Check the Sunovion CP thread! Novo Nordisk and Boehringer Ingelheim will announce layoffs soon as well. There really isn't much to do in the field anymore. Midwest is almost totally closed to reps. And offices that are now closed to reps, may never open again, because they find out that the lack of interruption is good for business and cash flow. We are pretending to be busy, doing unproductive busywork. But that does not generate sales. Fact is whether we are on the beach or "at work", there is no difference! Ask yourself: What work am I doing that is worth over $10,000 to $12,000 a month? If you are honest with yourself, you can't come up with an answer. Lundbeck is overstaffed too...everyone there is afraid of layoff announcement coming soon. One rep per product. Really? The company is draining its cash pile like crazy. The last thing in the world a provider's office needs right now is a drug rep. Samples can be ordered online and mailed. The longer this goes on, the more likely it will become the "new normal" when we finally get a vaccine to get COVID-19 under control. And the US can't get COVID-19 under control! Our genius president said it's a democratic hoax and does not exist. Plus Donnie signed 4 policies to lower drug prices. Not good for us! Keep that in mind when you vote November 3! Watch for end of October at the very latest for Otsuka dropping the hammer. Remember Kabir: "All options are on the table!!!"... and that does include your job!
Like many businesses such as retail and some services, this pandemic and consequential ultra reliance on technology has accelerated the inevitable. Our jobs were slowly being reduced as our use is antiquated. This has sped that up. One rep for each drug calling on the same physician is not good business. Combine that with a pod of several other reps and you’re just burning money. What analysis of this share of voice strategy is being done to validate the consultants’ advice? We are all about to find out once the hammer drops and half of us are gone. The remaining reps will simply fill in by our remote selling skills and impact we’ve had with those limited offices willing to play along. If we have one territory with 150 targets but only 30 will see us or interact over the phone, why not eliminate 4 other territories and give one person 150 viable targets over a bigger geography? You’re not diving there ever week anyway. You’re in your sweats making phone calls and sending over food.
It's amazing that our execs have supported this charade for years and looked the other way. From an owner's prospective it is totally irresponsible! But the execs have no answers to our problems, and without a salesforce they are not needed. So they just play along to get their ridiculous salaries and bonuses. Meanwhile, our patients are charged outrageous prices for Rexulti, causing them unnecessary financial hardship. No wonder Big Pharma has a horrible reputation! Well deserved!
You just summed up the major problems of big pharma in one paragraph! Management knows we are not working, but they don’t really care, because as you said they need us to keep their jobs! Let’s be honest, we all put in about an hour or so each day and that’s about it. There is simply no need for the number of reps we nd Lundbeck have for Rexulti! It’s just plain stupid, not to mention a waste of money! Covid has brought to the forefront the problems we have known about for years, and will force pharma to confront them.
They will confront the problem when the patents run out and we have no new products. Then the party will end as the revenue comes to a screeching halt! Until then execs and reps are just milking the Otsuka cow dry! One has to wonder what Japan thinks!
My guess is a 20% reduction in headcount for neuroscience. If we maintain top line sales after that, look for another 20% to be shown the door later. You don't need that many people selling these drugs to one specialty. See how many joint calls there are. Just run the numbers and look at how many Lundbeck and Otsuka calls occur the same day on the same Psychs. How about three Otsuka AM's at the same SEP? Nothing is gained and you are paying double promotion costs. Lots have a lot of vacancies, so that may help soften the blow. Fewer AM's per territory, few territories, fewer managers, fewer directors. Otsuka will save a boatload of money and not lose one percentage of market share.
True, but look at how much we charge for our meds! Waste and inefficiency are built into our prices! It's all part of milking the American consumer. As long as we can get away with it, nothing changes!
