Submitted by Bob Burton on
The United States Senate Committee on Finance has released a damning staff report titled The Intimidation of Dr. John Buse and the Diabetes Drug Avandia.
To mobilize elderly Americans in an effort to overturn the new Medicare coverage policy for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs, which boost red blood cell production), Amgen Inc. appears to have borrowed a strategy from the purveyors of alternative medicine.
The company launched a "Protect Cancer Patients" website, where visitors were invited to submit testimonials about the healing powers of ESAs. Also, they could contact members of Congress, or review the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services coverage decision and the House and Senate resolutions to vacate it.
Though the Internet designation ".org" suggests that the site is operated by an advocacy group, the "privacy policy" section notes that "this site is owned and operated by Amgen Inc." and can be used for communications with the company.
On the home page, the site is described as "online headquarters of a national campaign to protect cancer patients on Medicare from a decision denying them ... coverage for needed medicines."
"Amgen's mission is to serve patients, which is why we openly support the Protect Cancer Patients website," Kelley Davenport, an Amgen spokesman, said in an email. "The site educates cancer patients on Medicare and their caregivers about a Medicare policy that impacts cancer patients, so that their voices and concerns are heard by government policymakers.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
Procter & Gamble, the largest U.S.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"Renewable Fuels Now," a new ethanol industry group, "plans a splashy ad campaign next week that will appear in popular Capitol Hill publications, including The Hill and Roll Call," reports Lauren Etter. The group, which counts the National Corn Growers Association and the Renewable Fuels Association among its members, has hired the PR firm Manning Selvage & Lee.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
Pharmaceutical companies "are turning to the developing world as profits stagnate in the West. But regulation in these countries is weak," writes Jeremy Laurance.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
As investigations into its shootings of Iraqi civilians continue, the private military contractor Blackwater USA is softening its public image. "The company's roughneck logo — a bear's paw print in a red crosshairs, under lettering that looks to have been ripped from a fifth of Jim Beam — has undergone a publicity-conscious, corporate scrubbing," reports Paul Von Zielbauer.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
Sacramento television station KCRA recently aired a "Problem Solvers" news segment where "Lynsey Paulo, a multiple regional-Emmy winner, looked at 'search engine fatigue' among online users. The report quoted three consumers, an expert from UCLA and an executive from Myride.com, which provides targeted-search results.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
Big brands often rely on "coolhunters" to "scour the globe's streets, stores, clubs and hidden haunts picking up clues as to what's hot, what's next. ... At Nike, the drive to recruit under-the-radar influencers like [Los Angeles tattoo artist] Mr. Cartoon is on the rise and a key part of the company's strategy." Nike CEO Mark Parker "has moved to aggressively link Nike with those who can help maintain the company's standing among what he calls the 'influencers of influencers'. ... In addition to Mr.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
McDonald's director of U.S. marketing admits, "Going by what we're hearing from consumers, awareness is a little bit low about quality." So the fast food giant will launch a "McDonald's Brand Advocate program" in early 2008, with help from the PR firm GolinHarris.
Submitted by Bob Burton on
The Hygiene Council, a "think tank" created and funded by the cleaning products company Reckitt Benckiser, touts the need for "good hygiene practice" in the "home and community." Ruth Pollard reports that the council "is pushing products that contain the expensive -- and potentially damaging -- antibacterial additive,
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