By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    tips for getting drugs from an online pharmacy
    How to Get Prescriptions Online Reliably and Cost-Effectively
    November 9, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Congresswoman’s Staff Renews Call for Funding of Care for Complex Head Injuries
    April 22, 2011
    More On Wellness Programs To Improve Health and Reduce Costs
    January 25, 2012
    Squandering Medicare’s Money
    June 9, 2011
    Latest News
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Legal Concerns: What Steps can Pharma Take to Engage in Social Media?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Social Media > Legal Concerns: What Steps can Pharma Take to Engage in Social Media?
Social Media

Legal Concerns: What Steps can Pharma Take to Engage in Social Media?

Barbara Ficarra
Last updated: August 1, 2011 7:57 am
Barbara Ficarra
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

.

This is the second part of a three part post addressing the legal concerns of social networking in the health care arena.

Legal expert, David Harlow, Esq., Health Care Attorney and Consultant at The Harlow Group, LLC in Boston, address the issues.


.

This is the second part of a three part post addressing the legal concerns of social networking in the health care arena.

Legal expert, David Harlow, Esq., Health Care Attorney and Consultant at The Harlow Group, LLC in Boston, address the issues.

More Read

Clinical Trial Recruitment
Holding Down Costs for Clinical Trial Recruitment
Hospitals Turn to Social Media for Patient Feedback
How the Stories of Our Lives Can Change Healthcare
New Alzheimer’s Care Site Promotes Community
Physician Online Reputations: What Role for Hospitals?

What Steps can Pharma Take to Engage in Social Media?

Q:  Barbara: After speaking at a recent pharmaceutical conference, the pharma industry is concerned with the legal implications of social media; and it appears that pharma is waiting for guidelines from the FDA.  David, what steps can pharma utilize to engage in social networking without specific guidelines from the FDA?

A:  David: Pharma companies are, for the most part, extraordinarily risk-averse, and reasonably so.  They live in a heavily regulated environment, and a misstep can have potentially disastrous consequences in the form of sanctions imposed by the FDA and the attendant negative publicity.  Pharma is concerned about being able to provide “fair balance” in social media, about the possibility of having users post information about adverse events that would be reportable to the FDA (though research has shown that only about 1 in 500 AEs posted via social media are in fact reportable AEs, and the leaders in this arena all say that they would rather learn about AEs sooner rather than later in general – the challenge is finding the resources needed to monitor adequately).  That said, there are some pharma companies that have decided they can structure an approach to social media that is compliant with FDA requirements.  There are guideposts that must be observed in all communications by pharma companies, and while social media tools are different in kind from the channels that have come before, we should be able to take a commonsense approach to extrapolating from past rules and regulations, and warning letters, and the like, in order to plan for appropriate efforts to engage the public via social media.  In particular, pharma companies that are successful in this sphere have brought together communications, legal, regulatory and compliance folks, and have come up with guidelines for different sorts of interactions.  Thus, for example, a blog post does not require a six-week review before it is posted if it is within the in-house guidelines’ “green zone.”  For now, most pharma social media is limited to unbranded communications, though there are a number of companies using Facebook and Twitter to put across their messages in a controlled manner that remains compliant with the law.

About David Harlow, Esq.

David Harlow, health care attorney and consultant, principal at The Harlow Group LLC in Boston, who blogs at http://healthblawg.com and may be found on Twitter at http://twitter.com/healthblawg.

Your Turn

We would love to hear from you.   Consumers, would you engage online with pharma companies? Are you a pharma company that engages in social media?  Please share your experience with us.

As always, thank you for your valuable time.

Follow Barbara on Twitter

Follow David on Twitter

Related Posts

What are the Legal Implications for Doctors, Nurses and Hospitals Engaging in Social Media?

3 Reasons Why Social Networking Is Not a Waste of Time for Health Professionals

A Brilliant Reason to Dive Deep into the Social Media Health Space

Social Media: Medical Social Networking – Part 2

TAGGED:FDAhealthcare lawpharmasocial media
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025
recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025

You Might also Like

Appropriate Use of Social Media and Social Networking in Medical Practice

May 16, 2012

Top 10 Healthcare Influencers To Add To Your Google+ Circles

March 1, 2012
Social Media

How Social Media is “Consumerizing” Healthcare

April 2, 2013

Health Care Social Media Etiquette

July 2, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?