Like most things, there is a thread of truth in this post. I remember when I started in this industry the “old timers” made similar comments.
Organizations will always have some representation in the market. Merck is not going to just lock the door and walk away. I can’t tell you what that representation will look like however, I can tell you what it will not look like. You will never see a repeat of the POD selling model with 15 reps in a territory. Merck and Pfizer started that crap and fortunately it’s gone for good.
The industry is changing. Health care delivery is changing and all the supporting industries ( including ours) are being forced to evolve. Pharma recognized the huge profits to be made in developing drugs to treat chronic disease states in the 70’s and for 30 years we saw numerous products in this market and the birth of the reach and frequency model. It’s been a slow death as management wants to also save their own jobs. Those products are generic, third parties determine drug choices and the influence of the detail person is very limited. Merck is trying desperately to hang on hence our chronic care team. It won’t last. If that’s your plan for the future you deserve what will befall upon you.
Most companies reserve PC for contract groups and maintain a specialty force. AZ and BI are two of the last holdouts and that bomb will drop soon. Flag this post, I’m telling you now.
In 10 years there will be no Merck chronic care and the bloated management team will be begging for a telemarketing gig. The arrogant group of MBA’s we have hired to run marketing will be hard pressed to find something paying .50 on the dollar. Over the years these fools have squandered more money than any team in this company (remember java sync and all the other unmitigated failures they put together). I don’t care, I will retire next year. If your under 50 and not in Oncology then you are doing your family a disservice every day your not looking for an alternative. You will be clipped, flag the post.
Tomorrow I’m bringing some fried chicken to a group of pigs in PC clinic. I’ll have a good time, make up a call prior to and a couple post lunch and call it day. I’ll do that for the next year, collect 130K from mother then walk away with north of a million in pension and 401K. Not bad while it lasted.
