MannKind's Afrezza Lags Behind Biggest Failure in Inhaled Insulin

[Anonymous]

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- The number of prescriptions written for MannKind's (MNKD) inhaled insulin drug Afrezza have barely made a dent in the diabetes market since partner Sanofi (SNY - Get Report) launched the product five months ago. Afrezza is even underperforming Exubera, the first inhaled insulin drug, launched by Pfizer in 2006. Exubera was a commercial failure, forcing Pfizer (PFE) to abandon the product after one year.
Here's a graphical representation of just how badly MannKind's Afrezza is performing relative to other diabetes drugs. The three lines clustered tightly together at the bottom of the chart represent the number of Afrezza prescriptions written weekly since launched in early February, as reported by healthcare data providers IMS Health and Bloomberg (Symphony). The light blue line with the "X" hashmarks represents the number of prescriptions written for Exubera at the start of its launch in 2006. Afrezza prescriptions today are lagging behind that track. MannKind claims Afrezza is superior in every way to Exubera, and therefore should succeed where Exubera failed. However, almost five months into its launch, MannKind's promise rings hollow. The purple line in the chart zooming into orbit tracks prescriptions written for Tanzeum, a GLP-1 injection marketed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Tanzeum isn't insulin, but it's included in this comparison because it helps illustrate Sanofi's poor job marketing Afrezza.

 

[Anonymous]

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- The number of prescriptions written for MannKind's (MNKD) inhaled insulin drug Afrezza have barely made a dent in the diabetes market since partner Sanofi (SNY - Get Report) launched the product five months ago. Afrezza is even underperforming Exubera, the first inhaled insulin drug, launched by Pfizer in 2006. Exubera was a commercial failure, forcing Pfizer (PFE) to abandon the product after one year.
Here's a graphical representation of just how badly MannKind's Afrezza is performing relative to other diabetes drugs. The three lines clustered tightly together at the bottom of the chart represent the number of Afrezza prescriptions written weekly since launched in early February, as reported by healthcare data providers IMS Health and Bloomberg (Symphony). The light blue line with the "X" hashmarks represents the number of prescriptions written for Exubera at the start of its launch in 2006. Afrezza prescriptions today are lagging behind that track. MannKind claims Afrezza is superior in every way to Exubera, and therefore should succeed where Exubera failed. However, almost five months into its launch, MannKind's promise rings hollow. The purple line in the chart zooming into orbit tracks prescriptions written for Tanzeum, a GLP-1 injection marketed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Tanzeum isn't insulin, but it's included in this comparison because it helps illustrate Sanofi's poor job marketing Afrezza.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Oh, look: we have yet another crappy launch.

Well, the good news is that I heard that Diedre C is available (President of Sales, recently fired from GSK). Lets hire her!

 

[Anonymous]

What an epic failure of a launch. The launch powerhouse is taking on water.

 

[Anonymous]

Whoever had the balls to call sanofi a launch powerhouse should get an award for audacity.

 

[Anonymous]

The think tank that came up with the launch powerhouse and most envied salesforce in pharma should be taken out and put against a wall and the entire sales force throw tomatoes at them. What a joke. I've always said that Sanofi Management working would be a great reality show to show how incompetence is rewarded and all the made up jobs over the last 5 years. Change agents,Quims,pharmacy team, MTIN, Regional Assistants, and many more.

 

[Anonymous]

There is no way to compare the launch of Afrezza in 2015 vs. Exubera in 20016. Pfizer was the #1 pharmaceutical company at the time and they had over a year to prepare for launch. Mannkind signed the deal with Sanofi late in 2014 and the brand team wasn't even in place until late November. The managed care situation has totally changed - back then nearly every product was on formulary in the diabetes space. The diabetes space has become very crowded compared with 2006. Not to mention access is much more limited compared with 2006.

1190 physicians have written Afrezza and patients have filled 3552 scripts.

You can take and compare the number of scripts to any other product and call Afrezza a failure.

For the patients that filled 3552 scripts, would they say Afrezza is a failure or a success? Afrezza has given them an opportunity to take an ultra-rapid acting insulin without the extra injections and social stigma that comes along with those injections.

 

[Anonymous]

contact pfizer make a combo inhaled insulin with Viagra Afrezzagra... Rapid mealtime insulin and boner.

 

[Anonymous]

contact pfizer make a combo inhaled insulin with Viagra Afrezzagra... Rapid mealtime insulin and boner.

Your wife needs a real man not a combo drug. Or better yet a combo of two real men to give her what you can't.

 

[Anonymous]

There is no way to compare the launch of Afrezza in 2015 vs. Exubera in 20016. Pfizer was the #1 pharmaceutical company at the time and they had over a year to prepare for launch. Mannkind signed the deal with Sanofi late in 2014 and the brand team wasn't even in place until late November. The managed care situation has totally changed - back then nearly every product was on formulary in the diabetes space. The diabetes space has become very crowded compared with 2006. Not to mention access is much more limited compared with 2006.

1190 physicians have written Afrezza and patients have filled 3552 scripts.

You can take and compare the number of scripts to any other product and call Afrezza a failure.

For the patients that filled 3552 scripts, would they say Afrezza is a failure or a success? Afrezza has given them an opportunity to take an ultra-rapid acting insulin without the extra injections and social stigma that comes along with those injections.

All of the reasons given as to why the two launches are different are better reasons why the product was doomed from the start. Very crowded diabetes space. No access to doctors limiting detailing input for a premium product. Somebody other than the doctor controls the formulary. I can add a few others.

 

[Anonymous]

All of the reasons given as to why the two launches are different are better reasons why the product was doomed from the start. Very crowded diabetes space. No access to doctors limiting detailing input for a premium product. Somebody other than the doctor controls the formulary. I can add a few others.

There is less access and the detailing is limited but there is still enough access to incrementally grow the brand. The coverage is very restricted and makes it a much bigger hill to climb, not to mention spirometry. If MannKind and Sanofi can stick with it long enough Afrezza can get there. Right now Sanofi has the cash coming in from Lantus to fund a very slow uptake of Afrezza. We'll see how long Sanofi will pour resources into such a small product - 2016 the brand has to hit the goals or it will be over.

 

[Anonymous]

Way to go Garrett! The managed care expert that launched Exubera, made a shambles of the Novo Diabetes portfolio, and couldn't do anything at BMS to help its Diabetes franchise. What a F-ing legacy to be proud.

 

[Anonymous]

And of course they always end up at Sanofi. If you have a detailed resume if failure the sky is the limit at Sanofi. Failure is the backbone of Sanofi.

 

[Anonymous]

And of course they always end up at Sanofi. If you have a detailed resume if failure the sky is the limit at Sanofi. Failure is the backbone of Sanofi.

Our sales and marketing leaders were picked from the recycling bin for the entire industry. And our results prove it.

 

[Anonymous]

Our sales and marketing leaders were picked from the recycling bin for the entire industry. And our results prove it.

We can say the same for our reps as well. Anyone left here is either too dumb to know to leave or is trying and no one wants to hire them because they cant sell.