So you think you are safe working here?

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anonymous said:
Now if that happens, things will get very dicey, very fast. Pharma companies always brag about how cash they have on hand. My guess is they could easily keep paying for 6 months to a year and not even miss it. The damn overpaid CEO’S of the companies should stop taking a salary for the duration!!!
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Fire all the home office back office nobodies. They aren’t doing a damn thing these days. Getting random calls all looking for gossip on who’s working or moonlighting. What a waste they all are and the ceo better not get a dime between now and the end of the year.
 






anonymous said:
Think again!! Big Pharma will be affected in a big way by the current situation:

Many companies across America have closed their doors currently, only God knows for how long!

With no revenue coming in, how long do you think they will pay health care premiums for workers sitting at home? It’s easy to stop paying wages, but once you cut off paying health care premiums the game elevates to another level...

Once these companies stop paying health care premiums, what do you think insurance companies are going to do when the revenue does not come in? Do you think they will pay for branded anti-psychotics, or force prescribers to resort to generics? The insurance companies will either demand huge price concessions from big pharma, or go purely generic whenever possible.

Either way, it will hurt big pharma, and affect every job in pharma sooner or later. There will be no room for financial excess, anything that can be cut will be cut. Don’t be surprised if your salary will be cut, or your job eliminated. Drug reps are very expensive for companies, especially when you have two reps per territory, and no data to prove that two reps sell more than one.

By now, even the dumbest CEO starts to question the necessity for that. And once these companies learn how to operate in this environment, they will never go back to the old ways. Add to that the fact that many docs have at least temporarily closed their offices to reps, they may find out that life is actually better without the nuisances of having a rep visit them. So, if you are a DM or rep, it might be wise to save a little bit more money, you may need it later on, when your salary has been cut or you have been laid off.

Nobody knows when this virus is going to peak. And don’t trust the infection rate posted by China!!! Do you really think they are telling us the truth? Some people inside China have said it is much worse than the government reports!! Of course it is, just as China has been stealing America’s secrets and technology for years!!
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So. When will they push us into the field? Do you think that they will not start the layoffs? Which Division will be effected first? Device? Psych? Neph? Home office? R/D? The dynamic in our industry is going to change, what do you think?
 






anonymous said:
So. When will they push us into the field? Do you think that they will not start the layoffs? Which Division will be effected first? Device? Psych? Neph? Home office? R/D? The dynamic in our industry is going to change, what do you think?
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The last thing the world needs is an Otsuka rep with nothing new to offer offer to prescribers, except rehash!
Offices will be swamped when this virus comes to an end, and business gets back to normal. Let's get real here. Name me ONE reason, why any providers should see us!! We are by far the most overpaid and least needed people right now! It's just amazing that nobody in the home office or in Japan is realizing that or wants to realize that.
 






Well, sales management may well realize the problem. But if they get rid of sales people, they may also risk their own jobs or at least their ridiculous salaries. So the sales execs may not want to rock the boat. But you are correct. Unfortunately, this job is not what it used to be 20 years ago, when we sold from a proof source binder. The glossy Madison Avenue vis-aids are as popular with physicians as a fart in an elevator!
 






well. If you now look at the structure. Kabir is now "contracted". Code word for shake things up. Who is the guy that is leaving on Monday? And sent it out to the entire field force? Did I miss something?
 






anonymous said:
well. If you now look at the structure. Kabir is now "contracted". Code word for shake things up. Who is the guy that is leaving on Monday? And sent it out to the entire field force? Did I miss something?
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If you think about it, we as a company, have provided very little to truly help physicians practice better medicine with innovative drugs. Expensive cough syrup medicine and a me-too antipsychotic, at least on the Neuro side. How long will that carry you in these times??? The State I live in will not open before first half of May at the earliest...Just imagine how welcome drug reps are with their "important information and messages"....yeah right!! All of us here are collecting a massive paycheck at the expense of ripping off patients!!
 












anonymous said:
If you think about it, we as a company, have provided very little to truly help physicians practice better medicine with innovative drugs. Expensive cough syrup medicine and a me-too antipsychotic, at least on the Neuro side. How long will that carry you in these times??? The State I live in will not open before first half of May at the earliest...Just imagine how welcome drug reps are with their "important information and messages"....yeah right!! All of us here are collecting a massive paycheck at the expense of ripping off patients!!
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Totally agree, our drugs are very marginal at exorbitant prices, but that is Otsuka. Take Otsuka away, and the effect on healthcare and healthcare economics will be positive.
 












anonymous said:
Wouldn't mind seeing Mike Coyne in the unemployment line or soup kitchen...
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I know of 5 major offices that have eliminated lunches and talking with providers. All are doing telemedicine in their offices or from home or a combination of home/office. And why wouldn't they? One said they are not going to be able to do PAs anymore because of staff cutbacks, and will have to write more generics because they are easy to get. That is one thing nobody here has even thought about!! A huge CMHC have cuts reps off all together. It’s going to be a nightmare from now on. I believe this trend is going on across all of America to some degree. One thing is for sure...times have changed and they won't need all of us to do part time work. Especially since all of our drugs are old anyways.
 






honestly there is so much gloom and doom on this site these days. My offices are just as busy as always in one capacity or another. They are all saying they want this to be over to get back to business as usual. My numbers haven’t dropped much, as people still need medication and the anxiety message is ringing loud and clear. We will be back in field by June
 






I agree. To say that staff cuts will mean no more prior auths and so generics will be the standard is simply ridiculous.
Everyone wants to get back to normal and yes there may be a few offices remaining closed off but my numbers are steady and there were a few I can’t access before this situation.
Keep your heads, don’t panic.
 






anonymous said:
I agree. To say that staff cuts will mean no more prior auths and so generics will be the standard is simply ridiculous.
Everyone wants to get back to normal and yes there may be a few offices remaining closed off but my numbers are steady and there were a few I can’t access before this situation.
Keep your heads, don’t panic.
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Suit yourself...what I have learned after having been in the field for over 30 years is this: Every single policy change by my offices has ALAWYS been detrimental to the reps. Secondly: These changes are ALWAYS permanent. That's just the way it is...unfortunately. If that does not happen in your area, good for you! But the fact is we have now 26 million people out of work, most people have trouble making ends meet with food and mortgages / rent. Do you really think they will have the money for deductibles and co-pay for overpriced me-too drugs and cough syrup when there are cheaper alternatives? Generic Ability is just as good, if not better, compared to Rexulti and has more indications...If I was a prescriber or patient, I know what I would do...hardly rocket science!! The prescribers will be fine, they just do telemedicine from their homes. That is what my personal psychiatrist does! You think he is the only one? And he can do without Rexulti samples, he is prescribing more generics because he has no staff to do P/As...

I can tell you this...The home office is watching weekly sales very anxiously. They won't see the full corona virus impact for a few weeks...
 






You make good points. I agree we are in for changes. I think the issues may be wide spread with unemployed people losing health insurance.
I also think Princeton will be looking at why we need so many of us calling on the same providers.
 






anonymous said:
You make good points. I agree we are in for changes. I think the issues may be wide spread with unemployed people losing health insurance.
I also think Princeton will be looking at why we need so many of us calling on the same providers.
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They should have looked at that issue years ago. There is a diminishing return with each subsequently sales call and additional reps, especially if they bring no new insights to the doctor. That was the whole concept of the “challenger rep”.
But like another person said in the thread “Otsuka Sales Management is a Disappointment” the company asked US to read the book and then didn’t do their part that was absolutely essential for the challenger concept to successful. Anyone in power can ask a subordinate to read a book. That’s easy. And it’s very easy NOT to do your part when the concept asks you to do it. So our “executives” took the easy way out!

We have administrators at the home office, but not leaders or innovators. Just look at the guy in the kilt and the woman from Michigan. What do you expect? The only reason this business model has survived until now is because of the ridiculous price of our products. Add to that declining access and clinics being bought by large health care systems. How many doctors after graduating from medical school are setting up their own practice ( where they can control rep access) when they are riddled with debt and need immediate income? And did I tell you that Medical schools tell their students NOT to interact with reps?

The only choice the new doc has is to go to a large clinic system that has already got the insurance contracts that an individual, new doctor is unlikely to get. They also have the facilities and staff that a new Doctor can’t afford. But with that comes the clinic setting the policy of “no reps”, so that they get the maximum “productivity” out of the doctor. I have read many threads here from other companies, and my impression is this trend is occurring across the entire country. Just ask yourself how productive you truly are. I can honestly say, what I used to get done in a day 25 years ago, takes me now an entire week, because there is so little left to do. All the other time is wasted with fake call notes, getting coffee, lunch, In order to say “I have done something” and can put it down on my expense report.

Times are changing. Otsuka may hang in there for a while longer, but I am convinced in October the company will announce a “rightsizing” to take effect January 1, 2021. It can’t continue like this!! Mark my words, you read it here first!
 






anonymous said:
well. If you now look at the structure. Kabir is now "contracted". Code word for shake things up. Who is the guy that is leaving on Monday? And sent it out to the entire field force? Did I miss something?
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Looks to me like he needs to “perform” better...i.e. reduce expenses or increase revenue. Well, we all know how you reduce expenses in a sales force...
 






anonymous said:
They should have looked at that issue years ago. There is a diminishing return with each subsequently sales call and additional reps, especially if they bring no new insights to the doctor. That was the whole concept of the “challenger rep”.
But like another person said in the thread “Otsuka Sales Management is a Disappointment” the company asked US to read the book and then didn’t do their part that was absolutely essential for the challenger concept to successful. Anyone in power can ask a subordinate to read a book. That’s easy. And it’s very easy NOT to do your part when the concept asks you to do it. So our “executives” took the easy way out!

We have administrators at the home office, but not leaders or innovators. Just look at the guy in the kilt and the woman from Michigan. What do you expect? The only reason this business model has survived until now is because of the ridiculous price of our products. Add to that declining access and clinics being bought by large health care systems. How many doctors after graduating from medical school are setting up their own practice ( where they can control rep access) when they are riddled with debt and need immediate income? And did I tell you that Medical schools tell their students NOT to interact with reps?

The only choice the new doc has is to go to a large clinic system that has already got the insurance contracts that an individual, new doctor is unlikely to get. They also have the facilities and staff that a new Doctor can’t afford. But with that comes the clinic setting the policy of “no reps”, so that they get the maximum “productivity” out of the doctor. I have read many threads here from other companies, and my impression is this trend is occurring across the entire country. Just ask yourself how productive you truly are. I can honestly say, what I used to get done in a day 25 years ago, takes me now an entire week, because there is so little left to do. All the other time is wasted with fake call notes, getting coffee, lunch, In order to say “I have done something” and can put it down on my expense report.

Times are changing. Otsuka may hang in there for a while longer, but I am convinced in October the company will announce a “rightsizing” to take effect January 1, 2021. It can’t continue like this!! Mark my words, you read it here first!
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Are u insinuating that the challenger sales model would have saved us.
That is the most idiotic sales model for the pharmaceutical industry that could ever be imagined. Pharmaceutical companies attempt to run the sales organization in 2020 like they did in 1970. It won’t work. Consolidation of providers into large health systems gives the health system the ability to control how they practice. Managed care organizations (it’s no smoke screen) determine what prescriptions will be filled. However we continue to market our products the same way we did in 1970 when the market was far more autonomous. Challenger is not changing a damn thing.
 






anonymous said:
Are u insinuating that the challenger sales model would have saved us.
That is the most idiotic sales model for the pharmaceutical industry that could ever be imagined. Pharmaceutical companies attempt to run the sales organization in 2020 like they did in 1970. It won’t work. Consolidation of providers into large health systems gives the health system the ability to control how they practice. Managed care organizations (it’s no smoke screen) determine what prescriptions will be filled. However we continue to market our products the same way we did in 1970 when the market was far more autonomous. Challenger is not changing a damn thing.
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No, I am not insinuating that the challenger sales model would have saved us. All I am saying is that the company asked us to implement it, while sales management did not uphold it’s duty to do their part to make it work. Our leaders are so pathetic, they didn’t even respond to the sales force request to give them new and powerful material doctors are interested in. KM is totally incompetent, as someone else said, she is good at asking her subordinates to issue PIPs. My 6year old son could have done that. And now we have engaged in contacting our customers electronically, irritating the hell out of them as they have much bigger problems than seeing a drug rep. Most companies have done that, thinking they are doing themselves a favor. But I totally agree with the rest of your post. And it doesn’t matter from what angle you try to see reality, it just is not favorable to pharmaceutical reps.
 






The challenger profile is a good one and tends to reward a salesperson who embodies it, but it doesn’t fit at Otsuka. An entrepreneur or device rep, yes. We are not sales people/risk takers in that sense. Otsuka wants box checkers and reach and frequency makers. Oh, and you better cater enough bagels to spend your budget while hosting dinner programs.
What Otsuka means by ‘challenger’ is the profile seen in frequent Elite winners: hard worker with high communication with staff and physicians who understands the science and patient issues without the corporate BS. They fake stuff to management in terms of marketing piece ‘successes’ but it’s really all them that is the reason. They can also get lucky but taking an underperforming geography and putting in a little effort. I’ve won in the past and know plenty of current and past winners. Just work semi hard but most importantly, keep in touch with your top writers. These aren’t always the top reach and frequency drivers.
See Otsuka does not want challengers to push back on direction or speak truth to power.
So I ask you, senior leaders, are you sure you want an entire sales force of challengers? You will be overrun by management headaches, HR grievances, and turnover.
 






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