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................my one and only message:
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It is..... going to flop
I still haven't figured out what kind of Kool Aid corporate is drinking to hire on a contract sales force in addition to the R sales force to market Evo. Supposedly they have a 5 year contract with Inventiv - The contract force will be lucky to make it a full year, more than likely less than 6 months. The DMs are telling those interviewing for the contract positions that they fully expect Evo to be a blockbuster drug - REALLY??? Kool aid anyone??
There are multiple reasons why Evo won't make it. Yes, it is a good drug according to the studies and yes there is a very, very small niche it might make it in. However, it certainly won't be a big enough seller to warrant all the reps they are giving it too.
Evo's biggest issue is the most obvious - cost. Predictions are around $700 a month. Considering there are multiple effective cholesterol medications for $4, with outcomes data and years of success who is going to willing to pay $700 a month? What insurance company is going to cover it? Easy answer - none. It will be blocked except very special circumstance. The studies used Zetia as a comparison product. Zetia's been on the market for several years, most all docs know it is an OK medication in monotherapy but not great. Where Zetia shines in in combination with a statin. However, it is an option for those patients who can't tolerate a statin. Insurance companies are going to stick with Zetia as their preferred product for statin intolerant pts, especially given it is about $675 less expensive than Evo. Patients are going to go out and demand Evo, especially once they learn the cost and the annoyance of having to go to the doctor or pharmacy 2x month for the injection. Compliance is going to be a major issue, especially since hyperlipidemia has no symptoms. When pts don't feel anything wrong with them they don't take their medications well - add to that the fact they actually have to go to the doctor or pharmacy and be injected 2x month will further reduce compliance. Not to mention who is going to choose an injection over an oral when the oral's work and have decades of data behind them? Most physicians can't agree over when or how aggressively to treat hyperlipidemia. Conventional wisdom says to keep LDL below 100, 70 for those at risk. However, not all MDs agree with these numbers being accurate or even possible for everyone. Some docs still just look at total cholesterol. Getting 2 docs to agree on when and how to treat is a challenge. So why are they going to write for a totally new class with no history, that while it does show better efficacy and a much better side effect profile, they know their patients are very unlikely to be compliant with when they can use tried and true products. Supposedly the target audience is medicare age patients - the most fiscally challenged population out there. Most medicare age patients have multiple conditions and are on multiple medications. With part D they are already squeezed on costs with medications - when they hit that donut hole most just stop taking the meds they can do without, and some they shouldn't. At $700 they aren't going to be able to afford any other medication.
And as if cost isn't enough of a problem Evo will be 2nd to market by about a month. This means that all those docs who are actually wanting to try the class and excited about it will already have used the other product and created their writing habit.
My prediction is major layoffs by end of Q1 2016, possibly end of Q4 is the launch is as big a failure as it's potential to be. Even thought Evo is a good product the marketing team has guaranteed it's failure by not recognizing the huge number of limitations and problems it faces. They should have recognized it is destined to be a niche product with a very small market. Let one Salesforce carry it and focus on the Cardiologists. GP and FP is not going to use this product, most are spooked by new classes after all the drugs that have been pulled after being on the market long enough for the real problems to show up. And then there is that small fact of COST - FP is not going to write a $700 month drug, they will stick with their tried and true and affordable meds. I feel for those who have been hired on with Inventiv, being promised the moon with the 5 year contract and the likelihood of being rolled into Amgen in the future. When truth is they will be lucky to have a job 1 year, more likely 6 months. Do yourselves a favor - get your resume ready and start searching for a job
.
.
.
.
.
.
................my one and only message:
.
.
.
.....
It is..... going to flop
I still haven't figured out what kind of Kool Aid corporate is drinking to hire on a contract sales force in addition to the R sales force to market Evo. Supposedly they have a 5 year contract with Inventiv - The contract force will be lucky to make it a full year, more than likely less than 6 months. The DMs are telling those interviewing for the contract positions that they fully expect Evo to be a blockbuster drug - REALLY??? Kool aid anyone??
There are multiple reasons why Evo won't make it. Yes, it is a good drug according to the studies and yes there is a very, very small niche it might make it in. However, it certainly won't be a big enough seller to warrant all the reps they are giving it too.
Evo's biggest issue is the most obvious - cost. Predictions are around $700 a month. Considering there are multiple effective cholesterol medications for $4, with outcomes data and years of success who is going to willing to pay $700 a month? What insurance company is going to cover it? Easy answer - none. It will be blocked except very special circumstance. The studies used Zetia as a comparison product. Zetia's been on the market for several years, most all docs know it is an OK medication in monotherapy but not great. Where Zetia shines in in combination with a statin. However, it is an option for those patients who can't tolerate a statin. Insurance companies are going to stick with Zetia as their preferred product for statin intolerant pts, especially given it is about $675 less expensive than Evo. Patients are going to go out and demand Evo, especially once they learn the cost and the annoyance of having to go to the doctor or pharmacy 2x month for the injection. Compliance is going to be a major issue, especially since hyperlipidemia has no symptoms. When pts don't feel anything wrong with them they don't take their medications well - add to that the fact they actually have to go to the doctor or pharmacy and be injected 2x month will further reduce compliance. Not to mention who is going to choose an injection over an oral when the oral's work and have decades of data behind them? Most physicians can't agree over when or how aggressively to treat hyperlipidemia. Conventional wisdom says to keep LDL below 100, 70 for those at risk. However, not all MDs agree with these numbers being accurate or even possible for everyone. Some docs still just look at total cholesterol. Getting 2 docs to agree on when and how to treat is a challenge. So why are they going to write for a totally new class with no history, that while it does show better efficacy and a much better side effect profile, they know their patients are very unlikely to be compliant with when they can use tried and true products. Supposedly the target audience is medicare age patients - the most fiscally challenged population out there. Most medicare age patients have multiple conditions and are on multiple medications. With part D they are already squeezed on costs with medications - when they hit that donut hole most just stop taking the meds they can do without, and some they shouldn't. At $700 they aren't going to be able to afford any other medication.
And as if cost isn't enough of a problem Evo will be 2nd to market by about a month. This means that all those docs who are actually wanting to try the class and excited about it will already have used the other product and created their writing habit.
My prediction is major layoffs by end of Q1 2016, possibly end of Q4 is the launch is as big a failure as it's potential to be. Even thought Evo is a good product the marketing team has guaranteed it's failure by not recognizing the huge number of limitations and problems it faces. They should have recognized it is destined to be a niche product with a very small market. Let one Salesforce carry it and focus on the Cardiologists. GP and FP is not going to use this product, most are spooked by new classes after all the drugs that have been pulled after being on the market long enough for the real problems to show up. And then there is that small fact of COST - FP is not going to write a $700 month drug, they will stick with their tried and true and affordable meds. I feel for those who have been hired on with Inventiv, being promised the moon with the 5 year contract and the likelihood of being rolled into Amgen in the future. When truth is they will be lucky to have a job 1 year, more likely 6 months. Do yourselves a favor - get your resume ready and start searching for a job