Do you think that the Pegasys people can get a bio oncology job?

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I don't think it's outsiders but Pegasys reps are considered bottom of the barrel in my opinion. Not saying its actually true but i think thats the perception. Pegasys is a primary care sales force, with pre approved messages, call metrics, and non-sales nonsense. Pegasys reps have little total account calling experience do to their lack of reimbursement knowledge. Primary care will have difficulty getting into Bio-Onc. Also i hate to say it but it's Roche folk are not considered strong players. They lack creativity in the field due to big pharma personality. I see it all the time.
 


















Anonymous said:
I don't think it's outsiders but Pegasys reps are considered bottom of the barrel in my opinion. Not saying its actually true but i think thats the perception. Pegasys is a primary care sales force, with pre approved messages, call metrics, and non-sales nonsense. Pegasys reps have little total account calling experience do to their lack of reimbursement knowledge. Primary care will have difficulty getting into Bio-Onc. Also i hate to say it but it's Roche folk are not considered strong players. They lack creativity in the field due to big pharma personality. I see it all the time.
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Ok BioOnc d-bag. What does anyone in BioOnc know about selling in a competitive market........they don't because if Avastin doesn't get used first line, it's used second line. Most of us on the Pegasys team have no desire to work with the pompous asses that make up much of the oncology teams. If you think selling Pegasys is primary care, then you have no clue about what you're saying.
 












Ok this is my first post in this thread. I have worked in both BioOnc and Pegasys. To the original poster yes you can get a job in BioOnc if you are qualified and present yourself as the best candidate. There are now close to 20 former Pegasys reps in BioOnc across many different franchises. Anyone interested in BioOnc needs to understand buy and bill, total office calls (there are many more layers in oncology than in Pegasys), working in a large team environment (6-8 BioOnc reps can all call on the same account) and finally the drugs. Learning not only Genentech's drugs but all the competition (which there are lot more players) and yes there is competition.

To the BioOnc person who replied there are many talented people in Pegasys but there are also a lot of bad eggs, just like in BioOnc. To educate you Pegasys in not a primary care sale. First and foremost Pegasys is interferon, which has been widely used buy oncologists. Pegasys in combination with the current oral regimens has a very complex side effect profile, as complex as any in oncology. Pegasys reps have to continually educate and handhold Gastroenterologists (who do not want to treat HCV), their nurses and office staff. The billing side is complicated due to multiple combinations and payers, it is NOT as complicated as buy and bill. Also many Pegasys reps dealt with very large complicated accounts like state and federal prison systems, VA Hospitals and state health organizations.


There is a reason all companies hire people with direct experience in the market. It is an easier transition and you bring in relationships. If a BioOnc rep started in Pegasys they would struggle at first, same as the Pegasys rep would in Oncology. Many other franchises in Genentech struggle to get over to BioOnc for whatever reason. If you want a job in a new franchise, EARN IT. It can and has been done by a lot of other people.
 






Anonymous said:
I don't think it's outsiders but Pegasys reps are considered bottom of the barrel in my opinion. Not saying its actually true but i think thats the perception. Pegasys is a primary care sales force, with pre approved messages, call metrics, and non-sales nonsense. Pegasys reps have little total account calling experience do to their lack of reimbursement knowledge. Primary care will have difficulty getting into Bio-Onc. Also i hate to say it but it's Roche folk are not considered strong players. They lack creativity in the field due to big pharma personality. I see it all the time.
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NOw selling a biologic to specialists, in the hottest arena in the industry is "primary care". Give me a break; I know of several reps laid off from Boniva, who are doing great in BIO onc. You all do 95% of the same thing:

- Deliver 30 second sound bites
- Schmooze at dinners "Medical Education"
- Deliver sandwiches

Oncolgy reps are a dime a dozen, and the market is flooded with them. For example, how many genentech reps does it take to call on the same prescriber? This is the reason that the worst rep access in the industry is among oncologists.

A rep is a rep, PERIOD!
 






Anonymous said:
Ok this is my first post in this thread. I have worked in both BioOnc and Pegasys. To the original poster yes you can get a job in BioOnc if you are qualified and present yourself as the best candidate. There are now close to 20 former Pegasys reps in BioOnc across many different franchises. Anyone interested in BioOnc needs to understand buy and bill, total office calls (there are many more layers in oncology than in Pegasys), working in a large team environment (6-8 BioOnc reps can all call on the same account) and finally the drugs. Learning not only Genentech's drugs but all the competition (which there are lot more players) and yes there is competition.

To the BioOnc person who replied there are many talented people in Pegasys but there are also a lot of bad eggs, just like in BioOnc. To educate you Pegasys in not a primary care sale. First and foremost Pegasys is interferon, which has been widely used buy oncologists. Pegasys in combination with the current oral regimens has a very complex side effect profile, as complex as any in oncology. Pegasys reps have to continually educate and handhold Gastroenterologists (who do not want to treat HCV), their nurses and office staff. The billing side is complicated due to multiple combinations and payers, it is NOT as complicated as buy and bill. Also many Pegasys reps dealt with very large complicated accounts like state and federal prison systems, VA Hospitals and state health organizations.


There is a reason all companies hire people with direct experience in the market. It is an easier transition and you bring in relationships. If a BioOnc rep started in Pegasys they would struggle at first, same as the Pegasys rep would in Oncology. Many other franchises in Genentech struggle to get over to BioOnc for whatever reason. If you want a job in a new franchise, EARN IT. It can and has been done by a lot of other people.
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Wow, 6-8 Genetech reps calling on the same account? NO THANKS!, Now THATS primary care!
 












Of course they can. Moved over to BioOnc a year ago and it is as primary care as any Pharma job out there. If you were successful in another franchise and are a good caterer you will do fine.
And yes many of the Gene BioOnc reps (or COS as they like to be called) are as arrogant as they come but no worries they are just drug reps like the Pegasus team.
 






Anonymous said:
Of course they can. Moved over to BioOnc a year ago and it is as primary care as any Pharma job out there. If you were successful in another franchise and are a good caterer you will do fine.
And yes many of the Gene BioOnc reps (or COS as they like to be called) are as arrogant as they come but no worries they are just drug reps like the Pegasus team.
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You clearly aren't from Pegasys, not Pegasus you tool
 






Anonymous said:
I don't think it's outsiders but Pegasys reps are considered bottom of the barrel in my opinion. Not saying its actually true but i think thats the perception. Pegasys is a primary care sales force, with pre approved messages, call metrics, and non-sales nonsense. Pegasys reps have little total account calling experience do to their lack of reimbursement knowledge. Primary care will have difficulty getting into Bio-Onc. Also i hate to say it but it's Roche folk are not considered strong players. They lack creativity in the field due to big pharma personality. I see it all the time.
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Go fuck yourself
 






Unfortunately it sounds like a few of the BioOnc folks have turned into Kim Kardashians. A little over inflated self worth, to say the least. Your accounts must really look forward to your visits and knowledge.
 












Anonymous said:
What it really sounds like is someone is just trying to stir up trouble...
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Agreed. I guess to some we are still two different companies. Funny how many don't recall that only last year, Pegasys delivered $680 million, much of which went to fund BioOnc and other products but of course, there are those who think that those on this team are not of the same calibre or worthy of representing their beloved BioOnc products......whatever. I for one have no desire to be on your ego bloated team.
 






If both jobs were at the ‘same level’ then why do so many Peg reps want to break into oncology and no onc reps want to break into hep?

I did it and I can tell you from experience that Onc is 100% harder to grasp then Hep. In hep if you know GI and the Liver you know basically all you need to know. In oncology you are expected to know your tumor type inside and out, all of your competitors inside and out, all of the other treatment modalities(rad onc, surgery, cryo, diagnostics, etc.), and since the drugs are so toxic to some many body systems and organs you need to have a greater understanding of many of those organs and systems, AND this is the big one, a general understanding of EVERY OTHER cancer, solid and liquid , out there – just the terminology can be mind blowing. My first year on the job and oncologists would start drawing comparisons to CRC from how they treated CML, or liver cancer, or myeloma. Which I knew nothing about nor was ever trained on. Not that people can’t grasp the concepts it just takes a heck of a lot more time then understanding Hepatitis/Virology.

Also to the previous poster’s point access is dismal and hence why we and other oncology companies hire tenured reps as generally they are the ones with good access. A new oncology rep is more or less screwed for the first year.
 






Anonymous said:
If both jobs were at the ‘same level’ then why do so many Peg reps want to break into oncology and no onc reps want to break into hep?

I did it and I can tell you from experience that Onc is 100% harder to grasp then Hep. In hep if you know GI and the Liver you know basically all you need to know. In oncology you are expected to know your tumor type inside and out, all of your competitors inside and out, all of the other treatment modalities(rad onc, surgery, cryo, diagnostics, etc.), and since the drugs are so toxic to some many body systems and organs you need to have a greater understanding of many of those organs and systems, AND this is the big one, a general understanding of EVERY OTHER cancer, solid and liquid , out there – just the terminology can be mind blowing. My first year on the job and oncologists would start drawing comparisons to CRC from how they treated CML, or liver cancer, or myeloma. Which I knew nothing about nor was ever trained on. Not that people can’t grasp the concepts it just takes a heck of a lot more time then understanding Hepatitis/Virology.

Also to the previous poster’s point access is dismal and hence why we and other oncology companies hire tenured reps as generally they are the ones with good access. A new oncology rep is more or less screwed for the first year.
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OK, lets just keep it real, oncology reps are NOT "higher", thats just a fact, simply ask your HR rep. Oncology does however offer the more opportunities. Simply put, I had a discussion with the head of training and development at Genentech and she literally told me that with 6 months of training, any good rep can become a more than proficient BioOnc rep. She did not hesitate at all when she said this. In fact, I know of reps that went from derm to Oncology, primary care to oncology, HCV to oncology, and the list goes on and on.

Ask yourself this, how many reps have you seen from another area, transfer to BioOnc, and could not learn the material, etc. I know of none, and am sure that it is no different than BioOnc reps who have transferred to other areas. We in BioOnc sometimes get a little confused and think that we are "oncoloGISTS" and not "Oncology REPS.

We are 95% the same as all other reps, including primary care, the difference being we are trained on different products; and we have much greater access issues. An HCV manager would much sooner higher and HCV rep, for an open position, vs. an oncology rep; this does not mean that HCV is higher.

Lose the ego, and move on, you are simply a drug rep who is trained in a different area. You cater lunches, and give 30 second sound bites just like everyone else, AND we have it worse, as our access is much worse, and we trip all over one another as multiple Genentech BioOnc reps all attempting to call on the same accounts. YOU ARE NOT A DOCTOR, SO STOP ACTING AS YOU ARE!
 






Anonymous said:
OK, lets just keep it real, oncology reps are NOT "higher", thats just a fact, simply ask your HR rep. Oncology does however offer the more opportunities. Simply put, I had a discussion with the head of training and development at Genentech and she literally told me that with 6 months of training, any good rep can become a more than proficient BioOnc rep. She did not hesitate at all when she said this. In fact, I know of reps that went from derm to Oncology, primary care to oncology, HCV to oncology, and the list goes on and on.

Ask yourself this, how many reps have you seen from another area, transfer to BioOnc, and could not learn the material, etc. I know of none, and am sure that it is no different than BioOnc reps who have transferred to other areas. We in BioOnc sometimes get a little confused and think that we are "oncoloGISTS" and not "Oncology REPS.

We are 95% the same as all other reps, including primary care, the difference being we are trained on different products; and we have much greater access issues. An HCV manager would much sooner higher and HCV rep, for an open position, vs. an oncology rep; this does not mean that HCV is higher.

Lose the ego, and move on, you are simply a drug rep who is trained in a different area. You cater lunches, and give 30 second sound bites just like everyone else, AND we have it worse, as our access is much worse, and we trip all over one another as multiple Genentech BioOnc reps all attempting to call on the same accounts. YOU ARE NOT A DOCTOR, SO STOP ACTING AS YOU ARE!
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All of this bellyaching is getting old. To this poster, what the hell are you talking about with "higher"? Do you mean "hire" or something else??
We all work for the same company, delivering some of the best treatments on the face of this earth to the patients who are in dire need them, regardless of disease state and yet there is all of this BS posturing about who's the best trained reps. Give it a rest and be thankful we have the jobs we have. For my colleagues in Hepatitis, hang in there and do what you have to do. The reality is regardless of what leadership says, that it is easier to get a position outside of the company than it is within. At some point we all will have to make that decision. The sad fact is if you really want to get into oncology and you don't get the opportunity here, you might have to go somewhere else to get the experience.
 






WOW, I would love to see you bio-onc people actually be placed in an environment you have to sell in. You think Oncologist are so special. They are just internist with a little more training. All they want to know about the drug is what is the best thing that can happen, what is the worst thing that can happen and what should they expect to see with the drug. Same as all other docs. Buy and Bill???? Really?? What can you honestly tell a doc about it other than hand them a piece of literature? You can't. You have to call the FRM. Stop thinking so high of yourself. Watch what happens to Zelboraf when the new drugs hit the market. Will you be able to sell it? Or will you jump ship?
 






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