Drug firms lose some protections on Facebook

Facebook and the pharmaceutical industry have had an uneasy partnership in recent years. Many drug companies didn't even join the site until Facebook gave them a privilege that others do not have -- blocking the public's ability to openly comment on a page Wall.

But that's about to change.

In a reversal by Facebook, most drug company pages will have to have open Walls starting Monday.

Companies are worried that open Walls mean open risks, and many are reconsidering their engagement on Facebook. AstraZeneca shut down on Friday a page devoted to depression -- the company sells the antidepressant Seroquel. Johnson &Johnson said it will close four of its pages on Monday. Other companies said they will monitor their pages more closely once the changes take effect.

The industry is concerned that users might write about bad side effects, promote off-label use or make inappropriate statements about a product. Aside from poor word of mouth, the comments could raise concerns from government regulators.

Facebook will not say what specifically prompted its change of heart. Andrew Noyes, manager of public policy communications for Facebook, said in an e-mail, "We think these changes will help encourage an authentic dialogue on pages."

Facebook will allow companies to continue to block Wall comments on specific prescription product pages, but those are a minority of pharmaceutical company pages. Most pages -- soon to be open -- are focused on companies themselves or on disease or patient-specific communities, which then have ties to the companies' prescription products.

AstraZeneca's "Take on Depression" page, which closed Friday, had more than 1,100 "Likes" -- people following the page and its updates.

"We're very strongly committed to social media, but we have to make sure that the amount of time and resources spent on (monitoring it for problems) is appropriate," said Tony Jewell, an AstraZeneca spokesman.

via post-gazette.com

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