Regulators, marketers seek to clarify pharma's marketing role on social media at hearings

Federal regulators and pharmaceutical company marketers sought to clear up regulations for online and social media marketing strategies at the Food and Drug Administration's November 12 hearings on the topic.

The testimony addressed four questions: for what online communications should manufacturers, packagers or distributors be accountable; how companies can fulfill regulatory requirements on the Internet and social media in light of space limitations and real-time tools; what parameters should apply to the posting of corrective information on sites controlled by third parties; and when the use of links is appropriate.

Executives from J&J and Sanofi-Aventis offered specific thoughts on where the FDA could allow links, corporate responsibility for content and what might constitute adequate provision of risk information within space-limited formats like Twitter.

Click here to read Medical Marketing and Media's full coverage of the hearings.