A warning letter issued to Novartis by the Federal Drug Administration in the United States has highlighted the need for marketers to be cautious when promoting the healthcare industry.
The main issue cited in the letter was the use of a Facebook Share button which was integrated within the company’s Tasignia website. When site users clicked the button to share content with other users, the post generated on Facebook Walls contained text that promoted both the product name and the indication, but failed to offer fair balance by including side effects and warnings as required by the Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising and Communications.
According to Jonathon Richman, Director of Social Media at Bridge Worldwide, Novartis is considered solely responsible for shared content that the company generates because users have no way to edit it. Notably, the FDA said that comments made in response to the shared content are not the responsibility of Novartis.
While this may seem to be a significant set back for the healthcare profession, it’s not the end of the line for social media. Indeed, social sharing has become part of the business world – something that is accepted and even expected by consumers around the world.
Mr. Richman says the best way forward is to create Meta and Facebook tags that either specify a drug name or an indication – but never both.
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