Branded websites 'are best online marketing for pharmaceutical companies'

Pharmaceutical marketers benefit most from branded websites, a new report by comScore and pharmaceutical marketing consultancy Evolution Road has found. The study of customer analytics found that patients who visited branded websites recorded a "patient adherence rate" of nearly 20 per cent more than those who did not. Patients exposed to online adverts had an adherence rate increase of four per cent, while those who interacted with an advert increased their adherence by 9.5 per cent. Bridget O'Toole, comScore executive vice president, noted that online banner ads, offline advertising and search marketing all drive people to visit brand websites. A new marketing code of ethics was recently announced by the American drug industry's trade organisation, the Wall Street Journal reported. PhRMA's new code forbids members from giving away items such as pens with brand names on them and suggested that companies cap the fees they pay speakers. Member companies such as Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline supported the code.