Taking safe risks in pharmaceutical marketing is possible, says Joseph Cowan, Partner and Senior Search Strategist at MEC Global. But first, the way ad agencies, regulatory departments, and the FDA work must change. In general, the three work separately and have a perceived adversarial relationship. Instead of trying to avoid conflict, marketers must actively work with the FDA to beta-test ideas. This would reduce the risk of fully developing technology solely for FDA approval without vetting it in market.