More Layoffs

[Anonymous]

When two companies merge, there will always be layoffs. Roche in Nutley NJ only had about 3000 people, DNA in SSF had about 11,000. Do the math. Has nothing to do with Roche--its business. Your masters in SSF said "yes" when they could have said "no" to the takeover. Now these DNA folks sit on the Roche boards. Your own people sold you out.

You are telling the truth,,,,,,,That sleezeball Art and Sanders sold us out. I still can't believe the dopes that revered those two.............but roche still sucks huge,

 

[Anonymous]

Yes there were US companies that wanted to purchase all or part of Genentech back in 1990 but they wanted more control. Roche had the money and let Genentech do their own thing. If Roche had taken control, many of the products out today would never had made it to market with the track record Roche has. Roche can spend money but they can not develop and gain approval for products. Roche today is completely dependant on the products that came from Genentech research.

Not completely, but I get your point. Here is another point that you choose to ignore, those so called "Genentech" products that Roche relies on, never would have existed if not for the huge financial investment from Roche. If not for Roche, neither genentech, nor Roche would benefit from thee drugs. Secondly, check the pipeline, most of the big drugs are legacy Roche. Legacy Roche initiated drugs represented the future growth of the comapny.

Finally, this talk about Roche vs Genentech is all silly now; Genentech no longer exists, and Roche is still here. If you dont like working for Roche, quit!

 

[Anonymous]

When two companies merge, there will always be layoffs. Roche in Nutley NJ only had about 3000 people, DNA in SSF had about 11,000. Do the math. Has nothing to do with Roche--its business. Your masters in SSF said "yes" when they could have said "no" to the takeover. Now these DNA folks sit on the Roche boards. Your own people sold you out.

They never really could have "NO". They had a fiduciary responsibility to do what was right for the stock holders. In the end, with the premiunm that was offered (and with the recent failures with avastin, we now know that the premium was even more than expected), there was NO choice.

 

[Anonymous]

Stop all this nonsense. It doesn't really matter. Let's talk about the Sunshine Act and Obama. That's what's causing all of the layoffs and the reason why Genentech and all of biotech/pharma is no longer a viable career.

 

[Anonymous]

What happened to managed care?

 

[Anonymous]

Come on, please stop the nonsense.

- First all Roche did not get a "FOOTHOLD" with Genentech in 1990, the bought the company (100% of the stock), and ran it as an independent operation.

- Yes, due to the growth of the stock price, roche sold about half the stock, along the way, and repurchased in 2009. They maintained majority ownership throghout.

- Yes, "Genentech" drugs made up a significant portion of 2008 Roche profits. So what! Roche owned Genentech, and they were entitled to the drugs.

- Roche, with or without Genentech, had many billions of dollars in profits, and would have been a top 10-15 drug company anyway, thats just a fact.

- You assert that Roche wouldnt exist without Genentech; your logic is faulty. The opposite is likely true thogh. Without the billions in investments to genentech, there likely would have not been the money for R&D, and Avastin etc would not even exist. There is a reason that Genentech accepted the investment, THEY NEEDED THE MONEY.

- Clearly you do realize that ROCHEUSA (genentech) is not led by legacy roche people. In addition, you can not be serious about blaming "legacy roche" for the fact that Avastin simply does not work in breast cancer? Also, are you seriosly blaming "legacy Roche" for the fact that HGH is a commodity product, with multiple competitiors in its class?


Come, stop the childish nonsense please! This is almost 4 years since the acquisition of the outstanding genetech shares, yet you are still bitter? The glory days of the old startup genetech were long gone, before the acquisition. With 10,000 plus employees, genentech has been nothing but a bloated big pharma company, for years.

The good old days are over, get over it or get out.

Finally someone who has the story straight and accrurate. Genentech people keep blaming Roche for the loss of the glory days of DNA when the blame goes to Genentech it self. Genentech is like a young bimbo spending the money of her wealthy elderly boyfriend (Roche) without thought. Eventually the old boyfriend wises up and realizes he's been taken so forces her into marriage and prenup or threatens to put her out on the nearest street corner.

Its not Roche, it your top managers of 2009. Put out or shut up!

 

[Anonymous]

Roche equals failure, always has always will.

 

[Anonymous]

This whole mess with MCCO started when Kent Lieginger came to Genentech. Kent and Bill Sawicki were actually caught by their previous employer (Glaxo) padding their expense reports and hiding their personal wine purchases as company expenditures. It was Kent's secretary who blew the whistle on him after he fired her. Glaxo told him resign or he would be fired. He resigned and slithered on over to Genentech. Now he has gotten rid of most of the best Account Managers in the business. And most who are left are looking outside of the company to get out as well. They have created great access for our products over the years and helped us on coverage issues repeatedly. How are they rewarded? Kicked out! The problem is that there are about 4 people in house in MCCO for every one person in the field. When will Ian ever open his eyes and get rid of this fool? And I used to think Genentech was a good place to work! Ha!

 

[Anonymous]

This whole mess with MCCO started when Kent Lieginger came to Genentech. Kent and Bill Sawicki were actually caught by their previous employer (Glaxo) padding their expense reports and hiding their personal wine purchases as company expenditures. It was Kent's secretary who blew the whistle on him after he fired her. Glaxo told him resign or he would be fired. He resigned and slithered on over to Genentech. Now he has gotten rid of most of the best Account Managers in the business. And most who are left are looking outside of the company to get out as well. They have created great access for our products over the years and helped us on coverage issues repeatedly. How are they rewarded? Kicked out! The problem is that there are about 4 people in house in MCCO for every one person in the field. When will Ian ever open his eyes and get rid of this fool? And I used to think Genentech was a good place to work! Ha!

King Turkeys fitting for today....Masters of creating mountains of mole hills, complicating the simple, yelling fire with the extinguisher ready in hand....driving organizational busy work to feed egos

 

[Anonymous]

This whole mess with MCCO started when Kent Lieginger came to Genentech. Kent and Bill Sawicki were actually caught by their previous employer (Glaxo) padding their expense reports and hiding their personal wine purchases as company expenditures. It was Kent's secretary who blew the whistle on him after he fired her. Glaxo told him resign or he would be fired. He resigned and slithered on over to Genentech. Now he has gotten rid of most of the best Account Managers in the business. And most who are left are looking outside of the company to get out as well. They have created great access for our products over the years and helped us on coverage issues repeatedly. How are they rewarded? Kicked out! The problem is that there are about 4 people in house in MCCO for every one person in the field. When will Ian ever open his eyes and get rid of this fool? And I used to think Genentech was a good place to work! Ha!

"Best account managers in the business?" What am I missing? Name one of those? It was an organized get-rid-of-dead-wood maneuver. Funny how there are still many openings even thought plenty of people could take them. KL just didn't think too highly of his team.

 

[Anonymous]

If you read industry reports you might have a different response instead of making blanket negative comments. Genentech Account Managers have for the last 5 years been ranked near the top in the industry when it comes to integrity and clinical knowledge. Kent has gotten rid of of people that didn't fit with his good ole boy group mentality or weren't "yes men" - in other words people who expressed an original opinion. To say these people were dead wood is showing your ignorance. I know my account manager that got let go was the best one I have ever worked with in this industry. I don't want to put his name here, because then I might be singled out. No longer a safe environment at Genentech to express opinions.

 

[Anonymous]

Who got the ax?

 

[Anonymous]

If you read industry reports you might have a different response instead of making blanket negative comments. Genentech Account Managers have for the last 5 years been ranked near the top in the industry when it comes to integrity and clinical knowledge. Kent has gotten rid of of people that didn't fit with his good ole boy group mentality or weren't "yes men" - in other words people who expressed an original opinion. To say these people were dead wood is showing your ignorance. I know my account manager that got let go was the best one I have ever worked with in this industry. I don't want to put his name here, because then I might be singled out. No longer a safe environment at Genentech to express opinions.

Way too many of them though. Sort of like the bizarre situation where reps only promote a single drug. This leads to far too many reps, from the same company, calling on the same docs, with really nothing to say on a monthly (or more) basis. Managed Care Companies want fewer contacts. They are not interested in 20 Managed care reps, from the same company calling on them. Genentech was bloated in this area, then add in the roche folks, and you have double the waste.

 

[Anonymous]

Way too many of them though. Sort of like the bizarre situation where reps only promote a single drug. This leads to far too many reps, from the same company, calling on the same docs, with really nothing to say on a monthly (or more) basis. Managed Care Companies want fewer contacts. They are not interested in 20 Managed care reps, from the same company calling on them. Genentech was bloated in this area, then add in the roche folks, and you have double the waste.

You don't know what you are talking about. The account managers at Genentech have the entire portfolio of about 15 products (all Genentech legacy products and Roche legacy products). Each account manager has one or more states that they cover. There are not more than one account manager from Genentech calling on an organization. There were only 26 total before the last layoff. Companies like Glaxo and Aventis have about 40 for a lot fewer and less technical products. Reps only have one or two products at the most. We have way too many reps.

 

[Anonymous]

All of this good news we get seems to have happened under the Obama regime. Maybe it will change next year.

 

[Anonymous]

kenneth st evens take pros t! tute J!ll Gene!za with you

 

[Anonymous]

To all of those who have left Genentech in the past 2 years or so, I wish you a very happy holiday season. I was shocked that i was invited to leave but with what and who is left at a once very proud company, I can now appreciate Genentech more for letting me go. I would never had left on my own but I should have. I will always respect Art and Sue and most of the others on the EC and how they ran the company. The folks now, especially the evil one, Ian, are responsible what Genentech has become.

 

[Anonymous]

To all of those who have left Genentech in the past 2 years or so, I wish you a very happy holiday season. I was shocked that i was invited to leave but with what and who is left at a once very proud company, I can now appreciate Genentech more for letting me go. I would never had left on my own but I should have. I will always respect Art and Sue and most of the others on the EC and how they ran the company. The folks now, especially the evil one, Ian, are responsible what Genentech has become.

I agree about ian, but imo art was a con man.

 

[Anonymous]

Anyone know how many FRMs are left in each division?

 

[Anonymous]

OK, here we go again, here are just five of the very successful drugs that Roche had. Please, lets leave emotions out of it and just speak facts:

- Pegasys - 80%+ market share. Used in virtually EVERY HCV study
- Tamiflu - 99% market share, 1billion+ worldwide
- Cellcept - The clear market leader
- Xeloda - Blockbuster
- Boniva - two billion plus world wide.

Please remember that Roche owned between 51% and 100% of genentech stock for more than 25 years. Genentech did not GIVE Roche anything. In order to survive early on, they need a huge investment from Roche, and part of that investment was the rights all drugs that genentch developed, in the European market. Dont you get it, Genentech would have stopped at Nutropin, if Roche did not take ownershio, and let it continue as an independent operation. Yes, that right, the only drug that genentech developed without that largess and backing from Roche is Nutropin.

These are facts, that simple research will verify.

Hate to break it to you, but Gilead owns Tamiflu. Roche/Genentech markets it.