Another blow to the rep job

1. Does the AbbVie-Express Scripts pact signal drug-price Armageddon?

http://links.mkt1985.com/ctt?kn=313&ms=MTE1MDgyOTkS1&r=NjI2MzE3MTI1MDgS1&b=0&j=NDA0MDIxMTg0S0&mt=1&rt=0

 

The rep job blows. Enough of the bullshit charging US people outrageous prices fo drugs while giving them away to Europe, Canada, etc.
Medicare will soon be able to negotiate prices just like any other GPO and that will be the end of the pharmaceutical business as we know it. Reps are unnecessary now and even more so in the future. The only difference will be that the office cows, nurses and doctors will all lose weight and the catering businesses will die. C'mon folks, what else do we really do to impact business? GPOs run the business. Good tier position successful rep, bad, rep unnecessary. Start retraining for your next career.

 

Sad but true. The days of influencing doctor behavior is over. Prescribing choices is just about taken out of their hands. Formularies, e-prescribing (with the smily faces and red/yellow/green lights), generics, access, me too drugs, it all adds up. Even if a doc writes your script, once the patient gets to the pharmacy-how many are willing to cough up $20-$40/$50 for a copay. It's a damn shame what this industry has become.

 

Gilead was charging $1,000-a-pill. It's hard to feel the slightest sympathy for them. I know every American believes that greed is good but the reality is we cannot keep funneling all our money into the pockets of the rich. Reasonable prices for drugs is common sense, not communism!!!!

 

True solvaldi is 1000 per pill, but it cures HepC which costs over 500k to treat over a patients life time (I personally think that number is low). Are the costs of meds high in the US? Hell yes, who can argue they aren't.

What's a reasonably price though? Who actually pays full price for meds? Cash patients maybe, but Discounts/cards/rebates and gimmicks have made it impossible to accurately name a drug price. And cash patients won't pay for expensive branded drug.

 

Keep in mind too that the majority of all scripts filled are generic.

Hence, the piece of the branded pie continues to diminish.

 

Not in my territory.. All branded whatever I sell....

 

You are a rock star!.... And full of shit!
Typical pfe delusional moron who actually believes the Pfizer line of shit. Like most motivational speakers Pfizer is a bag of wind and you are too.

 

You are obviously qualified to work in the Vaccine division with all the superstars here.

 

The job is still necessary.

Just because doctors act like they don't need reps or don't see reps or administrators block us to control the flow of information and every other roadblock that get put in place, doesn't mean reps aren't still needed and it doesn't for damn sure mean that docs know it all.

I've seen docs screw up numerous times over the years. Screw up dosing, discontinue meds too soon, fail to maximize therapy, fail to consider an appropriate therapy, fail to follow up correctly...

The list goes on. These are often minor things and there are a few know it all docs that really seem to know it all but the experts are not necessarily the experts with our drugs.

The world wants to make us disappear but have no idea of the many mistakes, big and small, that will mount up.

 

Keep telling yourself that. The encyclopedia salespeople said the same thing when the internet was born. They have to come for us for the info.... Are you fu**n delusional. Everything you listed here can be overcome with a good e-medical record/e-prescribing system. Proper dosing-check, how to discontinue therapy-check, how to maximize therapy-check, drug interactions(you didn't list)-check, schedule follow up-check....anything else we are so instrumental for??? Time to wake up my friend.

 

I personally don't think we are needed but if you think we are that's fine. The argument isn't relevant because it is all based on access and is Pfizer willing to pay $100,000 per year plus expenses to employ someone with limited access. The access is getting harder and there are studies to prove this. Sunshine act will make it more difficult.

Being a rep is over. Maybe not today but soon. Those of us who realize this, accept it and figure out the next step will be fine. The mistakes you talk about will be handled by RNs hired by the companies but sales reps with no RN degree are done.

 

I disgree because we have all these things and they don't work and won't work for years to come.

No, a company doesn't need 3 reps selling the same products to the same docs but that was never the case. The resulting downsizes was a rational outcome of irrational hiring and sizing practices. Bigger territories can help with limited access. Plus, companies need to do more for access.

It's ridiculous to be a rep with nothing to help gain better access. He whole industry took away all its door opening leverage. It was a unilateral disarmament, giving Cuba an embassy without anything in return. We spanked ourselves because we hated ourselves as much as our haters hate us. Our executives wanted to feel good and get credit at fancy dinner parties and reps were the pox upon their houses they wanted to be rid of until they have a product that needs to be sold.

Every effort to sell a product without reps or with contract hired guns or though account managers who offer value and don't actually sell has failed miserably. We are unfortunately for them a necessary evil. They control, stifle and strong arm reps and hate that they need them.

Pay will go up as they look for more qualified reps that can handle more products, bigger territories and bring value and deliver results.

 

All the detailing in the world won't help if it's:
a. Not on formulary
b. Covered at any copay higher than $5 or $10
c. In any class where there are generics available
d. Prior Auths or step therapy in place
e. High Medicaid population
f. High Medicare Populations/or Medicaid HMOs (we are aging as a population).
g. ObamaCare!! Most nonMedicaid plans have deductibles of a few thousand dollars before coverage kicks in.
NEED I LIST MORE?

The future is bleak my friend. You can paint the picture any way you want, but if you think salaries will rise because they need "highly qualified" reps" I think you are mistaken. My own doctor told me at my last physical that we are being replaced by fax machines (she faxes in her requests for samples)!!

 

I misread the title. I thought it said "Another blowjob to the rep".

 

On Thursday night I was in social conversation with a young doctor who works in Boston. She said that she never saw pharma sales people. When she wants information on a drug she Google's it. She had a very poor opinion of us. Face it - we're dinosaurs about to become extinct!!!

 

Thanks a lot BUS DRIVER! Next time you want to throw someone under the bus, let's talk about YOUR territory. I am certain we can find some bigmouth physician in YOUR territory who hasn't seen YOU either. Social conversation my ass. More like a treacherous friend. I know who you are.

 

What's the issue with Medicaid? My guess is coverage is poor but that goes for a lot of commercial payers, too.

 

And your point?? Neither is a positive for drug reps which was the point of the post. You can have the best relationship in the world, have a decent drug, detail it like crazy....no coverage= no script= why have a rep.

 

Was that before or after you left the men's bathhouse rump ranger ?