Study: Drug ads drown in online noise

Pharma marketing just got harder: A new study shows that patients are getting more information on meds from blogs and social-networking sites--places where drugmakers can't control their brand messages.

When consumers search for online info about cholesterol meds, for instance, blogs and social media forums often show up among the top results. And the information consumers find at those sites "often occurs in a manner that's not friendly or favorable to the brands," according to the new report by v-Fluence Interactive. Blogs and forums are more likely to compare various brand-name drugs and to talk about negative side effects. Ironically, drug ads are sometimes found placed on these sites--locations where marketing doesn't do the drugs themselves any favors.

- check out the v-Fluence press release

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