ViiV Culture=Backstabbing

Speaking of Halloween, my MANAGER dressed up for Halloween and went into a lunch dressed up! Can you imagine how embarrassing that was to witness, and it just adds to the image that GSK-sourced “talent” at ViiV is a horrible mistake. At every turn Viiv just seems to shoot itself in the foot. Products are not too good but the “talent” is bottom of the barrel. So glad I got out when I had the chance to move on to something much better.

 

This is embarrassing. No wonder we are getting our asses kicked. Did your manager dress up as a clown? 2 DR suck!

 

at least Halloween is only one day. We have the biweekly RSD calls to share made success stories that come straight out of fantasy land, but that’s how you get a 5.

 

Ironically as a witch! Although truthfully she was not a witch or a bitch but just in over her head. Nice person, highly educated, in the wrong job at a defective company. Why does anybody settle to work there? The lying about work activities and pretending to be relevant are so demotivating and depressing. I just couldn’t do that to myself. That’s s one of the worst drug companies.

 

Well, when ViiV legal disclosure says we aren’t paid or evaluated on sales. We aren’t salespeople. We pretty much all get the same bonus. That means to get a good rating pucker up sunshine. Sucks but true.

 

Our competitors sell, and are kicking our ass. GSK is a perfect example of why socialism doesn’t work, there is no desire to do better than others. All in it together means no one is in it. Look at the Biktarvy launch versus Juluca....it’s a joke....

 

My manager said she had heard there will be a definite “right sizing” (lay-off) in HIV early next year. Company feels forecasts were way off on customer 2DR buy in. Juluca has underperformed internal expectations by well over 50% while our competitors launch has outpaced GSK internal forecasts by over 40%. 2019 is going to be rough at ViiV.

 

Actually no surprises here:
1. 2DR regimens exist in the world of wishful thinking: it is the 5 minute abs paradigm: if someone else has a 7 minute abs that is selling like hot cakes, we come up with 5 minute abs. Debbie is now parroting the "less is more" and "don't need to take more than necessary" bull because what else can they say?
2. Even if 2DR is scientifically sound (some of it is) realize that Rilpivrine is not being used in 3DR, to pair it in a 2DR is just plain lazy. How many physicians use Rilpivrine? and why would they start using a regimen that has one less agents and now one that they just dont use?
3. The flawed logic demonstrated in #1 and 2 is actually emblematic of the overall governance logic. It is like that of a child who wishes for something and is now shocked that their wishes didnt materialize.
4. 3D (Dolutegravir plus Lamuvidine) is essentially Biktarvy minus the TAF from a very scientific perspective. To suppose that people would automatically use 3D because "less is more" goes against the very grain of basic marketing principles wherein we sell with "now with 33% less" while everyone else peddles "now 25% extra, free." It is terrible marketing persuasion.
5. Add to that GSK's decision to buy a cancer asset for $5.1 billion. Not sure that there is much rudimentary logic in existence here.

 

Good time to look for next gig for after the holidays. Juluca is doing badly compared to expectations and Triumeq is getting killed. Bonus will be below target again. Wait another 2DR, sarcasm. ViiV was a great place 2 or more years back.

 

I agree...time to go, no future here

 

The reason why the 2DR was established was due to the nausea and MI challenges with Abacavir and those issues never being put to bed. ViiV never developed another NRTI to offset the weakness of it. Docs simply don’t want to use Abacavir and its ONLY utilization has been as a throw in with Tivicay to have a 3DR. Ask yourself “HONESTLY” would you rather take Triumeq, Juluca or Biktarvy if you were HIV+?

 

Easy answer, the one we don’t sell. It’s the same answer almost every customer in my territory is giving right now too.

 

ViiV failed to create or license another NRTI. ABC is not as good as TAF based regimens plain and simple. Biktarvy just exposed Triumeq and we gave up on it for a RPV 2DR regimen. Lamivudine 2DR isn’t gonna be any better according to my IDs. Share of voice and pods galore aren’t doing anything other than pissing off the docs we can see.

 

This is spot on. We are making ourselves a small player in HIV. With the system we are following, and pushing 2DR, we are on the same level as Merck in the space. Gilead is King, and we are their Jester’s..._we did it to ourselves.

 

Going from 2 to 3 in a pod was ridiculous especially with poor access to IDs and makes it worse. Who does pods anymore? That was a big deal in the 90s.

Not paying on sales is socialism. My Gilead rep points out to MD that we stay employed with bonus no matter if what but he needs scripts to make it. I bet that is pretty much what happens.

The 2DR thing makes us as irrelevant as Merck. 2q earnings of 35m in Juluca sales compared to the losses in Triumeq and Epzicom. I just hope there are no layoffs but am not trusting ViiV especially since Marlon, Pickett left and we got Dube who is a bean counter climber. Why are we giving up on Triumeq and forcing Juluca and the next 2DR crap on customers? Why? I am PLHIV and don’t understand.

 

Sister you nailed it. Epzicom is generic and I hate that we are the best company but making bad decisions. Gilead only cares about money. We care about patients. Though I am worried because we have in my territory a problem. Too many of us and we can’t see doctors or our organizations without lunches and we are fighting over the same appointments to keep our Jobs and our Veeva looking good. I could go on.

 

the fact that the three people at the top departed in short order tells the story. ViiV is a bottom tier company with no prospect of moving into a market leading position. “Sales” reps that stay are bottom of the barrel and are show their stupidity when they cry their crocodile tears about job security, respect, blah, blah, blah. Now they are like rats overcrowded in a cage and trying to eat each other thinking that they will come out on top. The gsk culture dragged viiv down lower than it already was. So happy to be out of there and with a really great organization with stellar products.

 

We can hope all we want, layoffs are coming...sooner rather than later. Management knows 2DR strategy was an extremely poor one, no we can just hope pods are only reduced to 2. It’s about to get real ugly, real quick. Happy Holidays bastards!

 

Eric Dube was brought from GSK to be the hatchet man at ViiV plain and simple. That will make him a hero with Waterhouse and Emma, leading to his next promotion. Previous regime created the ridiculous 3 person pod and Eric will fix it. If you don’t believe that I have a bridge to sell you.

 

This is coming early in 2019, thinking 33% reduction in sales force.