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MedPanel Launches Streamlined Online Drug/Device Naming Process
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- FEBRUARY 14, 2002 -- Officials from MedPanel today announce the launch of Online Drug/Device naming process for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and other health related industries.
"Naming a drug or device is not easy," said Will Febbo, CEO of MedPanel. "It involves three components; market acceptance, regulatory acceptance, and legal 'own-ability.'"
Interbrand Wood Healthcare (www.interbrandwood.com), a New York-based company specializing in assisting with the creation of powerful brand identities, provides full-service naming programs for biotech and pharmaceutical clients and uses MedPanel's services for the "market acceptance" piece of the puzzle.
"We've named the biggest blockbuster drugs in the industry such as Viagra and Prozac so we understand the value of a name, but MedPanel has brought an innovation to the qualitative component of the naming process that allows us to completely streamline the way we approach the process," according to Clement Galluccio, Managing Director of Interbrand Wood Healthcare, which began using MedPanel last year and has conducted naming projects using MedPanel for companies such as Pfizer and Abbott Labs.
"This is a perfect extension of our platform to an industry that has increasing pressure to find alternative methods of gathering primary qualitative research. We are glad to supply the bridge between the medical industry and the physician's input," said Febbo.
MedPanel engages thought leaders, PCP's, and other medical experts for one to two week discussions, moderated by a physician and ghost-moderated by the client. The panel of 10 to 12 physicians is first exposed to a series of disease-related terms and is engaged in a dialogue of free association. The panel is then given a list of potential names to scrutinize, disqualify and narrow down to a short list. They are given the opportunity to suggest "write-in" names before narrowing down the choices to the final list, which they then rank in order of preference. This method has taken the traditional two or three-month process down to two or three weeks by using unbiased outsiders often resulting in a fairly unanimous vote, something difficult to achieve in a live meeting.
MedPanel's staff of MDs, PhDs and RNs provides the operational expertise for enabling panelists, designing the discussion outline, moderating the discussion and summarizing and analyzing the transcripts in a final report.
"The advantage of using MedPanel is that it overcomes the bias that can come from having an aggressive thought leader in a traditional focus group, who influences the opinions of the others. "Even the label of 'thought leader' can be intimidating to community physicians," explains Kevin Killeen, Avant Immunotherapeutics' Senior Director of bacterial vaccines and Key Researcher, who has been both a client and a panelist with MedPanel. "Focus group dynamics remind me of the pecking order in the schoolyard. The alpha-kid intimidates the others. But with MedPanel, no one feels uncomfortable speaking or even challenging others because the participants are masked."
MedPanel clients include some of the largest pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies in the world as well as start-up drug-discovery organizations. All clients have one thing in common: a desire to communicate quickly and professionally with medical professionals and opinion leaders.
Contact: Erin Sheehan 617-661-8080 x29
www.MedPanel.com