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I see that Sanofi-Aventis are attempting to join the “diabetes online community” with a new blog here: http://www.discussdiabetes.com. I think they’ve got the tone just right with all comments being moderated, in your face terms and conditions, no content, restricting it to “US residents only”, and even putting an unregistered trademark (TM) notice on the words “Discuss Diabetes”. Your thoughts?
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I applaud the fact that they are willing to interact with consumers as that is what they/we are essentially.
Shame it is US only, as the guidelines are tighter yet the FDA are a little more open minded to social media as opposed to it’s European cousins.
It wil be interesting to see if they get some decent content on there and if the Diabetes public interact with them. I’m not so sure they will be able to reproduce the level of content that you may find on the decent blogs out there, inclusive of ShootUp team.
What are you thoughts Tim?
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I watch with some interest. I think many large companies (whether pharmaceutical or not) do social media badly. The main flaw is that as a company you need to chuck a reasonable amount of resource at it (i.e. someone full time who can write well and genuinely engage with the Internet populace) without really getting much in the way of measurable results or return on investment.
You then have the problem of the legal department getting paranoid about anything that’s published on any website – so you have to have comments moderated and posts approved before they go up. The main benefit of social media is that people can chip in with their thoughts and comments quickly and easily, without things having to be approved by the suits in legal.
So, in summary, nice try Sanofi-Aventis but I’ll bet you a beer it’ll peter out within a couple of months.
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I see they claim to be a leading global pharmaceutical company. So why are they only opening discourse with US residents? Also their Facebook page is only for US residents…
And as you say Tim, click on any of the tabs and they all give the same info!
I agree about the tone as well. It’s like a forum for naughty diabetes sufferers who might get out of control if not talked to sternly.
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Corporate social media is a bit of a minefield. Blogs work well when they’re based on opinion and it’s often difficult for a company to have an honest opinion because they have so many stakeholders they have to keep happy.
I suspect the “US only” side of this is because in the UK drug companies aren’t allowed to market directly to consumers (ie patients), they can only market to medics (pumps and meters are devices rather than drugs so aren’t covered by this). When I’ve spoken at medical conferences and gone round the exhibition to have a nosy at the latest diabetes drug and tech I’ve learnt to say that I’m a nurse. If I admit I’m a patient it’s very hard to get people to talk to me.
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Another thing, as we know it not really about the cost for the so called “Big Pharma” companies setting themselves up for social media.
Even if they wanted to participate their very hands are bound and gagged to such an extent that each companies site and said content will be the same.
Shame really!
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It is a shame really – as we both know from the Medtronic Internet forum (report link here for anyone who doesn’t know what we’re banging on about or who just wants to see a picture of Mike and me doing v’s at each other http://www.shootuporputup.co.uk/2010/06/medtronic-internet-forum) big pharma (or at least some of it) is genuinely interested in engaging with patients; maybe the Interweb isn’t the best way to do it? But if the Internet isn’t, then what is?
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Nya. I haven’t forgiven Medtronic for their part in the withdrawal of the Deltec Cozmo, the very best pump EVER. And I speak as an ex-medtronic pump user. Their up-front people are bound to have been chosen for their delightful and engaging personalities. Nothing will ever persuade me that any pharmaceutical company actually cares more about its patients than making money.
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@lizz That was trivial compared to Animas buying / killing the GlucoWatch
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@lizz – I agree. Of course pharmaceutical companies want to make money, they’re not charities. But if they take in to account at least a smidgen of what patients want then we all win – we get slightly better products, they make more money. Hey hum.
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@lizz the glucowatch was being developed a few years back and from memory it was designed to act like a CGM sensor but in watch form. I did have the pleasure meeting the team years ago in the US of A during the early stages but seems that something went wrong somewhere.
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@mikeinspain – I think having to slit your wrists on a regular basis had something to do with it…
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Sorry I forgot the wrist slitting bit Tel.. It is something I normally try and avoid as it hurts like a bugger and kinda make a mess everywhere.. Although sales of Daz would go up I guess!!!!
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No wrist slitting required, I can’t remember the technique but I think @lizz is onto something close with the sweat aspect – might of been current across the skin or similar …. it would of been cool either way.
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Awww… c’mon @stephen, I was being a tad facetious…
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@lizz – backing up a little, why was the Deltec Cozmo so good in your view? I’ve never even heard of it – which isn’t saying much.
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I still have one. It is extrememly easy to use – designed by a diabetic and very user friendly. You sort of know how to use it without being told, your hands and fingers seem to do the right things.
It has a myriad of features the Minimed does not. And of those that both have, the Cozmo version is much easier and quicker to use.
It has a number, in fact any number of home screens. As well as your name, date, time with a picture of how full your cartridge and batteries are, you can scroll through windows or have any of them them showing all time to show the time of your last bolus (very useful if you forget if you’ve done it or not like me) time when you should next change your needle site (function minimed does not have), which basal pattern you are using and just what part of the basal dose is being given at that moment, what your last glucose was, how much insulin there is on board and how much time remaining for examples.
It’s completely waterproof. You can get a meal menu on it so if you have set meals you can easily choose the right amount of insulin for it. You can also set each meal to have a set amount of insulin, and as I have the same amount of carbs at each meal this is very useful and much quicker than putting them in each time. I can have as many basal patterns and rates over 24 hours as I want. If I want another lot of insulin for anything the pump calculates how much insulin I have on board and reduces the dose to account for this, and tells me by how much if I want to override it.
You can use any infusion set at all with it. Setting it up and changing site takes half the time and is much more user friendly than with the Minimed.
I have a system of alarms set up – the Minimed has alarms but not as many and I found them difficult to use – on mine the pump alarms half an hour before a meal so I can do my bolus, but then again half an hour later in case the meal is going to be later, and half an hour after that for the same reason. The minimed will not do this.
I can add a correction bolus at any time and if there is enough insulin on brasd already it will tell me and warn me not to. i can set temporary rates for basals.Very easily get to the place to see my history, both just boluses and complete.
If you want to stop delivery you can push one button, but the pump asks you if you are sure, and you have to CHANGE the side of the button you are pressing to say yes. On the minimed (I think it’s the Minimed) you can easily stop the pump by accident.
That’s just some of the reasons…
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Please stop boggling. It does not deserve boggling. It’s a DELTEC Cozmo. But it is a wizard. I love it. I actually cried for 3 whole days (whenever I re-remembered, my memory is very patchy and I forget to be sad very quickly, especially when something else is happening) when I heard they were to be withdrawn. Because Smiths Medical (they who made the magic) presumably has the rights to the technology and I now no-one else ever will be able to make such an elegant, helpful, top-notch, perfect, machine. Sob. Now look what you’ve made me do. Wet my mac.
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