Acne, Restless Leg Syndrome, and Cancer Patients are Among the Top Condition Groups Shaping the Future of Digital DTC Marketing

April 8, 2009, New York, NY – More than 60% of U.S. adults turn to the Internet as a decision support tool in healthcare and disease management, and certain condition groups are more likely to use online health resources than others, according to pharmaceutical and healthcare market research company Manhattan Research. Acne, restless leg syndrome, and cancer patients are among the top ten therapeutic categories adopting eHealth activities, which can range from reading a health-related blog to joining an online patient community. The increasing consumer reliance on the Internet for health and pharmaceutical information is transforming digital direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing from a “nice to have” tactic to an essential communication channel for pharma companies reaching consumer audiences.

Manhattan Research releases its Digital DTC Relevance Rankings, revealing which condition groups are most likely to use the Internet for health information out of a pool of over 100 therapeutic categories. The findings come from Cybercitizen Health™ v8.0, the company’s consumer market research and advisory service. The Digital DTC Relevance chart shows that for some brands, such as those targeting acne, adult ADHD, and fibromyalgia patients, it’s especially critical to take note of digital opportunities in shaping future DTC marketing strategies.

Digital DTC Relevance Rankings
Top Condition Groups Online for Health

Position           Condition
________________________________________
  1.                  Acne
  2.                  Adult ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
  3.                  Fibromyalgia
  4.                  Migraine
  5.                  Allergies
  6.                  Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  7.                  Anxiety Disorder/Social Phobia
  8.                  Asthma
  9.                  Restless Leg Syndrome
  10.                Cancer

Among U.S. adults (18+)
Source: Cybercitizen Health™ v8.0 (2008)

“This is the year in which pharmaceutical companies must stop merely ‘talking at’ consumers and begin communicating with them. The old way of DTC marketing isn’t going to cut it as the consumer media landscape evolves,” said Meredith Abreu Ressi, Vice President of Research at Manhattan Research. “Though we’ve shared just a few of the top condition groups online for health, the reality is that all pharmaceutical marketers are finding that their target audiences are shifting from traditional offline sources to the Internet for their everyday needs, including health management.”

Manhattan Research at the DTC National Conference
Manhattan Research Vice President of Research Meredith Abreu Ressi will be presenting “How New Media Changes Pharmaceutical DTC Advertising” with Jeff Hitchcock, President and Founder of Children with Diabetes, a Johnson and Johnson Company, at the DTC National Conference on Thursday, April 16, 2009 in Washington D.C.

For more information about the DTC National Conference, please visit http://www.dtcperspectives.com/website/Conferences/DTC-National/DTC-National-Main.html

To connect with Manhattan Research at DTC National, please contact Claire Anastasia at canastasia@manhattanresearch.com or 212-255-7024.

Request a Complimentary Overview of Digital Trends for Your Therapeutic Audience
Manhattan Research offers complimentary overviews of how over 100 consumer therapeutic groups use the Internet and other technology for healthcare. This one-page snapshot is a preview of Manhattan Research’s Therapeutic Segmentation Modules, which are comprehensive analyses of specific patient markets based on the Cybercitizen Health™ and ePharma Consumer® studies. To request an overview of digital trends for your therapeutic audience, please visit http://www.manhattanresearch.com/products/Therapeutic_Segmentations/therapeutic-segmentation-overview-request.asp

For a list of available consumer therapeutic segmentation modules and topics, please visit
http://www.manhattanresearch.com/products/Therapeutic_Segmentations

For a list of available physician specialist segmentation modules and topics, please visit http://www.manhattanresearch.com/products/Specialist_Segmentations

For additional segmentation module product and purchasing information, please contact sales@manhattanresearch.com or call 1.888.680.0800, ext 2.

About Cybercitizen Health™ v8.0
Cybercitizen Health™ v8.0 is a market research and strategic advisory service focused on how consumers use the Internet and other technologies for health and treatment decisions. The study fielded in Q3 2008 among 8,714 U.S. adults (ages 18+). In addition to the data, clients receive strategic deliverables including research reports, client briefings, and access to the Manhattan Research analyst team to answer specific questions. For topics and available therapeutic segmentations (100+), visit http://www.manhattanresearch.com/cch