http://tags.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/gawker.com.png http://gawker.com/tag/valleywag/pfizer http://gawker.com/tag/valleywag/pfizer Pfizer, the pharmaceuticals megacorp, is jumping on the latest Web bandwagon with a "partnership" with Sermo, a social network for doctors. Lovely. From what we recall of our last physical, doctors are really into poking, but I'm not sure they want to be "friends" with drug sales reps. What Sermo isn't saying: This shows that their earlier business model of selling market research based on doctors' conversations isn't working out that well. Dr. Daniel Palestrant, Sermo's founder and CEO, came up with that business model in order to avoid having to take advertising. "In my mind, I saw advertising and credibility as mutually exclusive to doctors," he said. Still true, despite the arrival of Pfizer's ad budget. A suggestion, Daniel: Limit Pfizer's use of Sermo to invitations to those popular free dinners its sales reps like to throw.

]]> http://gawker.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=310793&view=rss&microfeed=true Pfizer, the pharmaceutical company most adept at preying on male insecurities, has come down with a bad case of zombies. For the past six months, its computers have, coincidentally, been spamming the Internet with unsanctioned advertisements for its erectile-dysfunction medication, Viagra. Apparently a group of hackers has taken control of some of the corporation's PCs — called "zombies" in computer-security parlance — to hawk penny stocks and fake Rolexes alongside Pfizer's own flagship product. According to researchers at security firm Support Intelligence, who tipped off Wired News, Pfizer doesn't even realize it has an infection. Or perhaps it's just figured out a sweet new marketing campaign. (Photo by Len Peralta)

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