If not handled properly, such decisions can be self-defeating, Vanderbilt's Ball warned.

CNN: For some skillful and plucky investors, it's a buyer's market

David Smith, Deputy Commissioner in the Information Commissioner's Office, said the latest loss showed that personal information could be a "toxic liability" if not handled properly.

BBC: Firm 'broke rules' over data loss

Gibbons wrote that if properly handled by the drug company, dissemination of materials to doctors may not be that big a deal.

FORBES: When Doctors Go Off-Label