Melissa Davies
Last week brought an exciting new development for pharmaceutical companies interested in social media: blogger Mark Senak (EyeonFDA.com) posted an interview with an official from the FDA/Division for Drug Marketing, Advertising and Communications (DDMAC) about pharmas and Web 2.0. Until now, there has been so little mention of social media and the like from the FDA that many pharma companies have come to assume that Web 2.0 is strictly off-limits. The conversation that was started this week — though by no means the final word on whether and how …

Oprah Winfrey starts trends.  When her book club features a book, chances are good that it will be a bestseller.  When she mentions a product on her talk show, millions of viewers will check that product out.
Earlier this month, Oprah discussed healthy living with her regular guest Dr. Mehmet Oz, who presented his “Ultimate Health Checklist,” which included three points about eating:
Know the five ingredients to avoid (high fructose corn syrup, sugar, enriched flour, trans fat, saturated fats)
The healthy foods to add to your diet

Antioxidants (Dr. Oz recommends tomatoes, broccoli, …

Over-the-counter (OTC) heartburn medications save the U.S. healthcare system $757 million each year — by reducing office visits, Nielsen and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) reported in a study released on January 26th.
At an individual level, OTC heartburn remedies save the average American $174 each year — in office visits and medication costs.
Nielsen and CHPA’s joint study also found that 94% of all patients report being satisfied with available OTC heartburn medications.
More than half (61%) of consumers surveyed by Nielsen and CHPA reported treating their heartburn without discussing symptoms with …

With 2009 underway, so, too, is the race for millions of Americans to meet their New Year’s resolutions. Whether it’s trimming love handles, lowering cholesterol, or stomping out cigarettes for good, consumers are more likely to sample new products and services that help them practice healthier habits. And advertisers are especially eager to help.
The first month of the year is not surprisingly the most popular advertising month for these “resolution” companies. Last January, they spent over $181 million on advertising for products and services related to weight loss and smoking deterrents. …

Neuroscience has a surprise for marketers: the way we are neurologically wired can actually prevent us from accurately reporting what we really think and remember, when asked.
Writing in the January issue of Nielsen’s “Consumer Insight” online newsletter, Palak Patel of NeuroFocus Inc., explains that the real truth lies beyond the reach of typical consumer research methods, like surveys and focus groups — in the subconscious mind.
According to Patel, answers are essentially corrupted information — biased by the conscious mind, which is influenced by everything from what language you speak to …

Do perceptions of physical appearance — specifically, what constitutes a healthy weight — vary throughout the world?
According to a recent 52-country survey by Nielsen, some of these attitudes are universal: almost two-thirds (60%) of the world’s population struggle with their weight — 50% with overweight and 10% with underweight issues.
But as Jonathan Banks, Business Insights Director, Nielsen, notes in the January issue of Nielsen’s “Consumer Insight” online newsletter, tactics for paring pounds — and body image — vary by country.
North Americans, for instance, self-identify as “very overweight” at double the …

Jessica Hogue
My colleague Melissa Davies published findings earlier this year on the role of the Internet in healthcare, which found that while doctors are still the primary source for healthcare information, the Internet is a close second. In this new era of collaborative care, patients have access to an array of online tools to arm them with more detailed information about their conditions and treatments than ever before. Specifically, social media vehicles are expanding and accelerating the pace at which patients and caregivers can gain access to drug treatment ratings. …

The launch of Zyrtec OTC and its private label equivalent, Private Label Cetirizine, in early 2008 triggered strong incremental growth in the over-the-counter (OTC) allergy medication market in the U.S., a new analysis by NielsenHealth and Wolters Kluwer Health reports.
According to Nielsen and Wolters Kluwer, the OTC oral/nasal allergy market grew by about 30% in the first half of 2008, compared with same period in 2007.
Like Zyrtec OTC, PL Cetirizine had rapid uptake, accounting for approximately one-third of the OTC cetirizine market’s patient volume during the spring 2008 allergy season.  Zyrtec …

American households headed by people age 65 and older spent 55% more on vitamins and 45% more on medications and remedies than average American households during the 52 weeks ending June 28, 2008, according to Nielsen.
Households headed by Americans age 65 and older account for 14.4% of all U.S. households.  These households represented 22.3% of vitamins product dollar sales and 20.8% of medications and remedies product dollar sales.
Other categories skewing to households with older people include pain remedies, canned fruit, and coffee, as well as canning/freezing supplies and floral/gardening supplies.

Rank
(by highest index)
Top 10 Categories:
Households …

As the world grapples with a global recession and financial markets remain volatile, many people are reminding themselves that money can’t buy happiness. Men however, beg to differ.
Results of a global happiness survey from The Nielsen Company reveal that men are happier with money, while women are happier with friendships and relationships with their children, co-workers and bosses.
“Because they are happier with non-economic factors, women’s happiness is more recession-proof, which might explain why women around the world are happier in general than men are,” said Bruce Paul, VP Consumer Research, …