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Selected AbstractsLatest news and product developmentsPRESCRIBER, Issue 4 2008Article first published online: 20 MAR 200 Suicide warning for all antidepressants All antidepressants are to include a warning of the risk of suicide in their product information, the MHRA says. The requirement formerly applied only to SSRIs but, following a US review of safety data, the Agency says the risk is similar for all classes of antidepressants. Patients at increased risk include young people with psychiatric morbidity and those with a history of suicidal ideation. Patients are at increased risk of suicide until remission occurs, and clinical experience shows that the risk is increased during the early stages of recovery. Confusion over type 2 diabetes management Contradictory findings have been reported from two studies of intensive management of type 2 diabetes. The STENO-2 study (N Engl J Med 2008;358:580-91) found that tight control of blood glucose, blood pressure and lipids plus low-dose aspirin in 160 patients with type 2 diabetes and microalbuminuria significantly reduced all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events, cardiovascular death and microvascular complications by 40-60 per cent. The US National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute has announced the end of the intensive treatment arm of the ACCORD study (unpublished). This study was comparing intensive lowering of blood glucose below currently recommended levels (target HbA1C <6 per cent) with conventional management in adults with type 2 diabetes at especially high risk for heart attack and stroke. Although mortality was reduced in both arms compared with other populations, intensive treatment was associated with increased mortality equivalent to three deaths per 1000 patients per year over four years. Another antibiotics campaign The Government has launched another campaign to promote public awareness that antibiotics are not appropriate for viral infections causing coughs, colds and sore throats. Get Well Soon , Without Antibiotics is supported by a national advertising campaign and leaflets and posters encouraging the public to ask advice rather than demand a prescription. Details are available at www.dh.gov.uk. Episenta: once-daily sodium valproate Following a launch to specialists last year, a new once-daily modified-release formulation of sodium valproate is being promoted more widely to GPs. Episenta is licensed for the treatment of all forms of epilepsy and is formulated as modified-release capsules of 150mg and 300mg and sachets of modified-release granules of 500mg and 1000mg. The dose may be administered once or twice daily. Patients may be switched from enteric-coated tablets of valproate to the same dose given as Episenta. Episenta costs £5.70 or £10.90 for 100 × 150mg or 300mg capsules, and £18 or £35.50 for 100 × 500mg or 1000mg sachets. Latest NICE agenda The Department of Health has referred a new batch of topics for appraisal by NICE. Six of seven technology appraisals are for cancer drugs; the last is for dabigatran etexilate for venous thromboembolism. There will be four new clinical guidelines: autism spectrum disorders, hypertension in pregnancy, bed-wetting in children and severe mental illness with substance abuse. Two combined public health and clinical guidelines will address alcohol misuse. Varenicline vs NRT Varenicline (Champix) offers slightly greater smoking cessation rates than nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in the long term and better symptom improvement, an international study has shown (Thorax 2008; published online:10.1136/ thx.2007.090647). A total of 746 smokers were randomised to treatment with varenicline 1mg twice daily for 12 weeks or transdermal NRT (21mg reducing to 7mg per day) for 10 weeks. Continuous abstinence rates for the last four weeks of treatment were 56 vs 43 per cent. The corresponding rates for one year were 26 and 20 per cent. Varenicline was associated with greater reductions in cravings, withdrawal symptoms and smoking satisfaction, but more nausea (37 vs 10 per cent). Adverse reactions class effect of statins The MHRA has identified several adverse effects that it says are class effects of the statins (Drug Safety Update 2008;1:Issue 7). Following a review of clinical trials and spontaneous reports, it is now apparent that any statin may be associated with sleep disturbance, depression, memory loss and sexual dysfunction; interstitial lung disease has been reported rarely. Product information is being updated to include the new information. Depression, including suicidal ideation, has also been associated with varenicline (Champix), the MHRA says; affected patients should stop treatment immediately. The combination of transdermal nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and varenicline appears to be associated with a higher incidence of nausea, headache, vomiting, dizziness, dyspepsia and fatigue than NRT alone. The MHRA has also announced that, following the suspension of marketing authorisation for carisoprodol (Carisoma), it is considering a phased withdrawal of the closely-related meprobamate , the main active metabolite of carisoprodol. Following a successful pilot study, the public are being encouraged to report adverse reactions on yellow cards; the MHRA notes that health professionals provide more complete reports but patients include more information about quality of life. The scheme will be promoted via community pharmacies throughout the UK from February 2008. Cochrane: evidence on back pain interventions The latest release of Cochrane reviews includes three meta-analyses assessing interventions for back pain. Overall, NSAIDs were found to be effective as short-term treatment for acute or chronic back pain but the effect size was small. They were comparable with paracetamol but associated with more adverse effects; COX-2 selective NSAIDs were similarly effective, with slightly fewer adverse effects. There was no evidence that antidepressants reduced back pain but intensive individual patient education (lasting 2.5 hours) was effective for acute and subacute back pain and comparable with manipulation and physiotherapy; its effects on chronic pain were unclear. Copyright © 2008 Wiley Interface Ltd [source] Launch decisions and competitive reactions: an exploratory market signaling studyTHE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2002Erik Jan Hultink When firms launch a new product into the marketplace they often aim to find a balance between building scale and provoking extensive and quick competitive reactions. Competitors react to new products when they perceive the product introduction as hostile, committed or when they feel that the product entry will have a large impact on their profitability. The present study develops a framework that shows how strong and fast incumbents react to perceived market signals resulting from a new product's launch decisions (broad targeting, penetration pricing, advertising intensity and product advantage). The strength of the relationships between the launch decisions and the perceived market signals was expected to depend on one industry characteristic (i.e., market growth) and on one entrant characteristic (i.e., aggressive reputation). We distinguished three market signals in our framework: hostility, commitment and consequences. Signal hostility refers to the extent to which the approach used by an acting firm to introduce the new product is perceived hostile whereas the commitment signal refers to the extent to which incumbents perceive the entrant firm to be committed to the new product introduction. The consequence signal is defined as the incumbents' perception of the impact of a new product entry on their profitability. We tested our framework using cross-sectional data provided by 73 managers in The Netherlands who recently reacted to a new product entry. The results clearly reveal which launch decisions create which market signals. For example, incumbents consider high advantage new products hostile and consequential. Penetration pricing and an intense advertising campaign are also considered hostile, especially in fast growing markets. Broad targeting is not perceived hostile, especially not when used by entrants with an aggressive reputation. In addition, this study explored the impact of three perceived market signals on the strength and speed of competitive reaction. The results reveal that perceived signals of hostility and commitment positively impact the strength of reaction, whereas the perceived consequence signal positively impacts the speed of reaction. The article concludes with the implications of our study for managers and academics. The relevance to managers was assessed from both the perspective of the incumbent firm that must defend, and that of the rival firm that is introducing the new product. [source] Continued occurrence of Accutane® -exposed pregnancies ,BIRTH DEFECTS RESEARCH, Issue 3 2001M.A. Honein Background Accutane® a teratogenic prescription drug licensed to treat severe, recalcitrant nodular acne. First-trimester pregnancy exposure can cause major birth defects. The manufacturer began a Pregnancy Prevention Program (PPP) in 1988; however, exposed pregnancies continue to occur. In 1996, the manufacturer began a direct-to-consumer advertising campaign, raising concerns of more exposed pregnancies. Methods We examined trends in Accutane use by reproductive-aged women. We also interviewed a series of 14 women in California who had recent Accutane-exposed pregnancies to identify opportunities for prevention. Results The estimated number of Accutane prescriptions for reproductive-aged women has more than doubled in the past 10 years; it is the most widely used teratogenic drug in the United States, with approximately 2.5 per 1,000 reproductive-aged women exposed to Accutane in 1999. One-half of the women interviewed reported seeing an advertisement for prescription acne treatment before taking Accutane. Eight of the 14 women used no contraception at the time of the exposed pregnancy; 13 of the 14 women did not use two forms of contraception. Four of the 14 women did not have pregnancy tests before starting Accutane. None reported seeing all PPP components, and four saw only the information on the pill packet. These 14 pregnancies resulted in four live infants who had no apparent birth defects, one live-born infant with multiple defects, four spontaneous abortions, and five induced abortions. Conclusions The increase in Accutane use observed among females may be exacerbated by advertising. Physicians and patients must use more caution with teratogenic prescription drugs. Teratology 64:142,147, 2001. Published 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Mr Drage, Mr Everyman, and the creation of a mass market for domestic furniture in interwar Britain1ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 4 2009PETER SCOTT This article examines strategies used by durable goods retailers to create a mass market in interwar Britain, via a case study of domestic furniture. Interwar demand for new furniture witnessed particularly rapid growth,mainly owing to the extension of the market to lower-income groups. A number of innovative national retailers developed liberal hire purchase (HP) facilities in order to bring furniture within the economic reach of these groups, while sophisticated national advertising campaigns were used both to legitimize the buying of furniture on HP and to project the idea that furnishing by this means was key to achieving the type of aspirational lifestyles being promulgated in the popular media. [source] Impact of Alternative Interventions on Changes in Generic Dispensing RatesHEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 5 2006A. James O'Malley Objectives. To evaluate the effectiveness of four alternative interventions (member mailings, advertising campaigns, free generic drug samples to physicians, and physician financial incentives) used by a major health insurer to encourage its members to switch to generic drugs. Methods. Using claim-level data from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, we evaluated the success of four interventions implemented during 2000,2003 designed to increase the use of generic drugs among its members. Around 13 million claims involving seven important classes of drugs were used to assess the effectiveness of the interventions. For each intervention a control group was developed that most closely resembled the corresponding intervention group. Logistic regression models with interaction effects between the treatment group (intervention versus control) and the status of the intervention (active versus not active) were used to evaluate if the interventions had an effect on the generic dispensing rate (GDR). Because the mail order pharmacy was considered more aggressive at converting prescriptions to generics, separate generic purchasing models were fitted to retail and mail order claims. In secondary analyses separate models were also fitted to claims involving a new condition and claims refilled for preexisting conditions. Results. The interventions did not appear to increase the market penetration of generic drugs for either retail or mail order claims, or for claims involving new or preexisting conditions. In addition, we found that the ratio of copayments for brand name to generic drugs had a large positive effect on the GDR. Conclusions. The interventions did not appear to directly influence the GDR. Financial incentives expressed to consumers through benefit designs have a large influence on their switching to generic drugs and on the less-costly mail-order mode of purchase. [source] Information sources used by older adults for decision making about tourist and travel destinationsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 5 2007Ian Patterson Abstract Over the past decade, the older market has emerged as an extremely important one because of its increased purchasing power for most consumer goods and services. The tourism and leisure industry is also targeting people aged 65 years and older, because many possess a relatively large share of discretionary money that they want to spend on travel. This has resulted in increasing attention by the mass media and the advertising industry in particular. This paper discusses the main types of information sources that are used by older adults when they make decisions about tourist and travel destinations, and particularly focuses on the importance of word-of-mouth sources and personal experiences. It also explores the influence of the mass media on trip decision making for older adults, and discusses the importance of brochures, magazines and television as information sources for older adults. Finally, it critiques the lack of senior models in advertising campaigns for travel products that are aimed at the older market. [source] Polish and Belgian consumers' perception of environmentally friendly behaviourINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 1 2000Irene T. M. Roozen The aim of this study was to design a method for evaluating the importance that consumers place on the characteristics of environmentally friendly (EF) products and on consumer EF behaviour. Attitudes and opinions of consumers regarding the EF value of the different aspects of consumer behaviour , purchasing, using and disposing of goods , were measured. The perception of EF behaviour was analysed for Belgian and Polish consumers, a Western and an Eastern European country. The cultural, economic and political differences between Belgium and Poland may imply that their consideration of EF behaviour is different. The perception of consumers about buying, using and disposing of EF products does not necessarily indicate their own EF behaviour, but it gives an indication of what consumers think is EF behaviour. On the basis of the results, policy-makers and industry can diagnose the consumers' perceived cost,benefit relationship of EF consumer behaviour. An evaluation of what consumers think is EF can be made for the two countries. Marketers, government and EF organizations can draw on our research results when developing EF products and/or advertising campaigns. [source] Model explaining the predisposition to donate blood from the social marketing perspectiveINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NONPROFIT & VOLUNTARY SECTOR MARKETING, Issue 3 2009Asunción Beerli-Palacio The purpose of this research is to develop a model of the explanatory factors that determine the predisposition to donate blood in order to improve the effectiveness of donor recruitment and retention programs. A personal survey was conducted on a sample of 303 potential donors between 18 and 60 years old and from both sexes, who are resident in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain) and have either never donated blood or not donated in the last 3 years. The findings lead us to say that the predisposition to donate blood is positively influenced by the information that the potential donor has about the requirements to become a donor, and by the motivations to donate blood. It is negatively influenced by the inhibiting factor of fear of the extraction procedure and its after-effects. However, prior experience as a donor and links with reference groups who are donors do not have any direct influence on the predisposition. These findings suggest that it is necessary (1) to design communication campaigns in which information and education are the goals, and which aim to make donation a habit; (2) to clarify to society the need for blood donation and to describe the process of donation in order to eliminate those inhibitors linked to fear and the perception of risks; (3) to design advertising campaigns focused on rational messages since information exercises a greater influence on the predisposition to donate than motivations linked to altruism; (4) to recommend that no great efforts be made to recapture previous donors, since experience is not a direct antecedent of the predisposition to donate but an indirect antecedent via information and (5) to stimulate word-of-mouth among reference groups using member-get-member programs whereby current donors bring new donors to the system. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Could stereotype rebound affect aid advertising campaigns?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NONPROFIT & VOLUNTARY SECTOR MARKETING, Issue 2 2009Sharyn Kennedy The possibility that stereotype rebound may occur for viewers of aid agency appeals was investigated. Stereotype rebound refers to the ironic finding that active efforts to avoid thinking about people in a stereotypical manner can backfire and subsequently lead to increased stereotypical thinking and prejudiced behaviour. In two experiments, participants were instructed to avoid stereotyped thinking about developing world poor and were later asked to respond to a situation involving the same group,in Experiment 1, participants wrote a ,day in the life' story about the target group; in Experiment 2, participants seated themselves in preparation for meeting a member of the outgroup. In neither experiment was the typical stereotype rebound effect observed. In Experiment 1, suppressors' stories were found to be no more stereotypical in content than controls. In Experiment 2, suppressors sat closer to the target than controls. The differences between these results and those of experiments utilizing other stereotyped groups are discussed in terms of differences in stereotype content and attitudes to socially sensitive outgroups. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] APPLICATION OF TWO CONSUMER PROFILING TECHNIQUES TO COSMETIC EMULSIONSJOURNAL OF SENSORY STUDIES, Issue 5 2010MARÍA EMMA PARENTE ABSTRACT The sensory characteristics of cosmetic products are commonly used for attracting consumers' attention in advertising campaigns and packaging. Thus, in order to appropriately satisfy consumers' sensory expectations, it is important to gather information about their perception of the sensory characteristics. In this context, the aim of the present work was to apply two consumer methodologies (intensity scales and a check-all-that-apply [CATA] question) to gather information about the sensory profile of cosmetic emulsions. Six cosmetic emulsions with different formulation, widely differing in their sensory characteristics, were evaluated by two groups of 50 female consumers. One group used intensity scales to evaluate eight attributes of the emulsions and the other completed a CATA question comprising 20 terms related to sensory characteristics of the emulsions, cosmetic applications and effects on the skin. Both intensity scales and CATA question were able to detect differences in consumers' perception of the sensory characteristics of the evaluated emulsions. These differences could be explained considering the samples' formulation, which suggests their validity and indicates that they could consist on interesting alternatives to traditional sensory profiles obtained with trained assessors' panels. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The application of intensity scales or a CATA question consisted of an interesting approach to gather information about consumers' perception of cosmetic products. Despite both methodologies provided similar results, the application of CATA questions could be regarded as more natural for consumers and easier to use. Besides, CATA questions could enable the identification of consumers' perception of the sensory characteristics of cosmetic products, but also their effects on the skin and the cosmetic applications for which they are considered appropriate. An interesting application of this methodology could be the development of a line of cosmetic products with different applications or the selection of sensory and efficacy claims during the design of marketing strategies or labels of cosmetic products. [source] The impact of tourism on dune lakes on Fraser Island, AustraliaLAKES & RESERVOIRS: RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2003Wade L. Hadwen Abstract In view of the increasing tourism to Fraser Island, Queensland, a tourist pressure index (TPI) was developed to assess the potential threat of tourism to 15 of the most accessible dune lakes on the island. Tourist pressure index scores indicated that the two clear lakes on the island, Lake McKenzie and Lake Birrabeen, are most threatened by tourist activities owing to their accessibility, facilities and prominence in advertising campaigns. In addition, limnological investigations of the same 15 lakes were conducted in February 1999 to determine their current trophic status and potential susceptibility to adverse impacts from tourism, particularly with reference to eutrophication. On the basis of nutrient and chlorophyll a concentrations, the two water table window lakes, Ocean Lake and Lake Wabby, were classed as mesotrophic and oligo-mesotrophic, while all of the perched dune lakes were oligotrophic. Lake McKenzie and Lake Birrabeen, the two most threatened lakes according to TPI scores, had the lowest nutrient concentrations of all of the lakes examined and, consequently, we suggest that nutrient additions might elicit rapid algal growth responses in these systems. Comparisons between current data and historical data from Arthington et al. (1990) indicate that increases in planktonic chlorophyll a concentrations were not always directly mirrored by increases in total phosphorus concentrations. We found that while chlorophyll a concentrations were significantly higher in the 1999 samples than in the 1990 samples for all lakes, total phosphorus concentrations were higher in Ocean Lake, lower in Lake Jennings and similar in lakes McKenzie, Birrabeen and Wabby. [source] | |||||||||||||