- CVS is partnering with IBMs Watson project on a predictive analytics project that will aim to flag CVS patients at risk of bad health outcomes and enable intervention.
- Drug pricing backlash, by the numbers: Six states are deliberating legislation that would force drug makers to justify high drug prices; 100 oncology KOLs published a letter demanding action against spiraling cancer drug costs; and 87% of Americans polled by KFF want Medicare to negotiate drug prices directly (a move which a Public Citizen paper estimates would save the US $16 billion per year).
- Matt Herper has some thoughts on costs, the shift to value and pharmas need to change the model.
- Allergan is launching a social-centric campaign for its contraceptive Lo Loesterin Fe targeting Millennials dubbed #ActuallySheCan (heres the minimalist, mobile-friendly website where you can create your Shemoji). Allergan/Actavis thinking behind the campaign is smart they recognize that consumer marketing is no longer a one-way dialogue and that its everywhere and 24/7 that the doctors office is no longer the center of the universe for pharma marketers. They also get that Millennials are cost-conscious in making healthcare decisions. Its an interesting approach, though at least one Millennial pharma reporter finds it a jumble of tired clichés about her generation.
- FDA greenlighted a bolt-on smart inhaler app/sensor product from Propeller Health thats designed to work with GSKs Diskus COPD and asthma inhaler and, based on trials data, granted them permission to market claims that it can boost adherence, predict exacerbations and reduce frequency of symptoms and exacerbations for asthma and COPD.
- A consortium of researchers and industry partners from the EU is developing a smart mirror which would analyze the face for signs of stress ore weight change, sniff their breath, estimate heart rate and use all the data gleaned to predict, say, an imminent heart attack.
- Eyeforpharma has surveyed 316 pharma execs on the future of customer engagement. Among the findings: one-quarter still consider physicians to be their most important customer.
- In celebrity marketing news, Cindi Lauper (she was big in the 80s, Millennials) has enlisted in Novartis Thats PsO Me psoriasis campaign. Some smart use of testimonials and user-generated content there.
- Google is unbundling Google+ from its other services like YouTube in a move thats being generally read as a belated concession that Googles Facebook-killer didnt quite make the cut.
- The implications of this story for digital medicine and The Internet of Things are somewhat unnerving.
- Heres a very cool Visual introduction to machine learning.
- Why the mobile Web sucks.
- And heres an emotional longread about the promise of personalized medicine which came a little too late for one cancer patient.
