A couple of quick points:
1) With the ramp up of the sales force in anticipation of Clad, do we really need 90 plus Pfizer reps and 90 plus Serono reps, plus SAMs to promote Rebif
2) When Merck Kgaa bought EMD Serono it was to have a presence in the US. Are those drugs ever coming over for EMD Serono to promote
3) When you think about the "big" pharma vs "small" pharma debate one thing big pharma can do - sometimes is sustain a loss of an approval since the portfolio is deeper. That puts a premium on Business Development and the ability to acquire other companies/technologies as backup. Maybe there is backup plan in this arena. Since these dealings are usually hush, hush, let's hope there was enough foresight not to put all the eggs in the Clad basket
4) It's a good thing that Rebif is a solid established treatment for MS. If there is nothing new in neurology for the near future then there will be a premium put on product differentiation. Not everyone is cut out to sell a mature product that may lose market share because it is the market leader in the DMD space. What will make this even more challenging is that other companies may be coming out with more innovative products and EMD Serono will not be perceived as a player in MS.
5) Now is not the time to cry over what could have been or what should have been. Now is the time for leadership at all levels to step up, reinvent EMD Serono Neurology if necessary an move forward. This is a setback no doubt, but if we have the right leadership in place there will be plan for growth in the future. If not point #1 will become a function of maximizing profits with a mature brand and the easiest way to do that is to see what is the minimum amount of expense (field sales force) necessary to sustain a profit
No way to sugarcoat this: Not a good day for Neurology, but one that can be overcome with a sound business plan and a diversified approach toward entering new markets. Who's to say MS is the Holy grail??
Until the new plan is unveiled, keep cranking out those SRFs!!!