Addyi Sales

Are there any scripts coming through?

 

not many

 

Addyi is not that bad. It is good to have a option when there was nothing before. I like the managers and the leadership; they are realistic and accessible.

 

These guys just completely botched the drug. Valeant doesn't know how to launch new drugs, they only know how to make existing companies run better (like Bausch & Lomb, Cora, etc.).

Addyi is a good drug, the problem is these guys have done nothing to control the narrative. 200k people have viewed the (stupid) TL;DR videos on youtube, but Addyi doesn't have a youtube video explaining their side? It only costs a couple grand to make a youtube video, and you can reach millions of women, but nobody thought of it!? Boggles the mind. Valeant hasn't done any advertising, so most people don't even know the drug exists.

The common complaints about Addyi are the JAMA study that says it only produces, on *average*, 0.5 to 1.0 additional sexual events per month. And of course everyone worries about the alcohol issue.

Problem with using the "average" is that half of women don't respond to the drug at all. Those women can simply stop taking the drug. However, for those women that *do respond, Addyi is very effective! Among women that lack desire or are asexual, the number that respond to Addyi is pretty high, and the impact quite effective.

The alcohol thing is probably the most overblown issue. 12,000 people used the drug during trials - like 2% of people experienced dizziness (which isn't far off from placebo). If a woman takes it at bed time she'll be fine (in fact, likely to sleep better!). Again, the FDA puts these massive restrictions over such a tiny probability issue.

 

This is why a drug rep should never talk about science or data.

Stick to bringing donuts.

Every study ever done looks great if you eliminate everyone who doesn't respond!

Gosh why dont we just promote it that way???

Doctor this drug works really great if you ignore everyone it doesnt work for. Thats the way you should prescribe it!

Duh!!!!

 

Mike didn't believe in advertising until they launched jublia, and even had it up on the super bowl. Then someone realized that it cost 10 times it's competitor for 10% more effectiveness. Joe probably doesn't know how to advertise either or spread positiveness using social media. Joe is really old school, don't know how the get the right message across or out there. His lack of normal communication shows that he hasn't embraced social media, and probably believes that silence is bliss and action speaks louder than words.

 

Your point is absolutely right, however you do have to differentiate between chronic and non-chronic drugs. For a one-use drug, the "average" outcome is important; for a chronic drug, what matters is the average outcome given how the drug will practically be prescribed!

Think of it like a world-class boxing coach like Freddie Roach. If we gave instructions from Freddie Roach to 100 average dudes, after a month their boxing skill may only improve by modestly better than a control group (placebo). But not everyone has an interest in boxing, or the coordination / fitness to do so. Those that don't can stop taking classes.

However, for those that *do have the ability, Freddie Roach can make them into boxing champions. He's a game-changer. Addyi is similar. It is false mathematics to simply take the "average".

On day 1, lets assume I give Addyi to 100 women suffering from a lack of desire, and Addyi works for 50% of its applicable female population. The average outcome is modestly better than placebo. However, after just one month, I discontinue the patients that do not respond, and continue treatment for the 50 that do. At month two, three and so on, my "average" outcome will rocket higher. We should evaluate the average based on the patient population 1 year or 2 years after they begin treatment, not necessarily day 1.

Addyi is a daily pill that a woman with a lack of desire may take for years; there is no harm in trying it out for four weeks and discontinuing it if it is not effective.

 

BS! The alcohol issue is A HUGE ISSUE! ADDYI is a shit drug! A vast majority of girls at risk for pregnancy do tend to drink. The studies show a serious and life-concerning problem for girls that imbibe with alcohol and take the drug! As much as the company reps/managment thinks faulting the study parameters will help them, they're full of crap! I suspect a manager wrote how accessible the management is too! From the top down, they suck! Even in returning email! This is a shitty, shitty company. DON'T WASTE A MINUTE CONSIDERING WORKING HERE! FACT: VALEANT hires contract workers to sell ADDYI and they tend to leave within 2 months!!! RUN FROM THIS MESS!

 

You are definitely right about the alcohol issue. It's a huge problem! There's a reason the FDA mandates doctors complete Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy attestation. This isn't going away unless possibly a bigger, much more expensive study entirely contradicts the high risk to patients taking Addyi and alcohol. This company is way too cheap to spend anything for the kind of study needed.

Even most doctors who admit they wish they had options to offer their HSDD patients candidly explain they don't think the benefit for only 50% of patients at best, outweighs the substantial risk. ADDYI is a crappy product, awful cost and the others are right. While I like my Valeant manager, the contract manager sucks and her higher up is so self-entitled and smug,it's impossible to discuss anything. YUCK! I'm already looking for a better company and position. It shouldn't be hard to find. After layoffs as previous company I only did this, just like the other reps I've spoken with, for something short-term while I look for better.

If as in my case, you are part of a lay-off, collecting severance and just don't want to be without any employment while interviewing elsewhere, at least you get paid for the quick home study and training. Expense reports are a nightmare to process and get paid on though! And, upper management is atrocious!

 

In what universe does Valeant make B&L run better???

 

The drug is hard to sell but it has helped some people. Also I think the management on both the Quintiles and Valeant side have been great.

 

"some" people? At best, it only works in 50% of those who try it and due to it being crappy, with some serious adverse effect concerns, very few doctors have written for it. The vast majority of reps agree that upper management at both must go for the good of Valeant. I like my direct manager but the ones above my manager at both organizations suck and don't do anything to justify their cost to the company!

 

Actually, B+L was a bloated pig before the acquisition. Heavy overhead and inefficiencies abound. After gutting G&A, and tried better product launch strategies, the division is generally better than before. Same can be said for a lot of their acquisitions.

However, now Valeant needs to grow organically, but they seem more interested in selling assets to pay down debt. Why sell income producing assets at the expense of debt, if planning for the long haul? Given time, and savvy refinances, the debt can be whittled down without selling assets. The P&L won't look too good for years after amortization, and the stock will still be depressed, but the BS should slowly strengthen. However, this strategy may not be quick enough for Papa to reap his $ bonus from the promise to return the stock to lofty heights, which I believe is the main reason for these asset sales. Selfishness almost destroyed this company by Pearson, let's hope it's different with Papa, who has a track record of selfishness at Perrigo.

 

I think number of women that respond is closer to 60%, and their response is pretty significant.

The alcohol thing is such a typical FDA overreaction. Over 10k women were on the drug during trials and they was a modest impact in lower blood pressure. If you take the pill at night you'll be just fine.

The FDA threw the REMS on after the had a group of men try the drug after taking half a bottle of wine in the morning in like 30 minutes, on an empty stomach! So yeah, if the woman is a raging alcoholic getting blasted at 10am she might wanna avoid Addyi!

If she's a woman having a glass of wine or two at dinner and drinks socially, she can get home and take Addyi right before going to sleep and be perfectly fine in the morning.

I don't know why people act like women are idiots that need to be protected from themselves. I think most women can understand the basic risk - if you take Addy in the morning during a bachelorette party you'll probably pass out. Take it after a couple drinks with friends right before you go to sleep and you'll be fine, as were the other 10,000+ women who tried it and had no issues...

 

Did someone say "marketing"? At B+L? Who would be planning the marketing? T.V.? Seriously? Based on her vast experience as a director at Novartis?

Valeant owes about $28 billion and isn't able to market products which is why no one there has strong marketing backgrounds. They are there to simply follows Joe's plan and cut costs.

 

no bonus but easiest job in pharma I've ever had

 

That's cause you don't do anything.

 

Happy with the base pay, even without a bonus. They pretend to be a real company. I pretend to work. LOL!

 

It is not a bad place to be and the drug is fun to sell.

 

If you don't get a bonus, then your underperforming, then eventually let go.