A team of researchers has found that, for 23 commonly used drugs, well over three times as many adverse drug reactions were reported on Twitter in a given time period than were reported to the FDA. Of course, the study also notes that the tweeted reports, referred to as "Proto AEs" (adverse events) weren't necessarily as specific or useful as FDA adverse event reports.
Over a six-month period,...
IMS Health's recent report "Engaging Patients Through Social Media" picks up on an oft-heard theme in digital health, and for the first time backs it up with quantitative data. Pharma is behind on its use of social media, compared to other big companies and especially compared to the rest of the healthcare system. Forbes' Dan Munro quotes Howard J. Luks, board member at the Mayo Clinic Center for...
A new report from IMS Health on the use of social media by pharmaceutical companies finds that among the top 50 pharmaceutical companies, half don't engage with consumers and patients through social media. But of those that do, IMS found that Johnson & Johnson emerged as a clear leader. It scored a 70 on IMS's Social Media Engagement Index. The next highest score, from GlaxoSmithkline, was...
