The VBU continues to crumble

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anonymous said:
The VBU, by all accounts, is facing significant challenges. Leadership has been lacking, and while expectations in the field remain high, the reality is concerning. The VBU alone cannot turn things around for GSK. The situation feels precarious, and without substantial changes in high-level leadership, the outlook appears bleak. It’s a critical time for GSK. Armageddon!!!

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Remember when we could not make enough Shingrix ... now it is in freefall, and the RSV vaccine which is "too good"!
 
















anonymous said:
It’s speaks volumes about the state of the VBU when the two Senior Marketing Directors of the two largest products ( Arexvy and Shingrix) exit the company within two weeks of each other.

The “transformation” has been nothing short of a catastrophe. Quickly ruining a business that so many spent years building. Terrible decisions on people placement and business decisions. Inept senior leadership.
Look for good people to continue to leave this mess.

oh yeah, if things are not going well let’s put the blame on the VELs not on senior leadership that have demonstrated no leadership or understanding of the vaccines business.
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What about the medical affairs department? am not sure this is working well either is it?
 








The sales of Shingrix, the shingles vaccine, are indeed tied to the aging population (those reaching 50 years old) and the willingness of people to get vaccinated. Given that the vaccine is targeted at adults over 50, the growth rate will naturally slow as the target demographic becomes saturated over time. To sustain or increase sales, GSK will likely need to focus on expanding its reach internationally or targeting specific patient groups who may still need the vaccine, such as those who are hesitant or unaware of its benefits.

The RSV vaccine has faced some challenges, including skepticism or caution from advisory committees, which has influenced its sales potential. While GSK has made efforts to boost patient awareness, there’s an underlying question of whether RSV in adults is as significant a concern as it has been marketed to be. In the case of RSV, if adults didn't view it as a significant issue before, it might be partly due to shifts in how the pharmaceutical industry has highlighted the risks associated with the virus. Creating a bigger problem than there is creating corporate greed no public need.

While childhood vaccines remain an essential revenue driver, the success of vaccines for rarer conditions like MEN, driven by fear-based marketing strategies (dinner programs featuring amputees), is a reminder of the power—and the potential ethical risks—of how these products are marketed to healthcare providers.
 








anonymous said:
The sales of Shingrix, the shingles vaccine, are indeed tied to the aging population (those reaching 50 years old) and the willingness of people to get vaccinated. Given that the vaccine is targeted at adults over 50, the growth rate will naturally slow as the target demographic becomes saturated over time. To sustain or increase sales, GSK will likely need to focus on expanding its reach internationally or targeting specific patient groups who may still need the vaccine, such as those who are hesitant or unaware of its benefits.

The RSV vaccine has faced some challenges, including skepticism or caution from advisory committees, which has influenced its sales potential. While GSK has made efforts to boost patient awareness, there’s an underlying question of whether RSV in adults is as significant a concern as it has been marketed to be. In the case of RSV, if adults didn't view it as a significant issue before, it might be partly due to shifts in how the pharmaceutical industry has highlighted the risks associated with the virus. Creating a bigger problem than there is creating corporate greed no public need.

While childhood vaccines remain an essential revenue driver, the success of vaccines for rarer conditions like MEN, driven by fear-based marketing strategies (dinner programs featuring amputees), is a reminder of the power—and the potential ethical risks—of how these products are marketed to healthcare providers.
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I think this is the end of GSK as we know it
 








anonymous said:
I think this is the end of GSK as we know it
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The VBU has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past 10-12 years. A decade ago, vaccines were the one division at GSK that was relatively free from micromanagement, where success seemed to come naturally to salespeople. The strategic swap of Bexsero for Menveo sparked a surge in sales, which led to expansions—something GSK had historically struggled with. But then, metric-driven managers, many from other divisions, came in and fundamentally disrupted the once balanced vaccine sales approach. The decline only deepened with the underwhelming launch of Shingrix, leading us to the current state: plummeting sales and mounting pressure to push harder, no matter the cost. The same pattern can be seen with Arexvy. While it’s easy to point fingers at suppressed sales due to guidelines and reimbursement issues, the reality is that RSV is vastly overhyped. The educated public, who’s never really heard of it as a major threat, remains deeply skeptical of the aggressive marketing campaigns aimed at them, especially those aired during prime-time news."
 








anonymous said:
The VBU has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past 10-12 years. A decade ago, vaccines were the one division at GSK that was relatively free from micromanagement, where success seemed to come naturally to salespeople. The strategic swap of Bexsero for Menveo sparked a surge in sales, which led to expansions—something GSK had historically struggled with. But then, metric-driven managers, many from other divisions, came in and fundamentally disrupted the once balanced vaccine sales approach. The decline only deepened with the underwhelming launch of Shingrix, leading us to the current state: plummeting sales and mounting pressure to push harder, no matter the cost. The same pattern can be seen with Arexvy. While it’s easy to point fingers at suppressed sales due to guidelines and reimbursement issues, the reality is that RSV is vastly overhyped. The educated public, who’s never really heard of it as a major threat, remains deeply skeptical of the aggressive marketing campaigns aimed at them, especially those aired during prime-time news."
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What a well written and accurate comment. The VBU used to be a place people were proud to work. People felt like they actually made a difference. Post Covid that all changed while everyone began to question vaccines in general, whether for good reason or not. Once Al Thompson left the VBU the decline began. Starting with the big drunk fest in Atlanta then lying to the faces of 100 people who were blindsided by layoffs. Leadership was as inept as possible as Joaquin took over (all I can say is wow) as well as Truck. Nobody would ever trust those two again after the layoffs and so the VBU tanked with RSV after season one and a big decline in Shingrix. It’s about time someone pays for that disaster and today Truck either left or was asked to leave, either way a well needed decision. The future of the VBU doesn’t look bright. A disaster to say the least.
 








anonymous said:
What a well written and accurate comment. The VBU used to be a place people were proud to work. People felt like they actually made a difference. Post Covid that all changed while everyone began to question vaccines in general, whether for good reason or not. Once Al Thompson left the VBU the decline began. Starting with the big drunk fest in Atlanta then lying to the faces of 100 people who were blindsided by layoffs. Leadership was as inept as possible as Joaquin took over (all I can say is wow) as well as Truck. Nobody would ever trust those two again after the layoffs and so the VBU tanked with RSV after season one and a big decline in Shingrix. It’s about time someone pays for that disaster and today Truck either left or was asked to leave, either way a well needed decision. The future of the VBU doesn’t look bright. A disaster to say the least.
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Hopefully Joaquin is right behind him. Those two were twin destroyers of what could be great in this division.
 








anonymous said:
Hopefully Joaquin is right behind him. Those two were twin destroyers of what could be great in this division.
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No question. He needs to be the next one ousted. I’ve never in my career seen two people less trusted or respected being responsible to lead a salesforce than these two jokers. Al Thompson was very unique and I think even Judy got much more respect than anyone who replaced them. A lot needs to be done to fix what’s broken, but I can’t imagine there are many out there who aren’t scrambling to jump off the titanic.
 








































This business unit is filled with babies! Everyone cried when Judy was here, then cried when truck was here, and will continue crying until the end of time. That’s what happens when you give thousands of people part time jobs that pay way too well for what they do. Spoiled. I pray that the hammer comes down one day and most (not all, as there are some very hard workers) get laid off
 








anonymous said:
This business unit is filled with babies! Everyone cried when Judy was here, then cried when truck was here, and will continue crying until the end of time. That’s what happens when you give thousands of people part time jobs that pay way too well for what they do. Spoiled. I pray that the hammer comes down one day and most (not all, as there are some very hard workers) get laid off
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anonymous said:
This business unit is filled with babies! Everyone cried when Judy was here, then cried when truck was here, and will continue crying until the end of time. That’s what happens when you give thousands of people part time jobs that pay way too well for what they do. Spoiled. I pray that the hammer comes down one day and most (not all, as there are some very hard workers) get laid off
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Napalm the entire VBU. It's become more of a burden than advantage. Sell the unit off. It's no longer a benefit to the organization.
 
































anonymous said:
If Shingrix is GSK's #1 product, that alone is a clear indicator of the dire situation that has developed here, evolving into a habitual laggard in the pharmaceutical industry.
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There are 3 buckets of people when it comes to Shingrix:
1) those who have already been vaccinated
2) those who refuse all vaccines (becoming much more common post covid)
3) those are on the fence and need convinced by their doctors to get vaccinated.
Good luck with number 2 and good luck thinking doctors are gonna spend a ton of time trying to convince number 3. Your growth in Shingrix is now dependent on new patients turning 50. The IRA helped growth from patients on Medicare who couldn’t afford Shingrix by making it $0. After that spike, it’s been a free fall. Sadly, management is oblivious and sets the in unrealistic sales goals for Shingrix know the patient pool is sinking every day. Good luck.
 
















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