Pharma needs to get in on the conversation

That's the gist of this article from MedAdNews. Through social networking tools like blogs, people are already talking about healthcare issues, but the pharmaceutical industry's voice is curiously absent from the conversation. I agree wholeheartedly with this statement:

The use of social and interactive technology has put the customer in control of the message. Online communities and blogs allow the public to discuss and debate health concerns and the medicines that treat them. The industry must stop hiding behind its fear of regulatory hurdles and begin thinking about how to get involved in the interactive space.

I doubt it will happen, though. There's too much fear involved to allow unfettered speech on pharma's part, which I think is a darn shame.