Boston Scientific Has A $40 Million Stunt
24 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // April 2nd, 2007 // 7:29 am
Jim Tobin and his team have an ingenious idea. Studies have linked their drug-coated stents to blood clots, causing concern among cardiologists and investors. So what better way to deflect attention from the problem than to convince patients to take their blood thinner after surgery?
The idea: spend $40 million on a ‘patient education’ program to remind patients to fill their prescriptions and then take those meds. “They’re confused. They have a stent put in on Tuesday; they go home on Wednesday,” says Jeff Mirviss, vp of coronary stent marketing, who worries patients are overwhelmed by hospital paperwork and forget about the Plavix.
Clever, but maybe not clever enough. This isn’t quite the equivalent of holding a gun in one hand and an olive branch in the other, but the program won’t make the devices any less risky. Given the company’s fortunes of late, perhaps Tobin should offer patients a free lifetime supply of blood thinners with every procedure. As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.
Further reading…..
The Boston Globe.[tags]Advertising, Boston Scientific, Stents[/tags]
DMAN
Hey maybe you should do some research before posting stuff like the above. First of all drug eluting and bare metal stents both cause blood clotting for a variety of reasons, Under deployed stents and patient non compliance with regard to anticlotting drugs like Plavix are chief reasons. To date I dont think that there is conclusive evidence that bare metal has less clotting than drug eluting, only that with drug eluting the risk continues for longer because there is so little scaring. Ask yourself why we switched to drug eluting in the first place. Based on your previous post I would guess you dont know. Its people like you who speak before you know that make medicince so expensive.
ed
Dear Dman,
First, thanks for writing. Second, there have been a plethora of studies lately raising questions about stents. I didn’t create that issue.
I realize that patient non-compliance is a problem, in general. And ensuring patients take their blood thinners would help, no doubt. But that doesn’t alter the questions concerning stents and blood clots.
No, I’m not a physician. But I do think this is a clever way for Boston Scientific to attempt to protect its business. Nothing wrong with that. But it doesn’t address the underlying clot issue, either. And if it deflects concerns about clots, then that’s a good thing for Boston Scientific, right?
As to your last point, I’m not sure how my post would make medicine more expensive. I was pointing out a gambit by a stent maker to maintain its business. Sorry you disagree but this move is marketing 101.
ed
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