In spite of the condition being the third most common cancer across the country, to date there’s been clear reluctance to focus the public spotlight on it. Be Clear on Cancer has of course been backed by leading charities, such as Beating Bowel Cancer and Bowel Cancer UK, both of which provide exceptional ongoing support to patients and their families.

The launch of the initiative has received extensive press interest but the way in which it’s been welcomed by the media is somewhat ironic. Despite the whole point of the campaign being to raise awareness of the symptoms of the condition, it seems a proportion of editors have shied away from the nitty gritty ‘below-the-belt’ symptoms and left key campaign messages out of their reporting. We do appreciate it’s not exactly what you want to hear blaring out of the radio during your morning ablutions or digest while eating your bowl of cornflakes. However the media are such a powerful communications vehicle, and in this day and age there must be a more palatable way in which to educate the public via these still important traditional routes so that we can talk more frankly and hinder the number of cases soaring?

There’s a raft of disease areas where Pharma, healthcare professionals and charities can really collaborate with the media and work together on the best means to communicate to the masses/stimulate discussion that suffer the same taboo, and each deserve the appropriate air time!

In the meantime, on behalf of all those supporting #BeClearOnCancer, the initial symptoms of bowel cancer include:

• blood in your stools
• a change to your normal bowel habits that persists for more than six weeks
• abdominal pain and/or unexplained weight loss

Embarrassed? Uncomfortable? You shouldn’t be.

Historically, it was the introduction of blockbuster drugs that put the western world at the forefront of the global pharmaceutical market, leading the way in innovation and research. Meanwhile, replicating generic versions of these drugs defined the pharma industry in the developing markets. Today however, the established markets are faced with record patent expirations, a lack of new generation blockbuster medicines despite investment in clinical trials, and ongoing regulatory challenges against an already challenging economic backdrop. In pharmerging markets, rapid growth has been principally generated by spending on generic drugs, contributing to the rise in the generic share of spending.

Success in LEDCs (less economically developed countries) has understandably tempted western companies to look further afield to tap into the opportunities within the generics market, with some companies already involved in full or partial takeover bids in these increasingly influential emerging markets. As well as allowing the integration of the western industry, these acquisitions will undoubtedly provide benefits for the drugmaker concerned, potentially creating a positive feedback loop within the developing economy and exposing important insights to inform global communications and marketing programmes.

Taking a closer look, the lack of breakthrough drugs may not be as much of a concern as it first appears. The expected shift towards personalised medicine could mean a diminishing reliance on the ‘one pill fits all’ model. Whilst the increasing availability of genetic information could also see the reappraisal of certain compounds that previously struggled economically in the blockbuster era. What is absolutely certain from these unfolding changes, is that the healthcare communications industry will play an ever more critical role in explaining these emerging opportunities to both patients and all concerned stakeholders, ultimately ensuring patient needs remain the priority and at the heart of all communications programmes.

According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Colour Institute®, “Tangerine Tango combines the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy”.

What does Tangerine Tango mean to you? A single colour has the ability to evoke all of the senses, creating a wealth of thoughts, feelings and visions in the mind of the viewer in seconds. Colour is therefore the mainstay of design across a range of industries, the pharmaceutical industry included.

Communication and marketing within the pharmaceutical industry is more important today than it has ever been and colour is an essential component of brand development and campaign identity.  Think pink and breast cancer immediately springs to mind; think blue think Viagra, and so on…  consider whether tranquil blue or fiery red represent a good night’s sleep and the answer is immediately obvious.

Consequently, pharmaceutical companies are continuing to invest in ever more daring design options to support and enhance their brands.  So, with over 13,500 PANTONE® colours to choose from, which will be critical to the pharmaceutical industry’s next blockbuster brand?  Tangerine Tango perhaps?

Source: www.Pantone.com

The Government’s response has been to fully accept the report’s suggestions, as many tie in with the general programme of reforms set out in the Health and Social Care Bill. However, much like many of the proposals we saw outlined in the Bill and put into practice over the past year, other groups have been less enthusiastic. For example, Dr Clare Gerada, chair of the RCGP, has voiced concerns at the lack of evidence base for public health proposals, and that questioning patients at every opportunity may even be detrimental to the patient/physician relationship.

This is the first report of what will likely be many throughout 2012 both supporting reform and condemning it in equal measure. But what changes within the NHS can be expected in the coming year? Here are a few points that the Virgo HEALTH team will be looking out for…

First and foremost, the Health and Social Care Bill will receive Royal Assent, with most proposals likely to be still intact. Even so, there are lingering questions over Andrew Lansley’s position within the Cabinet. Will he continue to serve as Secretary of State into 2013? In all likelihood, yes – but nothing is certain.
As the Government progresses with the reforms throughout 2012, we will see the further dismantlement of current NHS structures and consolidation of new bodies such as the NHS Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups in their place. However, there will continue to be plenty of debate over the composition and size of these groups, and the role traditional commissioners from PCT and SHA backgrounds can play in them. 2012 should therefore provide more answers as to the future these managers have within the new NHS.

The DH published figures at the end of December confirming that it was on track to deliver the savings required for the year 2011/12 as set out in the Budget, recording savings of £2.5 billion in the first 6 months of the efficiency challenge. Many argue that the easy cuts have been already been made, and that the NHS will be facing an increasingly difficult challenge to try and find further savings. We will see whether the figure of £6 billion for the year is achieved in the summer, and towards the end of the year, whether it is still on track to hit its final target.

Finally, ‘no decision about me, without me’ as an underpinning principle behind the reforms will begin to come to the fore. Can we expect to see patients taking more interest in their care, as more choice is provided, and information becomes available? Andrew Lansley has stated this week that ‘blacklisting’ of NHS drugs needs to be ended to stop the current ‘postcode lottery’, but also to avoid the threat of legal action from patients who know their rights.

We are sure you will be following developments in the NHS like us, during a year which will undoubtedly be crucial for the success of the reforms and economic future of the NHS.

There is nothing to suggest people are going to stop using social media because some long forgotten (but reassuring) concept of privacy will all of a sudden return. Fears are often quickly calmed when the ‘reasons for’ come in, and the bottom line is that if people see the benefits of these systems and genuinely want to use them they will be willing to take a little bit of risk. It’s likely we’ll see more educated users of social networks, but if people are willing to share with trusted parties where they are on a map, they are going to be willing to share sensitive healthcare information if approached in a professional, trustworthy manner and there are clear benefits to be gained.

On a simple level, we believe that the pharma industry should be able to provide information to patients when appropriate. This is comparable to other industries. For example, when buying a car most people will initially develop a shortlist based on the brand’s advertising that most closely reflects their own values (such as safety, reliability or status). But because buying a car is a major investment it’s likely that the purchaser will also look to other sources for confirmation that the decision is the right one. When the claims the manufacturer makes are also backed up by Jeremy Clarkson and What Car? the brand and environmental messages are congruent and a purchase is more likely to occur.

While healthcare is very different, the principle is similar. In the same way that a car manufacturer knows more about their cars than anyone else, a pharma company knows more about its drugs than anyone else. Therefore, a pharma company should be able to share information about medicines with healthcare professionals and patient groups if appropriate of course always complying with regulatory obligations. We are not talking about direct to consumer advertising or direct communications with patients – this is something we’re more than happy we do not have in the UK. We are simply talking about the pharma industry providing balanced information in an appropriate manner to complement the information provided to patients by patient groups and healthcare professionals, such that patients are able to make well informed choices about their healthcare.

The point here is that the knowledge pharmaceutical companies have about their medicines should not be kept locked away, but communicated to healthcare professionals, and in some cases patients, in an appropriate and responsible way. If initiatives funded by a pharmaceutical company enable greater insights into the management of a condition, this can obviously benefit patients. In our opinion, it is not a question of whether pharma should be able to provide information to healthcare professionals and patients when appropriate, it is how they do it and what the information is.

However, like all agencies winning well deserved awards, we did not get where we are today by ourselves and thank those we have worked with, clients and supplier partners, particularly for their support and input. The spotlight on our industry (and all industries) is bigger and brighter than ever before. Most importantly, healthcare communications can make a real difference to enhancing the reputation of our industry, advocating informed choice and ultimately delivering real improvements in healthcare. All of those awarded by Communiqué in 2010, and many of those who were not, are doing just this.

Visit our new website www.virgohealth.com

Last month, Bristol PCT was the first NHS trust to release an app with the ability to pinpoint local NHS services (through GPS), issue GP appointment reminders and even provide a ‘panic’ button in case the user experiences an emergency.  This is just one of many apps appearing to enable us to live better and healthier lifestyles. Last week, the Mail released their top ten health apps to ‘keep the doctor away’. The list includes a body mass index calculator, first aid guide from St John’s Ambulance, symptom checker and diagnosis gizmo, hypnotherapy smoking cessation tool and even a ‘period’ diary to track the menstruation cycle of women trying to get pregnant. In the US, ‘AirStrip technologies’ are going that little bit further with an app that enables hospital doctors to check patients’ blood results from the lab, monitor bedside ECGs (in real-time) from anywhere in the world and view any data anomalies.

It is with no doubt that healthcare is being propelled into the digital sphere. It makes perfect sense too as whether you live in the UK or abroad, distance and expense is a major barrier to health education, service provision or access to treatments. Having instant, hand-held and remote access to information and services breaks down these barriers. With all these new applications being released, we might see less patients coming through the doors of our GP surgeries and pharmacies (potentially with job losses?). On the other hand, perhaps we’ll see a huge influx of the paranoid worried-well. Only time will tell. One thing is for sure, this emerging technology is providing PR professionals with new and exciting ways to engage, communicate and interact with doctors and patients.

In any issue, speed and clarity are paramount. Minutes later a statement was written and distributed on our website, Twitter, Facebook and blog. Despite the initial excitement (every PR professional secretly loves an issue – at least on the odd occasion!) the situation was neutralised quickly. Yes, we took a few angry calls and abusive emails but we reassured people we were not connected to Virgo Healthcare in any way, and offered to direct callers to the Derbyshire Police.

It’s vaguely flattering that somebody would want to use the good name we’ve spent years building up in this way. However, having an evil twin is in no way one of our business objectives for 2010. On the plus side, we now have our very own issues management case study to talk about, but more importantly, we hope justice will be done for those poor people who have suffered at the hands of these cruel imposters.

Finally, a big thank you for the understanding and moral support shown by our clients. One short response we received simply read “You’re more Vogue Traders than Rogue Traders…” We like to think so anyway!