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GfK HealthCare | March 2011 | |
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Dear Orange Pages Subscriber,  First, as a reader of my monthly articles, allow me to sincerely thank you for joining me on a journey that really has been to follow the ebb and flow of the world in which we work (and live), monitoring the pulse of the pharmaceutical industry in the context of the changing landscape of health care and, ultimately, examining what impact and meaning these developments have had on our marketing research profession. I am extremely proud to say that we have published The Orange Pages each month since October 2006 – that’s 53 issues! Starting with the desire to provide a forum for education and observations on issues with which our profession was wrestling (our first article focused on adverse events reporting; remember when that issue surfaced?), we have since examined a string of interesting developments, ranging from the evolution of agency/client business models and the true emergence of global research to the opportunities of mobile marketing and, of course, the rise of health care reform. We’ve also engaged in numerous musings on the future of pharmaceutical marketing and, of far more consequence to all of us, the changing role of marketing research in supporting it. For those of you who are nostalgic to revisit (or share with colleagues) the topics we have explored together and don’t have a full set of Orange Pages binders on your bookshelf to reference, you can always access the library of e-archives at www.gfk-pipeline.com/orange_pages/archive/index.html. But with changing times comes a need for fresh approaches, and as GfK HealthCare has evolved into a global organization, it is important for the information GfK shares with readers like you to reflect the full spectrum of its expertise and resources – and that means introducing an even broader array of topics that touches all facets of our changing world of research, through quality articles authored by GfK professionals from around the world, who bring fresh insights and new perspectives. And so I now defer to my very experienced GfK colleagues to step in, pick up as your guide and continue to lead you onto the next journey – exploring the nuances of research in markets beyond the BRIC; the increasing importance of global market access; the emergence of the patient and the payer; the rise of biosimilars; and so forth. So, yes, as you might have guessed, this is farewell to this particular Orange Pages forum, and to me as your guide for this segment of our adventure, but certainly not a goodbye. You can continue to stay in touch with these and many other of-the-moment topics, explore new innovations and enjoy interesting, thought-provoking commentary on a number of opportunities percolating in our great profession by reading GfK’s Pipeline e-newsletter. Although I know many of you likely already receive this newsletter (also published monthly since October 2006), if you would like to subscribe, simply send a brief message with your e-mail address to pipeline.newsletter@gfk.com. As I move on to other opportunities, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to you, for taking the time to absorb my words each month these past years. I can only hope that from time to time my writing has proved thought-evoking enough to have compelled some discussions among you and your colleagues, and perhaps challenged or even changed your perspectives and, ultimately, brightened your horizons. I wish you all the best for continued success. Best regards,  Richard B. Vanderveer, Ph.D. rbvanderve@aol.com |