Letter from the Editor Making the best of “e” Cell phones, Blackberrys, laptops, and a variety of PDAs have become common tools of the business trade; judging by the number of people who are plugged in, iPods may be the next “must have” gizmo in the briefcase. As ubiquitous as these technologies have become for most of us, leveraging them to meet the technology needs and demands of physicians and consumers is one of the biggest challenges facing executives who are charged with implementing e-solutions. During PharmaVOICE’s recent Pharmaceutical Marketers KnowledgeShare Forum 2005, top-level executives provided some strategic insights into how to address this challenge. One suggestion offered during the panel discussion was the need to anticipate the technologies that will be used by physicians and consumers in the future, for example PDAs, cell phones, Blackberrys, and even iPods. Yes, iPods. These popular devices can accommodate messages that can be downloaded as MP3 files. Additionally, industry leaders emphasized that no matter what the technology is, the focus should be on the value of the content. For example, if pharma marketers are considering a PDA as part of a strategic initiative, they need to look at whether the tool meets the content delivery needs of physicians. Continuing on the content theme, experts say e-solutions providers need to concentrate on the process first, whether it’s an application for marketing or R&D, then follow up with their interactive expertise. People tend to get excited about the medium and forget to focus on what is being communicated. Suppliers of e-solutions need to translate the power of the technology channel to accommodate a particular customer objective. In the marketing arena, consistent content messages should be developed that can be synchronized using multiple media: PDAs, the Internet, and cell phones. The material also should be versatile enough to be repurposed, when appropriate, for different media channels. Life-sciences executives recognize the benefits of e-solutions — from ROI to increased audience reach to reduced paper files — which are now a common part of many programs, whether for R&D, marketing, salesforces, or physician and consumer education. According to Life Science Insights, worldwide IT spending for the life-sciences sector is expected to reach $38.9 billion in 2008. With significant resources behind them, it’s no wonder that pharmaceutical managers who are responsible for e-solutions are excited by the possibilities available to tackle industry pain points, such as regulatory burdens, costly clinical trials, and communications gaps with physicians and consumers. In the span of about 10 years, the Internet has become one of the most important e-solutions in terms of bringing communications to the masses. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, eight of 10 Internet users have looked online for health information. Additionally, 79% of Internet users have searched online for information on at least one major health topic, which translates to about 95 million American adults older than 18 years of age who use the Internet to find health information. What “e” will look like in the future is anybody’s guess, but chances are that it will be fast, easy to use, and content rich. Taren Grom Editor VIEW on E-Solutions July 2005 Diana Caldwell and Taren Grom Diana Caldwell, Manager of eMarketing at Eli Lilly & Co., and Taren Grom spend a moment discussing technology solutions at PharmaVOICE’s Pharmaceutical Marketers KnowledgeShare Forum.

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