AstraZeneca Hospital reps leaving

[Anonymous]

Hey mr spellchecker, touch a little nerve did I? Paper or plastic? Repeat after me paper or plastic. Actually I'm CNS the true specialty sales force.

 

[Anonymous]

I can tell you for a fact that one of the hospital reps in my city does nothing most of the day except walk around and go to the cafeteria. It's widely known that his major hospitals will not allow pharma reps in ANY area of the hospital! What a waste of money with this sales force!

 

[Anonymous]

I can tell you for a fact that one of the hospital reps in my city does nothing most of the day except walk around and go to the cafeteria. It\'s widely known that his major hospitals will not allow pharma reps in ANY area of the hospital! What a waste of money with this sales force!

That is true for a lot of hospital reps due to hospital policies. However some reps actually see a few docs in the cafeteria. Many onc reps cannot see a lot of their docs. For that matter a lot of MC reps have a healthy number of targeted no see docs, but quite frequently still call on them... at least on paper if you get my meaning. What\'s your point?

 

[Anonymous]

Hey mr spellchecker, touch a little nerve did I? Paper or plastic? Repeat after me paper or plastic. Actually I'm CNS the true specialty sales force.

True specialty - laugh. Never was any issues with access in Psych, cos the dr always thought you were a patient. Never turned anyone away.

However good luck on that short term gig

 

[Anonymous]

This is the best job ever.

 

[Anonymous]

It's really amazing that we have thrown so much money at this drug and get back very little in return. How long will AZ continue throwing money down a rat hole? CVAS and hospital and now The Medicine Co. Money for nothing.

 

[Anonymous]

The question was finally addressed by management as to why so many people were leaving, but most of the reps were afraid to be truly candid and speak up.

 

[Anonymous]

Two or three drugs in your pocket and selling B is one tough road. I think some just get sick of it. Many of the "new" crop of hires were hospital specialty and enjoyed real in-services in multiple departments and being called back to give more information. I do not know if it is lack of B use, or just it is a pretty simply drug to use - so these people are not going to feel valued. This is even worse b/c management continually sends the CVAS/B group packing when their numbers are not good. I should also point out that the B team shares their accounts with two to three other CVAS counterparts. Certainly overkill. No cathlab is going to allow three reps and then the MDCO rep all in to in-service unless everyone wants to split it up and come once a month. You do the math and that's one call a quarter. There will be no continuity and the re-launch will fail. JMTC

 

[Anonymous]

Two or three drugs in your pocket and selling B is one tough road. I think some just get sick of it. Many of the "new" crop of hires were hospital specialty and enjoyed real in-services in multiple departments and being called back to give more information. I do not know if it is lack of B use, or just it is a pretty simply drug to use - so these people are not going to feel valued. This is even worse b/c management continually sends the CVAS/B group packing when their numbers are not good. I should also point out that the B team shares their accounts with two to three other CVAS counterparts. Certainly overkill. No cathlab is going to allow three reps and then the MDCO rep all in to in-service unless everyone wants to split it up and come once a month. You do the math and that's one call a quarter. There will be no continuity and the re-launch will fail. JMTC

AZ is such a joke. The best indicator that we cannot launch a drug successfully is the term re-launch. How many re-launches do we have to have before the real issue is addressed, a marketing team of do nothing incompetents looking for their next promotion instead of working to make a successful product launch. Where do we keep getting these clowns and why?

 

[Anonymous]

I hear two schools of thought regarding Brilinta's failure to launch successfully. One, AZ did not really understand the market and players and ill prepared the sales force for launch, and two, AZ thought it could cookie cut the sales force to sell like other therapeutic areas and still be successful.

With all of the changes in place there has obviously been recognition that the initial plans were faulted, and now there is an attempt to relaunch (whatever you want to call it) in hopes of gaining momentum.

To the title of the thread, many hospital reps are unhappy and would leave if opportunity presents.

 

[Anonymous]

I hear two schools of thought regarding Brilinta's failure to launch successfully. One, AZ did not really understand the market and players and ill prepared the sales force for launch, and two, AZ thought it could cookie cut the sales force to sell like other therapeutic areas and still be successful.

With all of the changes in place there has obviously been recognition that the initial plans were faulted, and now there is an attempt to relaunch (whatever you want to call it) in hopes of gaining momentum.

To the title of the thread, many hospital reps are unhappy and would leave if opportunity presents.

You may have heard two schools of thought on the B's failure but the real reason must have skipped school the day you were there. The real reason, and the only reason, is that the drug was priced WRONG! Enter the market "higher". 3 months later competition raised their price so B raises it's price - yet little or NO scripts written yet. YES, there was a price increase in the first 3 or 4 months. Absolute 100% wrong pricing- plain and simple. Knowing that B was 12 months later to market (more like 5 years) and there would be a generic (doctors minds generic = low cost even if it isn't) with-in 9 months why would you not low ball entry, gather market share and develop writing habits in the first 9 months. The capable sales team could not break the writing Plavix habit because of the "premium" price for the "Premium" product. What a shame. B IS a good drug but most people will never experience the benefits because it is so fricking costly.

 

[Anonymous]

You may have heard two schools of thought on the B's failure but the real reason must have skipped school the day you were there. The real reason, and the only reason, is that the drug was priced WRONG! Enter the market "higher". 3 months later competition raised their price so B raises it's price - yet little or NO scripts written yet. YES, there was a price increase in the first 3 or 4 months. Absolute 100% wrong pricing- plain and simple. Knowing that B was 12 months later to market (more like 5 years) and there would be a generic (doctors minds generic = low cost even if it isn't) with-in 9 months why would you not low ball entry, gather market share and develop writing habits in the first 9 months. The capable sales team could not break the writing Plavix habit because of the "premium" price for the "Premium" product. What a shame. B IS a good drug but most people will never experience the benefits because it is so fricking costly.

But Brilinta is such a premium product that it demands a premium price, just as you should demand that your prescribers need to write it for patients sake. Does that sound about right?

 

[Anonymous]

But Brilinta is such a premium product that it demands a premium price, just as you should demand that your prescribers need to write it for patients sake. Does that sound about right?

Absolutely right! If you ass clowns could sell, Brilinta scripts would be sky high! We've got a superior product that can DEMAND a higher price! I will admit that access can be a huge problem, since probably 80% of hospitals don't allow reps in anymore, but we can even overcome that obstacle! Also, I guess I will agree that it is priced just a little too much more that P, but what the heck...we deserve the higher cost! Also, the marketing team is full of fools, and our management team is just plain stupid, but we can work around that also! Well, there is the "generic problem" too, but by golly if we give a strong clinical sell that objection too will melt away!

C'mon guys say it with me... YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN! BRILINTA! BRILINTA! BRILINTA!!!!!!

 

[Anonymous]

Pricing and insurance in the U.S. just like everywhere else dictates what drugs get Rxed. B is the go-to OAP in Europe. That should say something about their healthcare structure. I do not have any answers but do know this drug is superior and should be used in everyone appropriate at least for the first 30 days and longer if the pt can get coverage of some kind. Problem is the PA/QL letters that are needed for most MA/MC pts. No one in busy clinics or hospitals really wants to do them. They weigh getting more pts back or having them die against the dollars spent on staff time. It just for many isn't something they care enough about. Many figure the pt's bad habits got them there and why bother going out on limb if the pt is just going back to smoking and eating McDonald's. You have to find the people who care and are willing to work with the pt and ensure they understand the importance of lifestyle change and getting the best medication. No easy task and especially hard if access is limited and we have three to four reps pushing on the key targets with a real lack of coordination - not too mention the pesty factor.

 

[Anonymous]

Bradley is not leaving

 

[Anonymous]

Absolutely right! If you ass clowns could sell, Brilinta scripts would be sky high! We've got a superior product that can DEMAND a higher price! I will admit that access can be a huge problem, since probably 80% of hospitals don't allow reps in anymore, but we can even overcome that obstacle! Also, I guess I will agree that it is priced just a little too much more that P, but what the heck...we deserve the higher cost! Also, the marketing team is full of fools, and our management team is just plain stupid, but we can work around that also! Well, there is the "generic problem" too, but by golly if we give a strong clinical sell that objection too will melt away!

C'mon guys say it with me... YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN! BRILINTA! BRILINTA! BRILINTA!!!!!!

Geez, how many times do we hafta say it. Sell to the need. Sell To The NEED! SELL TO THE NEED!!!

We've given you all the tools you need in your "tool kit." Anything else is just excuses.

 

[Anonymous]

Or you could sell like the "Titty Twins" as they are called in Mobile. One has brains, the other just flirts, and they both show lots of cleavage. Cardiologists laugh when they leave and one lies to her boss all the time. A different way of selling to the need.

 

[Anonymous]

Or you could sell like the "Titty Twins" as they are called in Mobile. One has brains, the other just flirts, and they both show lots of cleavage. Cardiologists laugh when they leave and one lies to her boss all the time. A different way of selling to the need.

Flirt, show cleavage, and the CD's like to see them... hmm... works for me!

... and you never lie to your boss in the sense that you over slightly embellish your achievements, or polish the apple once in a while, like the majority of us?

 

[Anonymous]

For a long while it was rumored (at least here at ground level) that MT was unhappy with hospital existence and wanted it to be managed like PC. This was well prior to the Brilinta launch. It was unfortunate to cookie cut the sales organization and manage Hospital as such. This TA was once on a par with Oncology (though that's been baked as well) and flexibility was important. It appeared MM recognized this, but was swimming upstream like a salmon fighting the current. Now matters are worse.

Mal fought like hell for the hospital team. Unfortunately MT only trusted his own flawed instincts, as usual, and the business suffered.

 

[Anonymous]

Mal fought like hell for the hospital team. Unfortunately MT only trusted his own flawed instincts, as usual, and the business suffered.

I agree but when was the last time anyone fought for us or even stood up in a meeting and asked a challenging question? Those leaders are long gone and all that we have left are people who promote themselves. This company is all about self perservation and MT can take credit for the cluster fuck that we have become.