So who’s afraid of the Internet ... Big Pharma?

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Businesses across the globe are flocking to the Internet in search of customers wanting to surf, chat, post and connect with products and the people who use them. But what $275 billion industry doesn’t want to brave cyberspace for fear that its denizens may say something hurtful about that industry’s products?

Big Pharma, says BrandWeek, a publication that reports on developments in the advertising and marketing industries. In an article in this week’s issue, BrandWeek reports the world’s prescription drug makers are wary of creating highly interactive websites because they fear that disgruntled consumers will use them to complain about side effects, interactions, prices and other matters that might not cast a positive glow on their offerings.

Mainly, it’s a battle that pits the drug companies’ marketing departments and their forward-leaning ‘digital’ marketing strategists on the one hand, and the fogies in the legal and regulatory departments on the other, says BrandWeek. The fogies -- who have until now carried the day -- have argued that consumers will hop on the websites created around prescription drug products and post complaints. Their posts, in turn, could attract the attention of personal injury attorneys, regulators, investigative committees and critics.

The digital strategists -- who BrandWeek believes may soon pull ahead in the game -- are arguing that the drug companies are missing a big chance to foster brand loyalty among those who use their drugs, and that, properly managed, websites can handle the criticism that consumers may direct at them. Transparency is the watchword of these marketers, says BrandWeek editor Todd Wasserman, and drug companies are being urged to take a bigger dose.

BrandWeek cites the consumer-drug giant Johnson&Johnson as an example of a company that has boldly adopted a more sophisticated and interactive Web presence in spite of those concerns. J&J’s website www.childrenwithdiabetes.com is reported to get 10,000 vistors a day, and though the company patrols the site for posters giving inaccurate information or reporting ‘adverse events,’ its Web managers are said not to censor visitors.

But for an industry that still takes criticism for advertising directly to consumers, jumping into the World Wide Web with both feet may feel like riding the tiger for drug makers, says Wasserman. ‘It’s sort of like trying to market cigarettes -- your hands are so tied. There are so many things you can’t do.’

-- Melissa Healy