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When the media comes calling, do you know how to handle the situation to gain positive visibility for your company? Often, small business owners miss out on great opportunities—or turn a poten

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

tially positive situation into a negative one for their firms. Dealing with the media does not have to be scary or confrontational.

A writer or reporter working on a story will often contact

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

ocal businesses for one of three reasons: to get an expert opinion from inside a particular industry; to obtain a reaction to a trend or recent event from a local business; and to gain backgro

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

nd information on a complex subject. All of these reasons give you a great opportunity to position yourself as an expert and a leader. Use these five tips to work with reporters, and reap the

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

benefits in good publicity.

Answer the phone. I’m amazed at the number of business people who shy away from taking a call from a writer or reporter. Writers are calling to get an ind

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

stry perspective or to gain a quote from an expert—you. You can’t be quoted if you don’t answer the phone!

Respond promptly. Writers work on deadline. A reporter for a daily newspape

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

r may have only a few hours in which to gather information before the story is due. A magazine writer may have a few days. So many times I’ve seen business owners put off returning a call onl

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

to find out that the article has been written without their input. Think of the opportunity to get quoted positively as a free ad for your company. It’s a gift. Don’t keep the giver waiting

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

Avoid paranoia. Although it is fashionable in some circles to be cynical (and even hostile) to the media, the truth is that most reporters are just trying to do a day’s work—which for

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

them is writing articles and stories. Unless your firm has done something wrong, the writer is rarely “out to get you.” Some companies create a negative story where none previously existed by

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

treating reporters as the enemy or by responding in an adversarial way. Give the writer the benefit of the doubt. You certainly don’t want to volunteer any negative information, but you can u

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

se the power of the pen to showcase your company in a positive light. Never say “no comment.” It always makes you look guilty or scared. Even in a bad situation, say something that offers in

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

ight into the actions you plan to take or the way you hope to turn things around.

Think before you speak. I’ve heard people complain about being misquoted by writers or even made to lo

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

k bad. In reality, the reporter most likely used the person’s exact words, which may not have come across very well when the person read what he actually said. You can avoid having this happe

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

to you by taking a moment to collect your thoughts instead of blurting out the first thing that comes to mind. Asking for a moment to think through the question is perfectly legitimate. Most

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

writers will be willing to wait. After all, the writer wants a good quote, too! So take a moment and say what you really mean. It will look better the next day when you read it in print.

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

>Avoid puffery. Avoid the urge to brag. Saying that your company is the best, the only or the first in its industry creates liability for the writer unless you can back up your claim. Ta

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

k about your services and what makes your company different, but avoid overstatements that are likely to get your quote deleted.

By using these five tips, you can leverage a writer’s question

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

nto great visibility for your company. Always be sure to spell out your name even if the writer forgets to ask, and make sure he or she has your correct title, the full name of your business,

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

nd even your email address for any follow-up questions or clarifications. By making the most of the chance to be quoted, you are putting good public relations to work for your company—for free

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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One of the best items that you can give away during a trade show is a promotional pen. They are very popular at trade shows for a good reason - when people go to trade shows, they are inundated with papers, pamphlets and flyers, most of which get tossed into a pile back at the office, never to be looked at again. However, if you had out a promotional pen with your papers or pamphlets, your pen will likely be looked at again, and again by potential clients at the trade show, even when they are back in the office.

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