Merck Warned About Vioxx Smoking Gun by Crisis Management Expert
An October 1 article by crisis management consultant Jonathan Bernstein foreshadowed recent revelations of hidden Merck documents acknowledging the company's awareness of Vioxx's health risks. In the article, he warned Merck execs that a "worldwide jury" was watching them.
(PRWEB) November 4, 2004
"Merck and Vioxx - Is There a Smoking Gun?" appeared in the 10/1/04 issue of Bernstein's "Crisis Manager" international email newsletter. In the article, the author, who is also president of Bernstein Crisis Management LLC, www. bernsteincrisismanagement. com, warned Merck executives that the company's survivability would depend on three factors, as described in the following bullet points taken from the newsletter:
Is there a smoking gun? Is there evidence that will be uncovered which demonstrates that they were more aware of the potential health risks than they revealed to the FDA or the general public? Or evidence that their other, related drugs could produce similar results, i. e., establish a trend which is so damaging that no one will buy from them.
Merck's ability to combine compassion with factual communication. In a crisis, particularly a crisis which threatens the health of millions, fear and anxiety is the first reaction of patients on Vioxx. Merck needs to directly and indirectly (through messages provided to the medical community) express empathy for the concern felt by patients, first, and then provide any reassuring facts that are available. Thus far, I have seen no messages of compassion in news coverage or the company press release on this topic. How easy it would have been to say, "We very much regret the concerns that this decision may cause our patients and health care professionals, and we will soon be providing them with additional information that will help them make informed decisions about their medical treatment going forward."
Their willingness to closely integrate legal and PR strategies. Attorneys may be inclined to advise "say nothing, because anything you say can be used against you. "Wake up, counsel, anything you DON'T say can be used against you too, in the aforementioned court of public opinion.
The article concluded with "Court's in session, Merck leadership, with a worldwide jury."
"If Merck had been up-front about its non-disclosure a month ago, and a few heads had rolled, today the company would not be facing the legal and public relations consequences of a cover-up," said Bernstein. "It was a very poor call to assume that documents known to so many people would not leak, so Merck's strategy should have assumed that worst-case scenario and been far more pre-emptive."
Bernstein Crisis Management LLC, based in Southern California, provides clients nationwide with a full range of crisis management public relations services, to include vulnerability assessment, crisis planning, training and testing/simulations. Jonathan Bernstein's "Crisis Manager" newsletter is published semi-monthly and free subscriptions can be obtained by submitting your email address in a form provided at www. bernsteincrisismanagement. com.
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