Dumbest BMS Moves Ever?

Two candidates would be ADVANCE where representatives were asked to document misdeeds that cost the company a fortune. Another was Pravigard - Pravachol + aspirin which met 3% of it's projected budget. Both of these came about because or r&d being a black hole that rarely comes up with a profitable product.

Do you have others?

 

Metaglip would qualify.

 

Pargluva, Vanlev,Vaniqua,Metaglip,Pro-Tek screenings,June Jump,SBT training.......is that enough? Want more? How about Ong/Kom co- promotion with a Plavix direct competitor--AZ? Still want more? How about Anna and claymation? How about launching Ong with 30 count bottles and expecting scripts the first week? Don't forget about "Rick and Fred's Excellent Adventure" in wholesaler stuffing? Avalide HCTZ screw-up? Want more? Did you know that all of our module and PI certification test are timed and AZ and SA are not? Concur replacing a perfectly functioning Express T and E system? I-Plan? Merci? L-N-L rosters?

 

How about our new Orion voice mail messaging service...what a great replacement for an existing service that worked beautifully and was not a PITA to use. Sigh...don't mind change but I do like it to be for the better.

 

Nice summary.....I left because of all this

 

Emsam.....ya that fun

 

Imclone, eventhough it eventually paid off.

Double Double and then Mega Double the earnings plan that precipitated channel stuffing.

Tequin.

 

Clearly the # 1 fuck up was Advance. Make the government's investigation easy enough for a 5th grader to pin BMS, cost of $515,000,000.

How can anyone argue that the # 2 fuck up was the Onglyza launch? We targeted a patient type that makes up 0.01% of the diabetic type 2 population, the "engaged and struggling" patient in a country with over 60% of the population obese. No point of differentiation what so ever. Used comic book marketing materials that were insulting and so far removed from professional, that docs could not believe it. Came out, in 2009, with NO PRICE ADVANTAGE. Remember, third party payors would not look at it, due to our price arrogance. At the launch, Rita said Plainsboro's target by Dec, 31 was 33%, 1 in 3 Nrxs!!! Total ignorance in the strategy, targeting, pricing, message, etc, etc, etc. Bernadette and Hooper signed of on it, letting Maglione totally fuck up the launch. These are supposed to be two of our brightest leaders! They did not understand one of the most basic pharma markets in the world, type 2 diabetes. One we had dominated only several years ago.

 

Who was responsible for ADVANCE and are they still with the company?

 

INSIGHT?!?

 

Pravagard

 

Insight is such a farce. At least when I pretended to use my paper detail piece it was visible on the counter where the doc might actually glance at it. Now, Insight just runs in the background on my computer, visible to none.

 

New data from independent 3 rd party analysts (not the company who sold the fucking software to BMS, who our leadership believed), show that the majority of MDs are not impressed with the technology or the information delivered by reps on tablets. Early a poor business decision on our leaderships's part - nothing new. If these dollars ( millions) had been put to rep training, it would have had a much greater ROI. Makes you feel great as a shareholder.

 

Such a lesson in futility. Let's believe the data coming from a company who has a vested interest in whether we purchase their million dollar "product" or not.

Insight has doomed our product trajectories, it took the selling away from the sales force.

 

Is there anybody here old enough to remember Bufferin #3 with Codeine? It seems like we had some kind of crazy promotion tied in with a children's charity. Dr if you write more Bufferin #3 we will support this kid in bum----, Egypt. If you cut back, then I guess we cut off the food.

 

Watch it wise guy, I'm from bumfuck Egypt!

 

Actually, the dumbest moves were to spin off the orthopedics division (Zimmer) and the infant nutrition (Mead Johnson). They are the 2 companies that are doing well with stock performance and sales while BMS lingers behind. Selling thise 2 divisions was the only way that BMS showed good results those years!

 

Yea, I see what you mean: http://seekingalpha.com/article/289670-a-bigger-world-means-bigger-profits-for-mead-johnson?source=yahoo

 

All of Bristol's sales were to make or exceed earnings expectations for the execs stock and bonus.

 

Engage! Selling model and Engage! For Impact

SBT--the very first time with the paid doctors.