Lederle Labs: any reps from the Cyanamid days still around?

FYI. I heard that Dave Brandstetter passed away recently.

 

Wow, why are you still working? I am in my 25th year in pharma and I can't wait to retire. I just hope I can make it to 30 years!

 

Agree totally! Retired after 30 years. If you have been here that long you should have an Azzkickin lump waiting for you-especially with low interest rates. They have gone up a bit since lows of early 2013 but still should get out before they rise more and drop the lump. If you stay 2/3 more years, you may look back and realize you worked for nothing….(salary-decreased lump sum= zero net). I wonder how much people's lump has decreased in the pension calculator in the last 6-8 months? If they haven't checked they may be surprised. This is assuming with all his other jobs he has pension/lump sum options. This post may be more appropriate for "current" Pfizer/Wyeth employees still sticking it out.

 

Great post! I so miss those days as well! I am still in pharma with another company with 24 years total under my belt. The first 10 years were the best. I am still hanging on by a thread, or so it seems every year!

 

I imagine being in a sales job that was 80/20 commission to salary was what drove you out of med devices/capital equipment. I learned more from my DM Bob Thomas then all my device managers combined. Your discounting every pharma rep hurts your credibility. If you can sell and know how to work it isn't difficult to succeed...regardless of the industry or field.

 

I always liked Mike Marquard.....IMO, he brought Wyeth up to speed with their commission program. I thought he was a hard ass but fair,if you were meeting your quotas and working hard.

 

I have been in med device sales for 14 years and you are correct, Bob Thomas was the best manager I have ever had. He was awesome.

 

Agree with your assessment of Mike Marquard, he thought like a medical device manager. Pay for results then let the weak weed themselves out of the business.
No excuses,just results.

 

Man, I just read through this entire thread! Great memories of Lederle Laboratories! I still look upon that time in my career with fondness.

 

Ernie DeSalvo

What have ever happened to Ernie??? Anyone know?

 

Started with them in 1981. Worked with a lot of great reps. Clem Edmunds, Joe Moeller, Joe Volgraff, Art Shumsky, Ben Swan, Bob Hobaica, Dick Card, Billy Jerome, Eric Zwickau, Dan Ziarno, Shirley Baldwin, Christina Ruiz. Yeah, those were the days. Had direct selling in offices, pharmacies, and hospitals. This was when there was true selling. I remember walking out of some pharmacies with 10,000-15,000 dollar orders. It was fun. No email, phone mail, computers, conference calls - none of that. It was here's your quota for the 4 quarters and year and go hit it. How I miss those days but they will never be back.

 

Great post! Those were great days indeed!

 

I started my career with Lederle and for the most part had a great time. I did my job well, won several Gold Cups and was happily being a territory rep. In the early 90 s things really started to change. The field became cluttered with with multiple reps from same company and then Wyeth came along and bought us up. I had great managers with Lederle and was happy. I survived the cut game and due to re alignment of territories I was overnight most of the week. I was about to give up when an opening was created in my old territory. I stayed there under the new Adar for several years the took an opportunity to move up. That is where I ran into the first bad manager. Real a hole. After so long I had the opportunity to retire and took it. It would s a shame since most of the memories are good but the last one lingers.

 

Hard to believe that no one from the old Lederle days has posted since 2009. Today after 25+ years in the business that started as a Lederle representative then on to Wyeth and then finally Pfizer, my territory was eliminated in a reorganization by Pfizer due to the unexpected decision this past May that a part of the patent for Celebrex was ruled to have expired. Pfizer was under the impression that Celebrex was patent protected through December of 2015, but was caught unaware when a judge ruled that a part of the patent did indeed expire May 30 of 2014. Pfizer cut a deal with the generic company that had first rights to the product to delay its launch until December of 2014. Pfizer followed the blueprint that it executed when Lipitor went generic in 2012 in eliminating territories that were not in major population centers, thus my territory was absorbed by reps in a major city 40 miles away. I remember the great times and places we launched such products as Suprax, Hibtiter, AcelImmune, Verelan, ProStep and others. How things have changed! When I started in the industry, pharma positions were held in high esteem and providers gave us respect. Yesterday as I called on my final clinic fully aware that I would probably be displaced, I couldn't help but think of those who had supported and encouraged me through my career, Pfizer not withstanding. The people from Lederle and Wyeth were outstanding and I can't thank them enough. Given the severance package and time in the industry, I will be fine. My heart goes out to those who are in their 40's with children in high school and headed to college. They have a slim chance to replace their income and benefits in a different industry when they receive the displacement call in the next year or so. Lederle Labs was my intro to the pharmaceutical business and I am forever grateful for that. While I will miss the interaction with some of my providers and staff, I definitely will not miss the non-sales activity that this industry has become. God bless to all my former Lederle colleagues!

 

I misspoke. There have been posts since 2009, including 2014. Sorry about that.

 

I completely agree with you. What a great post. Those were the good old days. Wyeth-Lederle was a great company.

 

Great post! I am exactly in your shoes as well. I started with Lederle but have been laid off several times since. I am still in pharma but after 25 years it is now just a job. Even the Docs don't get much respect anymore.

 

I was true blue Wyeth-Women's Health Care Div specifically. All of my management were Lederle. I had mad respect for them and they were my intro to pharma. It was all about family (the district family), being an entrepreneur with your territory, being early (on time was late) and respect. Wyeth was the first and last company I was with (5 yrs) that actually trained reps at home office. After that I went through about 4-5 companies over my 15 yr career in pharma and only 2 week trainings, never a HO visit. Wyeth trained you for 2 yrs with stages of training that lasted 2-3 wks at a time at HO. You felt engrained in the culture of the company and vested it in. We were given share options and stock in the company.

I figure many Lederle aren't on here bc face it, the internet is not their generation. They are on paper, writing letters, making phone calls…not on the net…and def. not on CafePharm. There somewhere building real relationships….

 

Ha! Out of control fun!

 

Bob Thomas was one of the 2 best managers I have had in 28 years of pharma,device,disposable,& capital equipment experience. Everyone was fighting to get a spot in Bob's district. So much respect for him.