Novartis Oncology

[anonymous]

What is it like working in Novartis Oncology? Are there too many employees like Cardiology and there is a high risk of layoffs?

 

[anonymous]

What is it like working in Novartis Oncology? Are there too many employees like Cardiology and there is a high risk of layoffs?

Oncology just reorged. It should be safe for the next year. My guess is they’ll downsize again around this time next year considering the current leadership is an absolute disaster.

 

[anonymous]

Novartis oncology is a shit show. Soon to be lots of manager ride-alongs, metrics out the arse and wondering why you aren’t getting 5 calls per day

 

[anonymous]

Novartis oncology is a shit show. Soon to be lots of manager ride-alongs, metrics out the arse and wondering why you aren’t getting 5 calls per day

 

[anonymous]

Ok. But this doesn’t seem any different from “business as usual” in big pharma. It’s quite a bit of pay for the same old, same old baby sitting and management by spreadsheet.

 

[anonymous]

Issue is that access is crap, can’t make much of a difference with docs especially since at best you see 1x a year

 

[anonymous]

I will never understand why we have so many oncology reps and now disease state reps when you can’t see an oncologist without any appointment or lunch/breakfast. There are minimal if any at all drop in visits in onco even to see staff. I feel for the onco reps who are going to get slammed with unrealistic metrics

 

[anonymous]

Issue is that access is crap, can’t make much of a difference with docs especially since at best you see 1x a year

So, you do what you can do that is ethical and appropriate for your territory. You document what is required, you keep smiling and enjoy your steady paycheck. You bank as much cash as possible and you use your spare time to nurture your family or build a second income stream (some people can do both). People who are out of work or working below their skill level to have a paycheck at all would be grateful to have these “problems”. Does being micromanaged or tracking activity by spreadsheet suck, you bet. But we’re a bunch of spoiled brats as pharma reps. It sure as hell beats the alternative!

 

[anonymous]

True dat! Have you ever tried selling as a 1099 (straight commission) medical rep? Try that for 18 months and see how bad field rides, micromanagement, and tedious spreadsheets are. Your income can swing from “barely getting by” to “bathing in cash” from one month to the next. Then your quota doubles and is entirely based on NEW sales (no money for repeat business). So, you’re back to barely covering your mortgage for six months while you try to find new prey. With all the access challenges today, the hardest part of pharma sales is getting the job and “making busy” to check all the boxes. Let’s not kid ourselves here…

 

[anonymous]

I will never understand why we have so many oncology reps and now disease state reps when you can’t see an oncologist without any appointment or lunch/breakfast. There are minimal if any at all drop in visits in onco even to see staff. I feel for the onco reps who are going to get slammed with unrealistic metrics

I don’t feel for them. They milk the healthcare system while doing nothing all day.

 

[anonymous]

So, you do what you can do that is ethical and appropriate for your territory. You document what is required, you keep smiling and enjoy your steady paycheck. You bank as much cash as possible and you use your spare time to nurture your family or build a second income stream (some people can do both). People who are out of work or working below their skill level to have a paycheck at all would be grateful to have these “problems”. Does being micromanaged or tracking activity by spreadsheet suck, you bet. But we’re a bunch of spoiled brats as pharma reps. It sure as hell beats the alternative!

You are very good sir

 

[anonymous]

So, you do what you can do that is ethical and appropriate for your territory. You document what is required, you keep smiling and enjoy your steady paycheck. You bank as much cash as possible and you use your spare time to nurture your family or build a second income stream (some people can do both). People who are out of work or working below their skill level to have a paycheck at all would be grateful to have these “problems”. Does being micromanaged or tracking activity by spreadsheet suck, you bet. But we’re a bunch of spoiled brats as pharma reps. It sure as hell beats the alternative!

Exactly, it’s not like we haven’t tried to tell upper management that we’re drastically overstaffed in many parts of the country. They’ve been told, but they simply refuse to acknowledge reality. It’s an absolute fact that there are parts of the country that have 3 to 4 times the field activity vs other geos but the staffing levels are the same across the board; makes no sense. The ABLs know the the truth. They just choose to keep upper management, misinformed as they are complicit in a their own salary, protectionism scam. Metric expectations are not even close to reality (calls per day in oncology? Its more like calls per week). I don’t even feel guilty about working my side racket anymore. Can’t just sit around all day and no point in mindlessly driving to to drop flyers at least no more than a few days a month. It is what it is at this point.

 

[anonymous]

Exactly, it’s not like we haven’t tried to tell upper management that we’re drastically overstaffed in many parts of the country. They’ve been told, but they simply refuse to acknowledge reality. It’s an absolute fact that there are parts of the country that have 3 to 4 times the field activity vs other geos but the staffing levels are the same across the board; makes no sense. The ABLs know the the truth. They just choose to keep upper management, misinformed as they are complicit in a their own salary, protectionism scam. Metric expectations are not even close to reality (calls per day in oncology? Its more like calls per week). I don’t even feel guilty about working my side racket anymore. Can’t just sit around all day and no point in mindlessly driving to to drop flyers at least no more than a few days a month. It is what it is at this point.

Just curious, but what are monthly/quarterly metrics for field medical in oncology?

 

[anonymous]

To all the CV account specialist, be sure to take a look for any Breast/Women Care positions to apply within Novartis, if you want to stick around. It is looking like they have the best opportunity to blow out the IC plan for the remainder of the year, with the update to Kisqali. The IC plan has recently been revised, and will allow you to make some serious coin.
Be sure to stay away from NM Hematology, as for those in this space, very few specialists made 100% incentive.
The new product they are anticipating will be a disappointment, as the other companies are fully aware of the potential launch, and have the relationships with the accounts to hold off any oral agents for PNH.
Also, be care to apply for a Malignant Hem position, due to Sprycle going generic relatively soon, Tasigna will soon follow. Scemblix is a tough sell, and either the NM Hem and Malignant Hem will either merge together or one sales force will be selling all the Hematology products.
As far as the DAL and the Priority Account positions. All I can say is, short term.

 

[anonymous]

To all the CV account specialist, be sure to take a look for any Breast/Women Care positions to apply within Novartis, if you want to stick around. It is looking like they have the best opportunity to blow out the IC plan for the remainder of the year, with the update to Kisqali. The IC plan has recently been revised, and will allow you to make some serious coin.
Be sure to stay away from NM Hematology, as for those in this space, very few specialists made 100% incentive.
The new product they are anticipating will be a disappointment, as the other companies are fully aware of the potential launch, and have the relationships with the accounts to hold off any oral agents for PNH.
Also, be care to apply for a Malignant Hem position, due to Sprycle going generic relatively soon, Tasigna will soon follow. Scemblix is a tough sell, and either the NM Hem and Malignant Hem will either merge together or one sales force will be selling all the Hematology products.
As far as the DAL and the Priority Account positions. All I can say is, short term.

I love when people who know nothing about a disease state claim to know how a new product will fair. Hold off oral agents with relationships? Lmao! So, a doctor is not going to offer a drug to patients despite it allowing them to avoid an infusion or clunky device for self-admin AND it has superior head to head data even though he/she knows that these patients are very well educated all because of a relationship with a rep? I don’t know what kind of magic juju your Alexion rep has going on, but mine is definitely not that special.