Dovato Sales: Lynne Baxter says it's awesome

Not knowing the actual numbers, I would still say this sounds about right. Which means that we are in for a lot of pain. Presumably the 2Q results will see a lot of hemming and hawing to explain away the abysmal sales numbers and shine the light on the next golden child, namely, Cabotegravir. If you pay attention, there is a lot of activity at viiv in the background to try and restructure the organization and reduce personnel. Combine this with GSK jettisoning their respiratory division, this does not augur well for the company as a whole. And it is richly deserved.

 

I have it on reasonable authority that Dovato sales are way lower than anticipated. Not that it is a surprise to anybody capable of independent cogitation, but it will be disseminated as a shocking surprise through the company. I do wonder if the spinmasters will try to spin it positively or they will simply do what many of us have suspected for long: layoffs. Either way, spit shine your CV, start looking, you can never be too careful. I suspect the combined revenue for dolutegravir will be significantly lower than was anticipated. At one point they had hoped that dovato would compete head to head with Biktarvy (delusionality runs high in the higher ups) but that dream has now been shattered.

 

you are a liar. Plain and simple. Pharma is RAPING America - no lube, not even a sweet whisper in the ear.

 

You again ? Seriously - see a psychiatrist. LOSER

 

Seriously. I remember prior to the first 2DR launch analysts and those within our company expected ViiV to compete with Gilead with the upcoming new products. You don’t even hear chatter like this anymore, it’s just known we are getting our asses kicked.

 

It’s getting ugly out here with our Dovato launch. 3 person Pod’s are unsustainable with this level of performance. You’ve been warned!

 

Just read an article, Dovato running less than 1/6th what Biktarvy was running at this time of launch. Dovato getting 15% of new prescriptions, Biktarvy getting 75%. This is getting ugly, fast. Didn’t leadership say they expected over 50%? I have a feeling layoffs will occur in Q4.

 

Down from 3 reps to 2 (or 1.5) by years end.

 

The projection was 60% share. But that was projecting out three years. However, we do need to weed out a few of the older TAMs who have lost their zest for the job. Even some of the Directors. Also, why in the hell are we hiring additional reps for CARLA? Who was the brain child behind that decision?

 

Agreed. More reps for another niche product is not needed. 60% is laughable at this point, we won’t even be in the ballpark.....maybe 20%.

 

Why should a patient be on Dovato over Biktarvy? Seriously! What are the advantages of such a fragile regimen and would you want to be on it? I’m sure when the Dovato experiment was decided we would’ve jumped at the opportunity to combine Tivicay with Descovy if Gilead we’re willing to play ball. The belief we’d gain 50-60% market share with this dawg is laughable. No way in hell are we even getting 15% nationally. I don’t believe it!

 

The products are whatever they are going to be, that is thanks to the research that mgt chose to do years ago. As a rep I want to end all the insanity of this job. Stop forcing me to lie everyday about who I could see, about what we did not talk about, and how to keep my stupid manager happy. Just lay off most reps and managers and keep a smaller group that can have some access and spread the message. This pod shit is stressful, unrewarding, unfulfilling, and hopefully the pin-heads at the top see it is counter productive. Just pull the band-aid off and let’s move on. Come back to reality and try to make this a professional organization. Stop this seemingly endless stream of stupidity parading in front of us at sales meetings. I remember when Glaxo HIV was the leader. But it was hated by ACT UP which I was a part of and I hated them to then, but I joined the company thinking I could make a diff.

 

200% payout but missed the bik spiff. Not too shabby.

 

Im in almost the same boat. How the hell are we getting paid like this when I can barely get 2DR out of my mouth in nearly every office without being told it’s a gimmick and they won’t use it.....this is great!

 

Q2 results: Dovato and Juluca combined $89 million. That is peanut shells, not even peanuts. Biktarvy will annihilate those numbers. There is no real gap between your field experience with Dovato and the sales numbers. There must be widespread panic in the ranks at Viiv. This may be the beginning of the end of the dolutegravir franchise. And it was all wrought at the hands of the great think tank at Viiv GSK who were too preoccupied playing gender and identity politics and substituting merit in leadership and ability to strategize for genitalia and mandatory check boxes.
The inflection point is now past and going in the wrong direction. What you do with the knowledge given to you determines the direction of your future. Be safe, be brave and don't be afraid to take risks. Because the biggest risk is the position you are currently in.

 

Wow - I didn’t even remember that Juluca launched months before Biktarvy. Both those 2DR revenues of $89 million looks terrible next to Biktarvy’s $800 million in Q1. Imagine in a couple weeks in Biktarvy’s Q2 revenue is $1 Billion......Our fall in HIV as a company has been quick and painful.

 

Thanks Hal, and best of luck to you!

 

Being put into context like this does make ViiV a scary place to be right now

 

That is correct: Biktarvy did 1.13 Billion (with a B) in through end of jan 2019. It would not be surprising if it broke the $1 Billion barrier for 2Q in 2019. Realize that Biktarvy did $ 739 million in Q1. And with good reason. While Gilead was simply riffing on the HIV guidline recommended 3DR theme, we went and tried to reinvent the wheel and replace it with an octagon, just because we didn't have enough spokes. Of course, now we are surprised with the bumpiness of our ride.
GSK/Viiv delights in talking about how incredibly innovative the company is while they keep offering answers to questions that were never asked and provide solutions to problems that never existed. That is the dying gasp of a corporate entity too dumb to exist while convinced that it inhabits the top of the food chain.
Maybe what they meant with inflection point was actually infection point.
We killed our 3DR with our 2DR. We feasted on our limbs and declared the famine was over.

 

Very nice post from the last individual. Yes, Biktarvy is king. Dovato will never overthrow the king. However, Dovato will be a blockbuster! It will be a billion dollars franchise. So relax. Remember how ridiculously small we are. Our overhead is minimal compared to other companies. Many old-timers are retiring and or being asked to leave. This has been long overdue. Any employee who has been here 20+ years and is over 60 need to go. What I find concerning is the fact that Kristin F said they are looking outside the organization to fill upcoming CAB positions. Very poor decision making by our new leadership team.