The way to weight loss through 'a magic pill' is having a major renovation. Reading the results of a new study in Forbes.com headlined Americans Fall Prey to Weight-Loss Supplement Hype, I was reminded of a leader in the PR industry who once said in a presentation that the job of great PR was to build the landing strip for the advertising campaign yet to come. Well, GlaxoSmithKline has built quite a landing strip for its soon to go OTC weight loss drug Alli (formerly known as Xenical).
Start with the headline and then move into the study released at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity-The Obesity Society, complete with a quote from the Society's President: And this survey sounds the alarm that most Americans have the wrong idea about the safety and efficacy of these supplements. [Not in the article is the information that The Obesity Society did endorse the FDA decision to move Xenical to OTC status with several caveats and GSK supports their conference].
The survey, sponsored by GSK, focuses on issues that bring the safety and unregulated nature of weight loss supplements into sharp focus (call it 'positioning').
- More than 60 percent of the 1,444 telephone respondents, all of whom had made significant efforts to lose weight, mistakenly said that such supplements have been tested and are proven to be safe (65 percent) and effective (63 percent).
- Over half (54 percent) wrongly stated that such supplements are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
- 34 percent of Americans who have tried to lose weight have used dietary supplements in one or more attempts, double the number who have used FDA-approved prescription medications.
Well, some people might be happy with a survey that gets the attention of the business press (I suspect that the consumer campaign rolls out soon) and a high level of 'association' with a professional organization, but it gets better.
On the same day and at the same meeting [note: remember, there are no coincidences], leaders in the obesity field announced a national initiative to attack misleading advertising of weight loss diet supplements, publishing a White Paper call-to-action.
Richard Cleland, assistant director of the U.S. Federal Trade Commissions Division of Advertising Practices said, "This 'White Paper' announcement is a very important step in addressing the obesity epidemic, because what we need, and have been sorely lacking, in a multi-pronged approach to weight-loss fraud in the United States. The weight-loss fraud battle cannot be won by law enforcement alone. Consumers need to learn and to respond."
Imagine, the usual 'survey hook' along with a high-status/credibility endorsement of the findings AND a government agency proclaiming that they are out gunning for soon-to-be competitors. As some might ask: Is this a great country or what? Especially since the FDA staked out a broader framework aimed at curbing abuses by the dietary supplement industry, notably the promotion of fraudulent treatments and cures, 2 weeks ago.
FDA has developed a strategy to focus its enforcement efforts in the area of dietary supplements... The strategy was designed to address illegal dietary supplement ingredients and ensure integrity and truthful labeling of dietary supplements. One emphasis is on claims aimed at patients with serious diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
I suspect that Sen. Orin Hatch's office is pretty busy these days as the diet supplement industry prepares its response to this latest incursion.
Looks like John Mack may not have been far off when he predicted that DTC advertising for weight loss drugs would supplant the current rage for sleep medications (and noted Alli's small problem: Unhappily for this drug, anal leakage is a common side effect, which has stymied the success of Xenical). GSK's marketing, FDA action and the diet supplement industry's response will make an interesting triangle to watch as the war on obesity marches on...if they can just take care of that pesky side effect. Unfortunately, P&G was never ever to figure out the problem for Olestra.
For health marketing and communication, this example demonstrates how to weave together a number of threads to come up with a program. Whether it will sell Alli is doubtful given the Olestra experience, but the public education and policy opportunities could lead to some positive outcomes if people seize the opportunity.
via CalorieLab Calorie Counter News & The Morning Cup
Technorati Tags: Dietary Supplements, Pharmaceutical Marketing, Obesity, OTC Drugs, Public Relations, Weight Loss
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