Upcoming LAYOFFS TO BE MASSIVE !!!!

[Anonymous]

Androgel will be safe

Not if you are female, a child, or a male over 18 whose PSA numbers skyrocket.

 

[Anonymous]

We need to believe in the new company, embrace change.

 

[Anonymous]

One subtle point that you seem to miss. There is a big difference, in the current changing healthcare world, between a product's patent life and the level of pharma rep support that will be needed. Add in the problem with reduced office access, affordability squeezing and irritation caused by excessive rep visits, and you have a recipe for a very strained and pressured career path in pharma sales (regardless of the product) There will always be a need for some level of representation in the field but it will continue to be thinned out. There will be much larger territories with much fewer reps across all products. Price and insurance/health plan coverage are all that will matter. Not lunches, snacks or ass kissing.

That all depends on the product, especially if it combines a pharmaceutical agent and a device. Instruction in the proper use and application of such products will be needed to help providers avoid liability if the product is used improperly or inappropriately.
And don't bet the farm on the belief that price and coverage will be the sole determinant on every treatment decision. Everybody snickers at the number of times the Company has shown the video of the poor Scandinavian guy with severe Parkinson's, and the dramatic improvement shown with Duopa. Put the images of that poor soul on the evening news with the sidebar that he's been deprived of a life-changing therapy due to bean counting by some faceless bureaucrat, and the fits gonna hit the shan. Remember, politics is defind as the method by which it is decided who gets what, and the impact of politics on healthcare continues to grow. The pharma industry down-sized in the early 1990s when the Clinton Administration proposed HillaryCare. Public sentiment turned against it, and from the middle of the decade until the bubble in the economy burst in 2007-2008, the industry went on an intensive search for more reps. A lot depends on the impact of Healthcare reform, and the response to all the new provisions of the Affordable Care Act. We'll see.

 

[Anonymous]

We need to believe in the new company, embrace change.

Translation: Get ready to take it in the shorts.

 

[Anonymous]

We need to believe in the new company, embrace change.

Oh Ricky, I know you will be embracing all the spare change when everyone is canned and you save a bundle on payroll. I hope the remaining stooges will also get a piece of the pie for working their asses off to cover for all the severed heads. I, too, will embrace your change as you drop some in my tin cup when I come shaking it after my severance runs out. Please dollar bills only.

 

[Anonymous]

That all depends on the product, especially if it combines a pharmaceutical agent and a device. Instruction in the proper use and application of such products will be needed to help providers avoid liability if the product is used improperly or inappropriately.
And don't bet the farm on the belief that price and coverage will be the sole determinant on every treatment decision. Everybody snickers at the number of times the Company has shown the video of the poor Scandinavian guy with severe Parkinson's, and the dramatic improvement shown with Duopa. Put the images of that poor soul on the evening news with the sidebar that he's been deprived of a life-changing therapy due to bean counting by some faceless bureaucrat, and the fits gonna hit the shan. Remember, politics is defind as the method by which it is decided who gets what, and the impact of politics on healthcare continues to grow. The pharma industry down-sized in the early 1990s when the Clinton Administration proposed HillaryCare. Public sentiment turned against it, and from the middle of the decade until the bubble in the economy burst in 2007-2008, the industry went on an intensive search for more reps. A lot depends on the impact of Healthcare reform, and the response to all the new provisions of the Affordable Care Act. We'll see.

Good luck with that dream. You don't think there is complete downward pressure on healthcare costs already, even before ACA? Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance has been squeezing pharma dollars for a long time now. The med D plan was only a temporary appeasement to give up a few measely $billion of pharma profit. That will not suffice anymore. There will be negotiated prices of drugs established with all payors. ANd if there is a generic available, you are out of contention completely.
Reps are going to be a novelty not a constant nagging presence in overworked doctor offices. Humira has a new dispenser device? Send the info over email so the doc can read about it. Keep your pizza tossers out of my office.

 

[Anonymous]

As massive as the cows at the office lunches.

 

[Anonymous]

As massive as the cows at the office lunches.

As massive as the swollen heads around here!

 

[Anonymous]

Good luck with that dream. You don't think there is complete downward pressure on healthcare costs already, even before ACA? Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance has been squeezing pharma dollars for a long time now. The med D plan was only a temporary appeasement to give up a few measely $billion of pharma profit. That will not suffice anymore. There will be negotiated prices of drugs established with all payors. ANd if there is a generic available, you are out of contention completely.
Reps are going to be a novelty not a constant nagging presence in overworked doctor offices. Humira has a new dispenser device? Send the info over email so the doc can read about it. Keep your pizza tossers out of my office.

....and you medical degree is under pressure with growing PA and NP development. Keep your opinion to yourself. Dr and whores both need cash. You do not pay them for the service, but to leave.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes they will be, but why oh why do they keep pushing this agenda on interviewing, etc etc etc for positions. At this point, Most of Us, I presume, have realized that the end is near and sitting at a Panera with Our soon to be unemployed manager going over how to interview, how to write a resume' , etc. Is basically fluff....End it , Please.....Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Yes they will be, but why oh why do they keep pushing this agenda on interviewing, etc etc etc for positions. At this point, Most of Us, I presume, have realized that the end is near and sitting at a Panera with Our soon to be unemployed manager going over how to interview, how to write a resume' , etc. Is basically fluff....End it , Please.....Thanks

Please explain to me why you despise getting paid while incurring no work related stress? Is there a reason why you are in such a big hurry to end this party?
It will end for you sooner then some of the other franchises, yes. But it will end for a lot of those reps as well this year. Are they in a big hurry to be laid off? Very unlikely.
What is your rationale for this desire? Lay back and relax and enjoy the short flight.

 

[Anonymous]

Good luck with that dream. You don't think there is complete downward pressure on healthcare costs already, even before ACA? Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance has been squeezing pharma dollars for a long time now. The med D plan was only a temporary appeasement to give up a few measely $billion of pharma profit. That will not suffice anymore. There will be negotiated prices of drugs established with all payors. ANd if there is a generic available, you are out of contention completely.
Reps are going to be a novelty not a constant nagging presence in overworked doctor offices. Humira has a new dispenser device? Send the info over email so the doc can read about it. Keep your pizza tossers out of my office.

Sorry Charlie, but complicated delivery systems and medications will still require some type of personal promotion/instruction. Which medical group/hospital is going to risk the liability of one of its physicians killing/injuring a patient due to lack of familiarity with the product? There are not enough dead presidents to go around that would be on the end of that malpractice. The insurance companies are licking their chops over the ACA, whose passage they supported, because ALL individuals will be forced to purchase coverage.
How many politicians are going to stand up and tell seniors, parents, and the disabled they won't get new therapies for their infirmities? None that hope to be re-elected. Can you imagine the editorials? "Seniors and the Disabled kicked to curb as banks receive billions in bailout." Yeah, that's gonna happen.
Nobody is predicting a return to the heyday of pharma sales, but sooner or later, the economy will improve, the socialist surge of big government will discredit itself, a terrifying disease state like cancer will see a major treatment breakthrough, or some combination of them all will reinvigorate the industry. I'm not saying we'll be back to the mid-to-late 1990s, but some amount of personal promotion will still be needed.
BTW, Medicare Part D is paying for itself. Check out some of those tiered co-pays and you'll understand why.

 

[Anonymous]

Good luck with that dream. You don't think there is complete downward pressure on healthcare costs already, even before ACA? Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance has been squeezing pharma dollars for a long time now. The med D plan was only a temporary appeasement to give up a few measely $billion of pharma profit. That will not suffice anymore. There will be negotiated prices of drugs established with all payors. ANd if there is a generic available, you are out of contention completely.
Reps are going to be a novelty not a constant nagging presence in overworked doctor offices. Humira has a new dispenser device? Send the info over email so the doc can read about it. Keep your pizza tossers out of my office.

The dew is coming off the lilly for generics. Foreign manufacturers are increasingly cited and sanctioned for unsanitary facilities and contaminated products, Ranbaxy being the latest. How long before one of the commonly used generics is used as a vehicle for providing pathogens/toxins? Do you want your elderly parent washing down pills of uncertain origin and purity?
As far as email, the doctors can't keep up with their daily charting, much less searching the web for the latest clinical data. Most large groups won't allow their employees to accept any info from unapproved sources, anyway, so don't look for www.wetrainyou.com to replace pharma/med device reps anytime soon.
I will agree that pharma companies made a big mistake urging their reps to play the role of caterer. We should be providing some kind of value to the physician's practice/patients, and THAT and that ALONE should purchase our entry.

 

[Anonymous]

Hate to burst the bubble of the above apparent Humira reps who are in denial. You are and will always be, considered pizza tossers. Any new fangled delivery gizmo will be seen as just a gimmick. Try and gain access to your 12 targets with overlaid reps and not come armed with a pizza or bagels. You will be shut out. Once a doc knows the drug, its all about payor coverage when multiple agents are available. Lord knows Humira has been seeing more competitors products hit the market. Wait until Pfizer starts to get a head of steam going on their oral and also grabs payors.
Don't kid yourself. No you won't be completely eliminated in the field, but you will be skinnied down to far less then what you have now. Have fun with the driving involved and the sales pressure of being AbbVie's only hope for next year or so. Its become very clear that Androgel is a fizzler. Remember smugness is usually accompanied by naivity.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry Charlie, but complicated delivery systems and medications will still require some type of personal promotion/instruction. Which medical group/hospital is going to risk the liability of one of its physicians killing/injuring a patient due to lack of familiarity with the product? There are not enough dead presidents to go around that would be on the end of that malpractice. The insurance companies are licking their chops over the ACA, whose passage they supported, because ALL individuals will be forced to purchase coverage.
How many politicians are going to stand up and tell seniors, parents, and the disabled they won't get new therapies for their infirmities? None that hope to be re-elected. Can you imagine the editorials? "Seniors and the Disabled kicked to curb as banks receive billions in bailout." Yeah, that's gonna happen.
Nobody is predicting a return to the heyday of pharma sales, but sooner or later, the economy will improve, the socialist surge of big government will discredit itself, a terrifying disease state like cancer will see a major treatment breakthrough, or some combination of them all will reinvigorate the industry. I'm not saying we'll be back to the mid-to-late 1990s, but some amount of personal promotion will still be needed.
BTW, Medicare Part D is paying for itself. Check out some of those tiered co-pays and you'll understand why.

and you think Biff and Bambi from XYX Pharma, after a week in Vegas for "training" is the ones who will educate the physician?

Go drink some more Kool-aid son

 

[Anonymous]

Hate to burst the bubble of the above apparent Humira reps who are in denial. You are and will always be, considered pizza tossers. Any new fangled delivery gizmo will be seen as just a gimmick. Try and gain access to your 12 targets with overlaid reps and not come armed with a pizza or bagels. You will be shut out. Once a doc knows the drug, its all about payor coverage when multiple agents are available. Lord knows Humira has been seeing more competitors products hit the market. Wait until Pfizer starts to get a head of steam going on their oral and also grabs payors.
Don't kid yourself. No you won't be completely eliminated in the field, but you will be skinnied down to far less then what you have now. Have fun with the driving involved and the sales pressure of being AbbVie's only hope for next year or so. Its become very clear that Androgel is a fizzler. Remember smugness is usually accompanied by naivity.

Spot on. Humira has already LOST some significant commercial Payor coverages lately. That's what matters. Period.
Ditto for Androgel. Two drugs with the weight of the entire company on their shoulders for the next year plus. Going to get leaned. Increased "share of voice" is finally recognized as a true negative to gaining acceptance. Its called "being a pest".
Faking calls to avoid this dilemma in the field, only underscores this. "Pesting" is not a viable sales technique in this healthcare environ. Sorry.

 

[Anonymous]

Hate to burst the bubble of the above apparent Humira reps who are in denial. You are and will always be, considered pizza tossers. Any new fangled delivery gizmo will be seen as just a gimmick. Try and gain access to your 12 targets with overlaid reps and not come armed with a pizza or bagels. You will be shut out. Once a doc knows the drug, its all about payor coverage when multiple agents are available. Lord knows Humira has been seeing more competitors products hit the market. Wait until Pfizer starts to get a head of steam going on their oral and also grabs payors.
Don't kid yourself. No you won't be completely eliminated in the field, but you will be skinnied down to far less then what you have now. Have fun with the driving involved and the sales pressure of being AbbVie's only hope for next year or so. Its become very clear that Androgel is a fizzler. Remember smugness is usually accompanied by naivity.

You assume too much, oh Oracle of the Thread. And if you are so sure of the demise of the pharma rep, what are you doing trolling with the doomed? Methinks you are irked by the fact that drug reps are still knocking down 100K+ per year. Yes, the industry is downsizing, but which one isn't? As long as science can advance treatments for chronic/dread diseases, someone will have to spread the word. If you believe doctors can keep up with all the clinical data being produced by checking WebMD, you are the one who is delusional.
By the way, the driving doesn't bother me. I've got satellite radio, and the sales pressure results in a fat bank account. By the way, I think you mean smugness is usually accompanied by naivete. but nice try, professor.

 

[Anonymous]

You assume too much, oh Oracle of the Thread. And if you are so sure of the demise of the pharma rep, what are you doing trolling with the doomed? Methinks you are irked by the fact that drug reps are still knocking down 100K+ per year. Yes, the industry is downsizing, but which one isn't? As long as science can advance treatments for chronic/dread diseases, someone will have to spread the word. If you believe doctors can keep up with all the clinical data being produced by checking WebMD, you are the one who is delusional.
By the way, the driving doesn't bother me. I've got satellite radio, and the sales pressure results in a fat bank account. By the way, I think you mean smugness is usually accompanied by naivete. but nice try, professor.

there is a realistic possibility that the current onboard drug rep has about a 25% chance of ongoing employment within the next year. if you have overlay partners (I do) then prob 2 of the 3 of you will be gone soon. I am in the same boat. Just keeping it real and making plans.

 

[Anonymous]

Humira rep here. I must agree with the sentiment above regarding a major thinning of the herd. I also have a complete overlay partner in a territory with only about 18 viable, seeable targets. Yes, we do fake calls only to avoid being considered a "pest". This is ludicrous and certainly will not continue. One of us is going to be toast soon or got to believe they may completely consolidate surrounding territories and get rid of many more.
We are under constant scrutiny and feel the pressure but are truly not able to make much of a difference. My competitor reps bring snacks and other treats every day and are able to gain access that way. If we do that we risk OEC climbing up our ass and getting fired. So whats a AbbVie rep to do? Not much, in my humble opinion.

 

[Anonymous]

What, Me Worry?