Has the FDA harmed clinical trials by not pushing social media guidelines?

Although many had hoped for social media guidelines in 2011, they still have not emerged from the FDA as a guidance for Pharma companies.  In a recent article at WCG, Bryan Reid looked at how this is hurting Pharma companies.  He identified brand promotion as a major loser with the lack of online guidance.  Many creative ideas and campaigns can come about online, but many pharma companies stop short of them in fear that they'll get letters from the FDA for improper marketing.

What kind of social media marketing could clinical trial professionals be doing to recruit more patients?  In a way, the lack of regulation also has their hands tied because many social media marketers don't know what they can and can't do either.  

Even though there isn't much regulation, some companies have gone ahead and found a way to use social media to spread the word about their clinical trials.  Momenta Pharmaceuticals is one of those companies.  At the 21st Partnerships in Clinical Trials, they'll be sharing their experience in this field through the presentation "Momenta’s Application of Social Media in its Pancreatic Cancer Trial."  For more information on this session and the rest of the agenda, download the brochure here.  Don't forget, as a reader of this blog, you'll receive an exclusive discount of 15% off the standard rate when you mention code XP1700BLOG when registering to join us this March in Orlando for the event!

What can social media do for clinical trials?  With regulation, do you think the number of participants who find out about clinical trials through social media would go up?