The advent of broadband Internet and the information rich Web is attracting an increasing number of users everyday.  They are online seeking out or researching information, and healthcare is no exception. According to Manhattan Research, 116 million US adults use the Internet for researching health information, an increase of 75 million compared to five years ago. Separate research also found that the top pharmaceutical product websites visited by US adult consumers include Cialis (Eli Lilly), Viagra (Pfizer), Nexium (AstraZeneca), Lunesta (Sepracor) and Allegra (Sanofi-Aventis), and consumers are finding the content to be quite engaging with interactive features like flash videos, quizzes, E-newsletters and coupons. However, most healthcare sites still lag behind other industries (conservation and risk-averse nature of the industry) in the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies like social networking, blogs, wikis, podcast and RSS. On a positive note, declining ROI from most traditional pharma marketing channels, coupled with a growing demand from consumers and physicians for the participatory Web, pharma marketers are beginning to find new opportunities with social media.

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals launched knowmenopause.com, an online educational destination that educates women about menopause and menopausal treatment options so that they can take a more active role in their healthcare as well as improve communications between patient and clinician. The site features a user-friendly Web TV and interactive tools which simulate real world interaction. GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) site features a video press release of its new Flulva pill for the treatment of the influenza virus. It already has an official blog on its French GSK site. Moreover, the firm has appointed a “social media” manager this year to experiment how social media can be used as a tool to boost corporate communications and marketing. Merck's site features RSS feeds and podcasts on the latest developments. The firm also recently announced plans to cut its television spending and boost its efforts in online communities in launching two new drugs Januvia (diabetes) and Gardasil (cervical cancer vaccine). Pfizer invites the public to listen to its Webcast on annual meeting of shareholders. APS Healthcare Inc., a health and disease management service provider, is using an emergency alert service to send alert messages to patients via email, text message, pager and the Internet. Other common features employed by many pharma sites include interactive quizzes and polls, RSS feeds, BMI calculator, E-newsletter and compliance reminders, etc.  

As consumer-generated content becomes more prevalent on the social Web, empowering the masses, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the pharmaceutical industry to retain complete control over their messages. Apart from the main pharma sites, third party sites such as WebMD, NIH and other health portals such as MSN Health and About Health are also popular among health-conscious users. These sites now feature blogs and message boards for users to share their thoughts and experiences. A recently launched site called RevolutionHealth.com provides disease information, articles and forums. Users are also able to search for condition-specific information, find physicians, check symptoms, create health profile pages (in beta) and trade comments with other users. WebMD unveiled a new look for its site that includes a free appointment service, the option of creating a personal health record, interactive symptom checker and condition-specific message boards. Lime, a health-oriented media, increased its online presence by launching a broadband channel featuring original video content on nutrition, the environment and related issues.

The challenge for pharma marketers is how to incorporate social media into their communications strategy.  Effective implementation enhances greater collaboration between healthcare professionals, patients and pharma companies. For instance, instead of going through the painstaking task of filling out forms for sharing one’s experiences on a particular drug treatment or symptoms for a certain illness, why not give them the authority to publish their own online diary/blog? Blogs could be a starting point for open interaction for patients or physicians to share their experiences.  Pharma bloggers today are increasingly having a high degree of influence on online health seekers.

In addition, interactive tools like online videos and podcasts add an emotional aspect to content that helps keep users or site visitors engaged. As third party health sites gradually move toward social networking, pharma marketers can start exploring ways to build communities around specific conditions, symptoms or drugs. Only after testing and experimenting will pharma marketers learn and benefit from the use of social media. 

Resources: Manhattan Research, Health IT World, Wall Street Journal