In our system of health care, it's tough to get that information. Pharmaceutical companies have to buy the services to get the information to physicians. But I don't think physicians in the days of managed care are going to spend money for information they can get for free. The migration of medical information to the Web has spawned complications for patients, doctors and the medical-products companies. Patients now can learn about drugs and treatments, and request them from doctors by name.
Companies risk putting competitive intelligence in the waiting hands of rival drugmakers.
And doctors are inundated by new products. Web marketing of pharmaceuticals is in its infancy, McCormick said. Co. Inc. have aggressively promoted their biggest sellers. Only your doctor has the training to weigh the risks and benefits of a prescription drug for you. Creating separate sites for each audience is not feasible, he said.