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Big Pharma Forced to Open Up on Facebook
- Publisher：
- Publication：2011/8/16
Pharmaceutical companies will no longer be able to block and moderate reader comments on their pages on social media platform Facebook, in a move that will bring big pharma into line with other business profiles.
Many pharmaceutical companies only agreed to have a presence Facebook in return for the ability to moderate and block reader comments fearing negative publicity from readers citing bad side effects or proffering unprofessional and biased medical advice.
However, Facebook has decided that pages that do not allow social interaction are essentially advertising, and should be opened up to encourage dialogue between drug manufacturers and the public.
Some firms, including AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, have removed their pages as a consequence of the policy change, according to the Washington Post.
The industry has also said that it lacks clear guidance from regulatory authorities on the information that can and cannot be communicated via social media.