Sorry for my lack of posting over the last two weeks or so, but as you can tell from the title and the image above I have been rather distracted lately with my change of jobs. My last day at Sepracor (Marlborough, MA) was July 18th and my first day at my new place of employment, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, MA), was July 21st…

So why did I leave Sepracor?

Well, it was not an easy decision to make, not least because I had a 10-15 min commute to and from Marlborough, MA every day, as opposed to the 1-2 hr commute to Cambridge, MA nowadays…Sitting in traffic just ain’t fun! I was also very sad to leave some very good friends and colleagues whom I had grown very close to and fond of over the last (almost) 3 years.

But for those of you who know me well, you will know that I had my challenges trying to do the things that I was initially hired to do (i.e. emerging tech and new/social media projects) and I don’t really want to go into any more detail than that. Instead, I would like to share a Greek philosophy that my closest friend at Sepracor told me about some time back, which really sums up the reason I decided to join Vertex…

“When you look back on your life, it is not so much about what you have accomplished that matters, but whether you did it with passion“

And it is in that sentiment that I was really impassioned and excited by the opportunity that was presented to me by Vertex, to lead their Health Informatics and New Media initiatives as part of their Business Solutions group — sort of an internal business consultant that would work cross functionally and cross brands.

Furthermore, not only was I inspired to be part of a group that is developing some really need-based drugs (i.e. for Hepatitis C and Cystic Fibrosis), but the more I learned about the Vertex culture, the more I liked their approach to this industry, which can be characterized by their core values that are ingrained into every aspect of what they do (in more ways than just posters and company merchandise):

1. FEARLESS Pursuit of Excellence
2. INNOVATION Is Our Lifeblood (you know I really like this one!)
3. “WE” Wins.

And so, now that I’m into my 2nd week at Vertex, hopefully I will settle back into schedule and start posting more regularly again. Sooo much to talk about, including the PodCamp Boston 3 event that I just attended during the weekend I was “between jobs” (LOL).

Well, with that, thanks for all the good times, Sepracor, but now begins a new chapter of my life @ Vertex…

On July 7th, J&J once again led the way in the new and social media world within the pharma industry, by launching their branded YouTube Channel — the Johnson & Johnson Health Channel. While it’s not the first pharma company to make use of YouTube (e.g. the Novartis’ FluFlix campaign), it is certainly the first pharma company — to my knowledge — to brand it’s own channel.

Here’s a brief synopsis from their blog about the launch of the YouTube Channel :

Last week – after months of work — the Johnson & Johnson health channel was launched on You Tube. On it, I’m uploading videos produced by Dr. Nancy Snyderman when she worked at Johnson & Johnson. Each two-to-three minute video addresses various health-related topics such as teenage obesity, nutrition, aging, heart disease, cancer and mental illness. Though we may make products that can be used to treat some of the conditions Dr. Snyderman talks about, no brand names are mentioned. After all, this is about health information and advice -as provided by Dr. Snyderman.

On the blog post, there’s additional commentary by Rob Halper, who shares a sentiment that I can really relate to, in terms of making scientific and medical knowledge more accessible (not just within silos and “walled gardens“) and how pharma can contribute to society in that respect…

What struck me as I went through Dr. Snyderman’s videos in preparation for putting them online was just how much stuff we have. Health care companies like Johnson & Johnson have a wealth of information and knowledge that they have acquired over the years – in part because it is through this knowledge and understanding that we can develop new products, treatments and services that can help in the delivery of healthcare. But all too often, much of this knowledge isn’t shared with people, physicians or patients for a variety of reasons (such as regulatory oversight, confidentiality and other business concerns…)

Yet as I observe the ongoing dialog about health-related matters online, I can’t help but think that companies like Johnson & Johnson can be more involved in this conversation – even if it is simply to share some basic information that have been gathered over the years.

In my opinion, J&J is probably one of the most progressive of all the major pharma and healthcare players, having forged the way with JNJBTW.com and CNTR411.com blogs, and now the YouTube Health Channel. I certainly applaud and respect them for taking the chance to move forward with these new and social media opportunities, as the governing agencies for the industry continue to try and figure out exactly how to regulate this rapidly evolving technology space.

As mentioned in a write up by PharmaExec…

“We’ve seen a proliferation on YouTube of health content and health videos,” explained Neha Parekh, senior marketing manager of health at Google. “There has been an embrace from the healthcare community to put up videos and have a platform to create dialogue.”

Just like all other forms of media on the Internet, there are no pharma regulations pertaining to videos for online platforms such as YouTube. “It’s up to pharma companies to decide how to best utilize the Web,” Parekh said. “There is concern, but pharma is trying to figure out what they can do, because they know that the consumers are [on the Web].”

…Video sites, such as YouTube and Vimeo, offer pharma companies a place to show off media assets that are currently collecting dust. While companies could host the videos on their own branded Web sites, YouTube drives massive traffic with more than 80 million users.

And unlike blogs or forums, pharma companies can take full control of online video. They don’t have to worry about negative comments being left after a post (YouTube comments can be turned off), and they can brand and edit the content as they see fit, tailoring the programming for a particular audience. Videos can also be removed as needed.

While I agree with the most of what was said, I have to say that the last paragraph just doesn’t quite add up. It’s true that you can take control of online video and control the commenting function for YouTube, but I believe most social software (such as blogs) allow you to manage commenting as well. And, just as with online video, any content that is hosted by a professional organization (especially in this industry) really should be reviewed and edited before posting and you can certainly target it to particular audiences or remove a post completely if you need to.

In addition, while Neha Parekh from Google suggests that there are “no pharma regulations pertaining to videos online”, it is probably only prudent and makes common sense for pharma companies NOT to go beyond what they are traditionally held to by the FDA for promotional materials and DTC ads.

However, I believe the more important issue that isn’t discussed in the PharmaExec article, is the fact that, while you can take control of all these functions for most social media (and you will probably be required to do so to some extent by your legal and regulatory departments), how much would you really want to? After all, part of the whole success of Web 2.0 technologies in driving traffic via viral distribution/marketing is partly because of the ability to comment, share, contribute and everything else that Web 2.0 does so well.

Overall, I am just glad that J&J took the first step to start a YouTube channel and can only hope that it will lead the way for more health care companies and pharmaceuticals to open up their closed silos and share the wealth of knowledge and health education that often gets locked away behind the legal and regulatory walls. Congratulations J&J!

For those of you in the Boston, MA area, PodCamp Boston 3 is coming up real soon and will be held on July 19-20, 2008 at the Joseph Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School.

Here’s a brief synopsis of what it promises to be:

From blogging to podcasting to Twitter to virtual worlds and more, whether you’re a veteran of new media or just getting started, PodCamp Boston has something for YOU…PodCamp Boston promises to help you learn, share, and grow your new media skills. If you’ve been wondering how to get more involved in new media and social media, if you’ve thought about starting a blog, podcast, or Twitter presence, PodCamp Boston is for you. If you’re a veteran adventurer of new media, come to share and learn from your peers, and make partnerships & friendships! PodCamp Boston offers something for everyone, no matter where you are on your new media journey.

For those new or unfamilar to the PodCamp format, it’s basically a BarCamp-styled “uncoference“, where the attendees are also the presenteres and anyone can sign up for a slot to present on a relevant topic.

The whole aim is to have one big social netowrking, knowledge sharing, open participatory, user generated conference on new and emerging media (though podcasting was initially a big theme and therefore the PodCamp name).

To see a current list of sessions, click here for a Google Doc of what people have signed up to present so far — this will continue to be updated right up till the day of the event.

To register, click on the following:

If you are planning on attending, leave me a comment or send me an email and let me know, as I will be there too (been going since year one). Hope to see you there!

If you are not near Boston or cannot make the dates, click here to see a full list of other PodCamps.

     In case you needed reminding…