Pharmaceutical companies and their drugs on social media: A content analysis of drug information on popular social media sites

Journal of Medical Internet Research

Volumn 17, Issue 6, 2015, Pages e130-

  Tyrawski, Jennifer ^a   De Andrea, David C ^a  

^a OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

Direct to consumer advertising; EDTCA; EHealth; Facebook; Illegal online pharmacies; Online pharmaceutical services; Pharmaceutical drugs; Social media; Twitter; YouTube

Indexed keywords

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION; DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER ADVERTIZING; DRUG INDUSTRY; FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT; HUMAN; INTERNET; LEGISLATION AND JURISPRUDENCE; MARKETING; PHARMACY; SOCIAL MEDIA; UNITED STATES;

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION; DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER ADVERTISING; DRUG INDUSTRY; HUMANS; INTERNET; MARKETING; MARKETING OF HEALTH SERVICES; PHARMACEUTICAL SERVICES, ONLINE; SOCIAL MEDIA; UNITED STATES;

EID: 84936756047     PISSN: None     EISSN: 14388871     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.2196/jmir.4357     Document Type: Article

References (33)

1. Gilbody S, Wilson P, Watt I. Benefits and harms of direct to consumer advertising: A systematic review. Qual Saf Health Care 2005;14:246-250 doi: 10.1136/qshc.2004.012781. [doi: 10.1136/qshc.2004.012781]
2. Ventola CL. Direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising: therapeutic or toxic? P T 2011 Oct;36(10):669-684 [FREE Full text] [Medline: 22346300]
3. Gibson S. Regulating direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs in the digital age. Laws 2014 09;3(3):410-438. [doi: 10.3390/laws3030410]
4. Liang BA, Mackey TK. Direct-to-consumer advertising with interactive internet media: Global regulations and public health issues. JAMA 2011;305(8):824. [doi: 10.1001/jama.2011.203]
5. Greene JA, Kesselheim AS. Pharmaceutical marketing and the new social media. N Engl J Med 2010 Nov 25;363(22):2087-2089. [doi: 10.1056/NEJMp1004986] [Medline: 21105789]
6. Duggan M, Ellison NB, Lampe C, Lenhart A, Madden M. Social Media Update 2014. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project; 2015 Jan 09. URL: http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/01/PI-SocialMediaUpdate20144.pdf [accessed 2015-02-08] [WebCite Cache ID 6WCS7cMcQ]
7. Mackey TK, Liang BA. Global reach of direct-to-consumer advertising using social media for illicit online drug sales. J Med Internet Res 2013 May;15(5):e105 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/jmir.2610] [Medline: 23718965]
8. Mackey TK, Liang BA, Strathdee SA. Digital social media, youth, and nonmedical use of prescription drugs: The need for reform. J Med Internet Res 2013;15(7):e143. [doi: 10.2196/jmir.2464]
9. Flanagin AJ, Metzger MJ. Digital media and youth: unparalleled opportunity and unprecedented responsibility. In: Metzger MJ, Flanagin AJ, editors. Digital Media, Youth, and Credibility. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press; 2008:5-28.
10. Deshpande A, Menon A, Perri IM, Zinkhan G. Direct-to-consumer advertising and its utility in health care decision making: a consumer perspective. J Health Commun 2004;9(6):499-513. [doi: 10.1080/10810730490523197] [Medline: 15764449]
11. Krezmien E, Wanzer MB, Servoss T, LaBelle S. The role of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertisements and individual differences in getting people to talk to physicians. J Health Commun 2011 Sep;16(8):831-848. [doi: 10.1080/10810730.2011.561909] [Medline: 21512934]
12. Liang BA, Mackey TK. Prevalence and global health implications of social media in direct-to-consumer drug advertising. J Med Internet Res 2011 Aug;13(3):e64 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/jmir.1775] [Medline: 21880574]
13. Health Research Institute. Social media "likes" healthcare: from marketing to social business. 2012. URL: http://pwchealth. com/cgi-local/hregister.cgi/reg/health-care-social-media-report.pdf [accessed 2015-02-08] [WebCite Cache ID 6WCSCxM6I]
14. Liang Y, Zheng X, Zeng DD, Zhou X, Leischow SJ, Chung W. Exploring how the tobacco industry presents and promotes itself in social media. J Med Internet Res 2015 Jan;17(1):e24 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/jmir.3665] [Medline: 25608524]
15. Fittler A, Bosze G, Botz L. Evaluating aspects of online medication safety in long-term follow-up of 136 internet pharmacies: Illegal rogue online pharmacies flourish and are long-lived. J Med Internet Res 2013;15(9):e199. [doi: 10.2196/jmir.2606]
16. Fortune. 2014. Fortune 500 2014 URL: http://fortune.com/fortune500/johnson-johnson-39/ [accessed 2015-02-09] [WebCite Cache ID 6WDdU7T7u]
17. Fortune. 2014. Fortune Global 500 2014 URL: http://fortune.com/global500/johnson-johnson-121/ [accessed 2015-02-09] [WebCite Cache ID 6WDdY7Fmd]
18. IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. Medicine use and shifting costs of healthcare: A review of the use of medicines in the United States in 2013. 2014. URL: http://www.imshealth.com/deployedfiles/imshealth/Global/Content/Corporate/IMS%20Health%20Institute/Reports/Secure/IIHI-US-Use-of-Meds-for-2013.pdf [accessed 2015-02-14] [WebCite Cache ID 6WKEcVxWd]
19. Freeman B, Chapman S. Measuring interactivity on tobacco control websites. J Health Commun 2012 Aug;17(7):857-865. [doi: 10.1080/10810730.2011.650827] [Medline: 22574732]
20. Hale TM, Pathipati AS, Zan S, Jethwani K. Representation of health conditions on Facebook: content analysis and evaluation of user engagement. J Med Internet Res 2014 Aug;16(8):e182 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/jmir.3275] [Medline: 25092386]
21. Tian Y. Organ donation on Web 2.0: content and audience analysis of organ donation videos on YouTube. Health Commun 2010;25(3):238-246. [doi: 10.1080/10410231003698911]
22. Duke JC, Hansen H, Kim AE, Curry L, Allen J. The use of social media by state tobacco control programs to promote smoking cessation: a cross-sectional study. J Med Internet Res 2014 Jul;16(7):e169 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/jmir.3430] [Medline: 25014311]
23. Paek HJ, Hove T, Jeon J. Social media for message testing: A multilevel approach to linking favorable viewer responses with message, producer, and viewer influence on YouTube. Health Commun 2013;28(3):226-236. [doi: 10.1080/10410236.2012.672912]
24. Briones R, Nan X, Madden K, Waks L. When vaccines go viral: an analysis of HPV vaccine coverage on YouTube. Health Commun 2012;27(5):478-485. [doi: 10.1080/10410236.2011.610258]
25. Davis JJ. Riskier than we think? The relationship between risk statement completeness and perceptions of direct to consumer advertised prescription drugs. J Health Commun 2000 Oct;5(4):349-369. [doi: 10.1080/10810730050199141] [Medline: 11191018]
26. US Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Center for Veterinary Medicine, Center for Devices and Radiological Health. Guidance for Industry: Internet/Social Media Platforms with Character Space Limitations-Presenting Risk and Benefit Information for Prescription Drugs and Medical Devices. 2014 Jun. URL: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/UCM401087.pdf [accessed 2015-03-19] [WebCite Cache ID 6X8QFAUAl]
27. Smith KP, Christakis NA. Social networks and health. Annu Rev Sociol 2008 Aug;34(1):405-429. [doi: 10.1146/annurev.soc.34.040507.134601]
28. Laranjo L, Arguel A, Neves AL, Gallagher AM, Kaplan R, Mortimer N, et al. The influence of social networking sites on health behavior change: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2015;22:243-256. [doi: 10.1136/amiajnl-2014-002841]
29. US Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Center for Veterinary Medicine. Guidance for Industry: Fulfilling Regulatory Requirements for Postmarketing Submissions of Interactive Promotional Media for Prescription Human and Animal Drugs and Biologics. 2014 Jan. URL: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/UCM381352.pdf [accessed 2015-03-19] [WebCite Cache ID 6X8QGad56]
30. US Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Center for Veterinary Medicine, Center for Devices and Radiological Health. Guidance for Industry Internet/Social Media Platforms: Correcting Independent Third-Party Misinformation About Prescription Drugs and Medical Devices. 2014 Jun. URL: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/UCM401079.pdf [accessed 2015-03-19] [WebCite Cache ID 6X8QCChgD]
31. Fox S, Duggan M. Health Online 2013. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project; 2013 Jan 15. URL: http://www.pewinternet.org/files/old-media/Files/Reports/PIP-HealthOnline.pdf [accessed 2015-02-14] [WebCite Cache ID 6WKEp8JDd]
32. Yonker LM, Zan S, Scirica CV, Jethwani K, Kinane TB. "Friending" teens: systematic review of social media in adolescent and young adult health care. J Med Internet Res 2015;17(1):e4. [doi: 10.2196/jmir.3692]
33. Facebook. 2015. Terms of service URL: https://www.facebook.com/unsupportedbrowser [accessed 2015-02-12] [WebCite Cache ID 6WHCA5xE9]