ORC Guideline's recent research on the impact of social media and pharmaceutical marketing

Chief Research Officer Morris S. Whitcup, Ph.D., of ORC Guideline (an infoGROUP company) (NASDAQ: IUSA) will present findings of the company’s recent research on the impact of social media on fair balance and pharmaceutical marketing at a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) public hearing later this week. The hearing will address the issue of fulfilling requirements for fair balance and risk disclosure in internet and social media promotions. The ORC Guideline study examined consumer habits in researching information about pharmaceutical products online.

“These hearings are vitally important for the pharmaceutical industry, as one in five consumers indicated that they use social media to research prescription medication and obtain information about diseases,” said Dr. Whitcup. “The FDA has increasingly paid attention to promotion in social media to ensure that regulations relating to required disclosures and fair balance are met.”

Dr. Whitcup's presentation, which will include recommendations to the FDA on new approaches to communicating risk information, will be held on Friday, November 13^th, at 1:20pm Eastern in Washington, DC. The FDA will also provide access to a free, live webcast of this public hearing. More information about the webcast can be found at http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/CDER/ucm184250.htm.