This document discusses the rise of social networks for healthcare professionals and its implications for pharmaceutical marketing. It outlines how Sermo was one of the first such networks, with over 100,000 members. Such networks are now global in scope, with varied business models and levels of pharmaceutical industry participation. Key learnings include the interest from healthcare professionals in using social networks and interacting with industry. The document predicts that by 2020, social networks will be ubiquitous among healthcare professionals and will transform pharmaceutical marketing into a more dialogue-based approach with less reliance on sales representatives.