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The internet has brought so much change into our lives. It has also provided numerous jobs that no one would ever dream possible. One of those positions is as a moderator for message boards on major magazine sites.

While on one of several sites that I enjoy being a mem

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

ber of, I wondered: How does this work? It’s good to have someone “in charge” and to go to when there is a problem to dispel or a question to answer, but how can they know what’s going on 24/7? With that in mind, I asked one savvy Message Board Moderator named Laura if

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

Examples of combination products may in

she would share the details of her job. After receiving permission from the publishers (the Meredith Corporation) of Better Homes and Gardens and Lady’s Home Journal Laura was gracious enough to explain all that her job entails.

To begin we need to know-what exactly is

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

a Message Board Moderator?

LAURA: a Message Board Moderator is sort of like a party host-I am there to answer questions, stimulate conversation, guide folks to different neat things on the website, remind everyone to remain civil and treat each other kindly.

How did yo

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

get to be a host? Did you need a special background or training?

LAURA: I volunteered as a CL (Community Leader, which is another name for Board Host) for AOL for seven years before coming to work for BHG.com. Prior to becoming a CL, I was a member of message boards

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

Combination pro

and a CL asked if I would be interested in becoming a host. I was on a rough debate board, and I suppose she liked my mediation skills!

You’re a moderator for more than one board and magazine, how exactly do you keep track of what’s going on?

LAURA: It’s tricky! I de

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

end on folks emailing me if there are issues that I do not see-I check the boards many times a day and after all these years, you normally have a gut feeling about when and where firestorms might develop, so you can keep a closer eye on those boards. I like to keep a pre

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

sence so folks know to post a topic with my name in the title if they need my attention for a particular issue. I used to be able to read every post-now, due to the amount of boards I cover, that is impossibility, but I do my best to scan as many threads as possible.

It

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

would be great if you could tell us what a typical day in the life of a Board Host entails!

LAURA: Before or after my children wake up?! As soon as I come downstairs, I pour myself my cup of coffee and clear the boards-which means, review all of my boards and see what

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

might have transpired overnight. I then read some threads on each board to get a feeling of what topics the community is talking about and what they might be interested in discussing. After my children are off to school, I go to the websites and spend time going through

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

them to find interesting things to post on the boards. After several years, I am still finding new and neat things to share with the communities! I do this throughout the day, answering emails, looking for solutions to problems that posters have, reading threads. At th

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

Following aspects would a

end of the day, before I go to bed around 10, I check the boards one more time, so I can head off any issues, if needed, before the overnight hours.

All jobs have the highs and lows- what do you enjoy most about being a Host and yes, I am going to ask-what do you wish y

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

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

ou could just dismiss with?

LAURA: I love helping people. I love when someone has an issue and I am able to find the solution on the site for them. A part I wish I could dismiss? Awwww, well, on the debate boards, folks always think that I am biases against them, beca

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

se I don’t remove dissenting opinions. Debate boards are different-they are set up for folks to disagree and debate-that is the nature of the beast. I suppose the greatest compliment I get is that both sides of the arguments always feel I am biased against them-I must b

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

e doing a great job of not showing my true feelings!

Speaking of disagreeable things that happen on the boards, I’ve heard that at times, some people have gotten so out of hand that they’ve been asked to leave.

LAURA: That is called banning and I am not an advocate of

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

t. I prefer to try and help folks learn to get along in the community. There are times that I am unable to do so, even with my best intentions and for the greater good of the community, I need to ban someone.

One of the other plusses of hosting is that Laura gets to wor

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

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

k from home and has since 1998. Because the job is always changing and evolving there’s little chance of getting bored! She easily sees herself continuing in her role for another five years.

You’ve said one of the nicest parts of your job is being able to help people-w

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

at is the most interesting situation you’ve had?

LAURA: I don’t know if I would say this is the most interesting, but one of the most touching things I ever encountered is when a beloved member of one of my communities died and we had an online memorial thread for her.

.

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

I still have that thread saved and I’m getting teary, remembering it. She was a very special woman. The power of the online communities is very strong. It truly is its own society.

Online magazine communities truly are as much a part of our lives as our grandmother’s

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

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

ewing/quilting bees, our mom’s kaffeeklatches or our “girl’s night out”, the difference is that it gives everyone a chance to expand their social horizons to span worldwide. And thanks to wonderful, caring Board Hosts such as Laura, we never feel how vast those miles are

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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Of the four business meetings I have held so far this week; only in one case was the other person able to produce an up to date and informative business card, despite the fact that they were all very senior executives. As I have said on numerous occasions, a common (and often overlooked) image feature for every would-be business professional, is the business or calling card (the summary information about yourself you choose to give to others).

Potential customers do not analyze their feelings but simply react to the advertisement based on how they are feeling.

Three simple but neglected off-line advertising strategies at little or no cost.

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