Astellas to sale off the Oncology line by 2015

Despite success of Xtandi in prostate cancer market, Astellas leadership is planing to sell the rights for Tarceva, Xtandi and other marketed Oncology products to raise money for the upcoming merger in 2015.
The action is supported by lack of Oncology pipeline activities in clinical development, Tarceva upcoming loss of patent and analysts predicted massive blow to Xtandi's sale in USA as a result of Abiraterone Acetate generic market by 2016/2017.
ASTELLAS leadership in Japan has decided to concentrate more in what they believe are good at: Acting as 3rd party, marketing and selling other companies products as well Urology and Transplant and NOT being involved in more technical products such as Oncology, Immunology etc.
This maybe a very logical solution as the merging company will NOT contain any Oncology product.

 

This is total BS!

 

Last I heard there is an expansion planned in 2015...

 

I don't think this is BS. Statement is supported with lack of activities from Clinical Development as well as Business Developments in Oncology.

Checking at various web sites, it also suggest patent expired of Tarceva and Abiraterone, impacting Enzalutamide and Oncology at Astellas.

I know it will be tough as I have been in Oncology sales force in past few years but I also have seen a trend and is time to be greaful and start looking elsewhere.

 

That is just plain ignorant. Our Oncology investments are the only thing worth any real value. All other legacy products are just cash cows losing share to generics and our expenses will be cut (ie reps) as each product bottoms out. The real story no one in upper management wants to talk about is why we didn't buy MDVN when it was trading for $16 a share 3 years ago. Now the price is 20x that! Where was our brilliant BD team on that one...idiots!

 

Comical. Oncology is ONLY division with products that are not at the end of the product life cycle. It is also where majority of future investments are being made. Quit with the foolish jibber jabber from the peanut gallery!

 

Please! AST has no oncology pipeline...they have no clue what they are doing on oncology. If they had a clue they would have acquired mdv instead of the laughable partnership

 

What is the salary range for an oncology rep.? What is the training like, length? How often do they have meetings? Thanks

 

Zytiga patent expiery on Dec 13, 2016

ZYTIGA (abiraterone acetate) Patents & Exclusivity Expiration ...
fdazilla.com/drugs/patentexclusivity/zytiga
ZYTIGA (abiraterone acetate) is an FDA-approved drug whose original license was filed by ... There are 1 patents protecting this drug of which 0 are expired.

Read the above link. 832 days left for Zytiga to become generic. After this, Xtandi, although a good drug, will fall drastically as payouts will force use of generic Zytiga first and then use of Xtandi. We all know that, Xtandi does not work as well, for a long period, post Zytiga. There is no data to prove otherwise and our stupid leadership has not thought about conducting a study showing that if Xtandi be used first vs Zytiga will result in a longer life for patients vs if Zytiga being used first. Or maybe there is data that Xtandi does not work well post Zytiga failure and we are holding to it and not publishing it. Because if there is truly no data in sequencing these drugs WHY don't we conduct the sequencing trial? When Zytiga becomes generic on Dec 2016, there will be used first, that is just so clear and we will be doomed.

Go read SEC filing regarding Medivation Executive team selling their shares in millions. They know what is coming.

 

Wow!! Great post above. Add Xtandi to the growing list of Astellas screw-ups. MDVN is trading over $90 share after splitting 16 months ago! Looks like we're on the outside looking in as usual. Good for the MDVN folks, they deserve a much better partner than Astellas has been. Somehow we find a way to make dog shit out of lemons and nobody cares.

 

Who's bright idea was it to hold Xtandi pre-chemo launch training 2 months before the PFUFA date? Guaranteed to put us in hot water with the FDA for off-label promotion.

 

Yup, FDA/DDMAC has been already been informed about this training and all other illegal activities by Astellas management.

 

Piss off haters! Seriously. This the best company I've worked for!

 

If that's the case you have no idea what a really good company is all about.

 

Every company has A** Kissers, fortunately, our company has plenty. If someone thinks this is the best company, they are either dreaming or their head is so far up that they can't see or breath.

They will let the Oncology go, just watch. Japan doesn't know anything about Medicine, drug development never the less Oncology. We are all slaves and numbers to them, they like to keep their slaves happy for now. But they will cut all of us soon.

 

Just wait till ESMO, there is a surprise awaiting for Xtandi.

 

What is ESMO?

 

European Society of Medical Oncology, similar to ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) meeting.

 

i just got back from Japan and I can confirm that despite investing in Xtandi's trials, Sr. Management is after selling the Oncology franchise. This will most likely be done in different sections; Xtandi to be sold back to Medivation, Tarceva will go of patent next year, Eligard to be contracted out, as well as other regional products. APGD team/role to be mostly moved back to Tokyo by year end and folks to be re-distributed to other Theraputics areas as well possible upcoming other therapies that company is planing to gain via merger. I.e; Orphan disease etc.

 

I did hear a similar news while there. That explains not having truly a Head of Oncology development, current one is a PharmD and according to Japan temporary as well losing the Commercial and clinical leads for Xtandi.