Archimedes ?

Quote










































Anonymous said:
But can the drug be sold? I hear it is through a contract sales company
Click to expand...

Doubt it. Too much competition. Payers don't care. I've heard Arch is focusing on oncs, who don't write much IR fentanyl (mostly pain specialists). If they changed their strategy and focused on pain specialists, they'd certainly sell more, but unclear how much upside there is at this stage.
 






Pulled this from the BDSI 10K. This market is moving in the wrong direction.

In 2011, the overall market for transmucosal fentanyl products for breakthrough pain according to Wolters Kluwer, totaled $346 million in the U.S. The first approved product for the management of breakthrough cancer pain was Actiq® (oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate) which, according to Wolters Kluwer, generated $38 million in sales in 2011. Total sales for generic versions of Actiq®, available from multiple manufacturers including Covidien, Teva and Watson Pharmaceuticals, according to Wolters Kluwer totaled $146 million over the same period. Fentora® utilizes an effervescent tablet which is administered buccally. Fentora® was approved and launched in late 2006 and according to Wolters Kluwer, generated $160 million in sales in 2011.
 






Anonymous said:
Pulled this from the BDSI 10K. This market is moving in the wrong direction.

In 2011, the overall market for transmucosal fentanyl products for breakthrough pain according to Wolters Kluwer, totaled $346 million in the U.S. The first approved product for the management of breakthrough cancer pain was Actiq® (oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate) which, according to Wolters Kluwer, generated $38 million in sales in 2011. Total sales for generic versions of Actiq®, available from multiple manufacturers including Covidien, Teva and Watson Pharmaceuticals, according to Wolters Kluwer totaled $146 million over the same period. Fentora® utilizes an effervescent tablet which is administered buccally. Fentora® was approved and launched in late 2006 and according to Wolters Kluwer, generated $160 million in sales in 2011.
Click to expand...

How are you guys in UK doing, things just getting worse in US, no support , no sales, you guys at least have a good management team right?
 






























Smaller more targeted sales team, new strategy?? Good luck is right they will need it ! Cannot imagine anyone in workforce there outta choice...same products , same managers = same outcome ....just more pain before the inevitable.
 












Anonymous said:
Doubt it. Too much competition. Payers don't care. I've heard Arch is focusing on oncs, who don't write much IR fentanyl (mostly pain specialists). If they changed their strategy and focused on pain specialists, they'd certainly sell more, but unclear how much upside there is at this stage.
Click to expand...

Correction. Oncologists manage pain with fentanyl patches and short acting opioids and they are not un happy with that inexpensive approach that requires very little paperwork. If things get complicated they get sent to a pain mjmt specilist who will most likely install a pain pump. if after the pain pump they still need Lazanda theynwill use it. Contrast w Lazanda when provider has to go through training on the products in the Transmucosal immediate release fentanyl class, pass the test, write the prescription which will then be taken to a pharmacy that doesn't stock it. If the patient can get it somewhere they can't get a refill unless both the provider and the patient sign a paper stating that they will use if for the right indication, store it safely etc. thisnis where pain mjmt specilists get messesmup because thses agents are ONLY indicated for CANCER pain. The provider can then find out that Mrdicare and Mrdicaid don't pay for it so it's all out of pocket. Each spray is $35 & you can use it four times a day so $140 per day. For a week it would cost (140x7)= $980/week. These would be doubled if the patient was on 200mg instead of 100. The 400 & 800 mg doses cost even more. For patients with commercial insurance they can use a co-pay card, but if their plan dictates a 20% coinsurance for a month of Lazanda it becomes cost prohibitive.
Archimedes hired a very talented sales team with a lot of data that looks good on paper, commercially insured make up small part of an oncology practice and Lazanda is not covered by Medicare and Medicaid ( the main patients in an oncologists office) if Medicare should choose to cover it, it would still require a 20% co-insurance. Patients just won't go for that when they can mana ge their around the clock pain with a fentanyl patch covered by insurance and Medicare and supplement with a Percocet of Vicodin for breakthrough pain. These last two options do not require the providers to study & take test and do agreement forms in order to get a refill. The entire mess was then confounded by telling reps to continually change their target lists and strategies without the liberty to get the business from the providers that they identified treat these difficult to manage cancer pain patients. Lazanda is a great product that worked fast, but was killed by lack of federal coverage and limited number of patients and providers that were unsatisfied with the long acting and short acting (easy to prescribe & inexpensive) opioids.
 






In mid may 30 of the 37 reps were sent an email late on a Friday to be on a mandatory teleconference the following Monday. They all got let go with no warning. Some have since found jobs, others are still searching. These were great sales people that bought the myth Archimedes was selling and didn't know to dig deeper when they were told the product would be covered by insurance & Medicare/Medicaid. Then the target list upon new target list and strategy followed by new strategy changed to often the reps looked like Linda Blair in the exorcist. They also cut half of the home office team at the same time. The remaining seven sales reps (some were chosen for their high sales but some it was nepotism that kept someone over a better performing rep) were expected to generate enough sales to carry the sinking ship since all the "dead weigh"(their former colleagues and friends) were tossed overboard. That's when the job hunting really kicked into gear. We saw how rudely they had kicked the 30 reps aside. After threats of performance improvement plans, routings requiring details on everyone they planned to see and then actually saw, an administrative witch hunt kicked off. The remaining 7 are now down to 2 full time reps from the original hire. Some. Contract reps are put in place to call on radiation oncologists, and they get cheers if they can get even nor Rx. Initially post launch the plan from the senior leadership was to take on the short acting opioid market. That is neither a realistic nor relevant comparator class of drug to try to take market share from. Upper level management still continues to hold the sales team to this incorrect market. The only change is to suggest reps call on rehab physicians and pain specialists that MAYBE see one or two cancer patients referred to them a year. When the company suggested ways to get around the cancer indication by telling the reps how they should check certain boxes on the ExpressRx forms for prior authorization the final hold on's left so they wouldn't be coerced to promote off label.
 






Anonymous said:
Correction. Oncologists manage pain with fentanyl patches and short acting opioids and they are not un happy with that inexpensive approach that requires very little paperwork. If things get complicated they get sent to a pain mjmt specilist who will most likely install a pain pump. if after the pain pump they still need Lazanda theynwill use it. Contrast w Lazanda when provider has to go through training on the products in the Transmucosal immediate release fentanyl class, pass the test, write the prescription which will then be taken to a pharmacy that doesn't stock it. If the patient can get it somewhere they can't get a refill unless both the provider and the patient sign a paper stating that they will use if for the right indication, store it safely etc. thisnis where pain mjmt specilists get messesmup because thses agents are ONLY indicated for CANCER pain. The provider can then find out that Mrdicare and Mrdicaid don't pay for it so it's all out of pocket. Each spray is $35 & you can use it four times a day so $140 per day. For a week it would cost (140x7)= $980/week. These would be doubled if the patient was on 200mg instead of 100. The 400 & 800 mg doses cost even more. For patients with commercial insurance they can use a co-pay card, but if their plan dictates a 20% coinsurance for a month of Lazanda it becomes cost prohibitive.
Archimedes hired a very talented sales team with a lot of data that looks good on paper, commercially insured make up small part of an oncology practice and Lazanda is not covered by Medicare and Medicaid ( the main patients in an oncologists office) if Medicare should choose to cover it, it would still require a 20% co-insurance. Patients just won't go for that when they can mana ge their around the clock pain with a fentanyl patch covered by insurance and Medicare and supplement with a Percocet of Vicodin for breakthrough pain. These last two options do not require the providers to study & take test and do agreement forms in order to get a refill. The entire mess was then confounded by telling reps to continually change their target lists and strategies without the liberty to get the business from the providers that they identified treat these difficult to manage cancer pain patients. Lazanda is a great product that worked fast, but was killed by lack of federal coverage and limited number of patients and providers that were unsatisfied with the long acting and short acting (easy to prescribe & inexpensive) opioids.
Click to expand...

A talented sales force? Enzon rejects from top to bottom. Rethink your statement or else someone will think you are abusing your pwn product!
 






Perhaps should have been more explicit: oncs don't write a lot of immediate-release (IR) fentanyl, for breakthrough. Duragesic patch is long acting for chronic pain. I agree completely with your other statements, though. The TIRF REMS and the availability of cheaper, non-REMS short-acting opioids make this market very, very tough. Would be curious to know how the market as a whole is doing post-TIRF REMS. Can't imagine any TIRF manufacturer is happy with their numbers.

Anonymous said:
Correction. Oncologists manage pain with fentanyl patches and short acting opioids and they are not un happy with that inexpensive approach that requires very little paperwork. If things get complicated they get sent to a pain mjmt specilist who will most likely install a pain pump. if after the pain pump they still need Lazanda theynwill use it. Contrast w Lazanda when provider has to go through training on the products in the Transmucosal immediate release fentanyl class, pass the test, write the prescription which will then be taken to a pharmacy that doesn't stock it. If the patient can get it somewhere they can't get a refill unless both the provider and the patient sign a paper stating that they will use if for the right indication, store it safely etc. thisnis where pain mjmt specilists get messesmup because thses agents are ONLY indicated for CANCER pain. The provider can then find out that Mrdicare and Mrdicaid don't pay for it so it's all out of pocket. Each spray is $35 & you can use it four times a day so $140 per day. For a week it would cost (140x7)= $980/week. These would be doubled if the patient was on 200mg instead of 100. The 400 & 800 mg doses cost even more. For patients with commercial insurance they can use a co-pay card, but if their plan dictates a 20% coinsurance for a month of Lazanda it becomes cost prohibitive.
Archimedes hired a very talented sales team with a lot of data that looks good on paper, commercially insured make up small part of an oncology practice and Lazanda is not covered by Medicare and Medicaid ( the main patients in an oncologists office) if Medicare should choose to cover it, it would still require a 20% co-insurance. Patients just won't go for that when they can mana ge their around the clock pain with a fentanyl patch covered by insurance and Medicare and supplement with a Percocet of Vicodin for breakthrough pain. These last two options do not require the providers to study & take test and do agreement forms in order to get a refill. The entire mess was then confounded by telling reps to continually change their target lists and strategies without the liberty to get the business from the providers that they identified treat these difficult to manage cancer pain patients. Lazanda is a great product that worked fast, but was killed by lack of federal coverage and limited number of patients and providers that were unsatisfied with the long acting and short acting (easy to prescribe & inexpensive) opioids.
Click to expand...
 






Top Bottom
Back
Quote