For the majority of us we lost 30% of our bonus this last trimester because of of a trial run selling Aptiom to non writers. Those that did make goal got lucky with a few refills being filled. Does sunovion feel good about taking 30% of our bonus away from us from no fault of our own. We know how to sell but trying to sell Aptiom to these targets is a joke. What do others think about this?
Even worse, is the fact that Aptiom had a slow uptake after a year marketing to neuros and epilleptologosts, and now they want to crack down on us after four months? Expand the neuro sales forces targets to include these long-term care guys and take it out of specialty markets bag. Micromanaging + reps losing their bonus = dusting off of the résumés. If they're not careful, they're going to start losing some good people.
On the conf call Jack mentioned the fault of slow uptake is our targeting list and these doctors don't rx AED'S . Will this change by doubling target list with the same kind of doctors? If there is money left on the table because nobody reached quota than give us this money now in T1 and not T2. I'm am now looking to jump ship.
However set up our quota and target lists should be fired. These people should give up their paycheck and give it back to us.
Dude! Come on. The reason there is "slow uptake" is because THE DRUG SUCKS!!!. Damn, just ask any of the aptiom specialists. Why do you think like close to 30% have quit since launch. This product will never get enough sales to even pay for the base salaries of the Aptiom sales team. Any by the way, management doesn't give a crap about our morale or if we are thinking of quitting. They only care about Latuda and they'll stop caring bout that in July of 2016.
Have you been asleep for the past year and 4 months or are you just dumb? 30-40% resigned since launch for better opportunities. The rest of us are considering opportunities while we collect a 6 figure salary for 20 hours per week. The number 1 rep, at launch, left, managers left and some good reps left. Let me guess they all sucked. Sunovion needs more reps like you. Aptiom is a bust, frankly it never had a chance. Trimesters and buckets are hilarious, so innovative. Calling on top targets twice a week, priceless. Tell the neuro that you will be there 3 times a week until they start writing. Iif they still do not write, try 4 times a week. Bucket 3 reps earning more in bonus than Sunovion earns for their few scripts. You can't make this stuff up. ,,
Genuine question here. I agree with the theory, "the more people promoting Aptiom the better" but am curious as to whether or not an analysis has been done from T1 of what percent of specialty market targets have prescribed that were not neurology inherited prescribers. Since it is much easier to generate scripts when the physician already has experience prescribing, a determination of the success of this sales force is incomplete without this analysis.
Huh nobody in mgmt thinks or cares about anything that make sense. All a drill down/beat down approach that never makes any business sense. Why you may ask, the typical answer rolled,down hill is Because!
You obviously have not read the posts and appear to have little experience in neuro. In response to your question, epileptologists, with the exception of NYU, do not write for this drug. They completed the clinical trials and are smart enough to not see the benefits of Aptiom. Your community based neurologists, who also do no see the benefit of Aptiom, refer refractory patients to the epileptologiststs. The patients are then not prescribed Aptiom by the epileptologists. When the patient goes back to the community based neurologist, they are then even less likely to prescribe Aptiom. The action of the expert, not prescribing, outweigh your detail piece. By calling on physicians twice a week or having other sales forces sell Aptiom, we will not get past the fact that no one sees the benefits of Aptiom. we do not have more influence than the fact that epileptologists, who physicians refer to, do not prescibe this drug. On avererage reps have 5-6 physicians who wrote even 1 script. Regular prescribers may be a smaller number. The fact that we are now 18 months post launch tells you evrything that you need to know. Love the pharma mentality, if we only _______________ than physicians will begin to use Aptiom. Trust me physicians have heard the message, understand the drug and have not and will not prescribe.
Say what you want, but I heard that the only reason all of us haven't been fired is because it would cost more for the company to pay penalties to Bail who we licensed Aptiom from that it costs them to pay us our big base salaries and all the fringes. We are golden people. It costs more to get rid of the product and us than it does to keep us. How great is that????!!!! That's why I work about 10 hours a week. I was wondering why we have all been kept. It is clear that our total GROSS sales for aptiom don't even cover our base salaries and it's not like Aptiom Rx's are growing at all (even with the monotherapy indication). Then hearing that it will cost the company more to get rid or us than keep us made perfect sense. I mean perfect sense. Only problem is that I believe the licensing agreement is for only 5 years. Oh well. 3 more years of slacking. I can live with that. Actually, I love it!!
Oh man. You will soon see that not only will you be expected to increase Aptiom sales substantially soon, but that if you don't there will be no fear in paying any penalty to Bail. Get ready for a renewed focus bitches. Even managed markets will finally be accountable to getting this drug moving or paying the consequences. Just wait. Give it a week or two. Mark my words.
I am so surprised to read the previous posts! I sold in the AED market and Aptiom looks like a great mono therapy drug. I don't see why it would not be well accepted by generalists or epileptologists. I say this quite honestly; I'm not some RD trying to blow smoke. I work for another company and came to the Sunovion board to congratulate you folks on the mono therapy indication, thinking everyone would be charged up and feeling good. That product ought to take off now. WTF?
