wanted to buy someone far away a beer? Here’s how to do it on-line! (go ahead – feel free to test it out on me!)

Awesome scrolling evening picture of NYC skyline.

Does anybody really know what time it is? In case you need atomic verification, there’s time.gov.

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