mobile blogging..

So I am finally in the world of mobile blogging..woohoo. it's on now..better hope you are not the rep who pisses me off in the parking lot..just kidding.

Hey

Sorry...I have been away for so long.

Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I was not sure if I wanted to continue with this site, I really don't have time to administer it and moderate. But I am diving back in because I have a new position well it is almost a year old now, and I am selling a fantastic new drug called Byetta (yes I am working for Amylin Pharmaceuticals). So I suppose this will become my insights into the company and the goings on from the standpoint of the field.

I have to say that I am overwhelmed right now with the success of Byetta and to some extent Symlin ( well not so much Symlin but that is a topic for later) they are great drugs and they will revolutionize the treatment of Diabetes in the U.S and the World. But only if the organizations behind them carry off the commercialization well and that is my focus and the focus of this blog.

More soon...

Do you need to be polite in an interview?

Today I interviewed with a small pahrmaceutical company that I am interested in working for if they can make the numbers line up for me. All in all I had a good experience in the interview it was pretty typical, decent manager (young and a little arrogant) and my territory partner would be a great guy that I really like as a person.
That being said something was said today in the interview that rubbed me the wrong way and I let it slide and now I am kicking myself. The manager asked me why I have jumped jobs so many times. "Jumped jobs, I have not jump jobs." Granted the position I am currently in I have only had for six months, but it is somewhat unstable and it is a contract that could go bye bye. Before that I was with a major pharma company for about the last 4 years. I left that job based on poor management and my current position gave me such an increase in base salary it changed my life. Prior to the major pharma company I was on another contract that was going to be dissolved. So why is that jumping? I have moved up, made more money and had some longevity in my previous position. He asked why I was persuing a position with his company, and what would I do when the next guy came offering 5k more than him. I was offended, they recruited me. They asked some of my current customers for refferals and I was brought to their attention and they contacted me. I had even told them that I was not looking to move but I would hear them out, and know I am job hopping. Up yours a@@hole! is what I wanted to say but instead I said "does that answer your question sufficiently" what an a@@hole.
I am hating myself for this I shouldn't have even put myself in this position because they don't deserve me. I am a top performer with great relationships I don't need this crap. Why am I explaining myself to a guy with the same amount of experience as myself, especially when I am not unhappy in my current job. I am such an a@@hole. It is such a shame because my would be partner was a swell guy.

Biotechnology future.

What does the future hold for the Biotechnology industry as many of the small companies shift gears from research to Commercialization and in-licensing. I work for a small biotech or biopharmaceutical company as they are reffering to themselves now and I have some concerns. At this point we have licensed a very good novel antibiotic that I believe will do very well in the market place as our first commercial venture. My concerns arise as more and more small companies license out molecules to market instead of creating new ones like they did in the past. There is not an endless supply of unmarketed drugs out there for companies to choose from and as more companies inlicense products the well will keep drying up. Even now I feel that many of the licensed products are me-too and second class agents that merely compete on price and not clear clinical advantages.
Acute therapies will be hit the hardest because this is where the biotechs did there best work since the major pharma companies are all going the chronic care direction. It will be the patient that is ultimately hurt by this.
Another concern I have deals with the markets view of all of this. Will investors flee from biotech if there are no new good ideas and any radical ideas for new compounds? Why invest in a small pharmaceutical company selling a copy of a major pharma brand when you could invest in the real deal and have greater security? People don't invest money in the same old,same old they look for companies and people who have original ideas who are way ahead of their time that is what investing is about, so why would anyone be excited about an in-licensing minor biotech company that has gotten out of research and development?
Scary prospect for someone who relies on having new and novel products to sell.

When were the "Glory Days" of the Pharmaceutical Industry?

All I here in the field anymore from other reps and even the occassional doctor is " I remember when we could.." and you can fill in the blanks. What were these days? Has anyone actually experienced them? Personally, the basic elements of my chosen career I love, representing beneficial products, talking to and befriending people, and seeing the fruits of my labors; love it! However, I do wonder if there was a time before the "sign in here and wait", "you can get a signature but don't speak" and my favorite "so who can I get to sign for you." The conclusion that I have come to is that the nature of the in office call has not changed that much, it is the "out of office" or personal meetings that have changed. Golf was the biggie, but why don't we do it anymore? Because our companies won't pay for it, how cheap are we? How good is our friendship with the doctor? Couldn't we pay our own way and just have fun? Dinner, can only be with the doctor no spouse. Who the hell in their right mind is going to work all day just so they can call home and tell their spouse that they would rather go to dinner with a relative stranger rather than be home with their loved ones. This speaks to my earlier post about corporate loyalty, the companies don't have any loyalty to their customers if they are truly willing to ask them to do such things. I understand that the office of the inspector general has a lot to do with these restrictions, but I also know that not a single company that I have worked for has shown me a clear guideline sent down by the OIG it is always their interpretation of the rulings. Blah, Blah, Blah is what I say to that. If companies honestly and ethically wanted to approach personal sales relationships with their customers and reps did not abuse the system I think we would still be doing all of these things. Instead the companies take a "don't ask, don't tell approach" and hope that their reps find a way to do all of these somehow outlawed events.
Who is being hurt by all of this? I believe the patient ultimately gets hurt by this because the great majority of reps are a true resource to their doctors in that they provide insight into the safety, dosing and appropriate patient types for the drugs and if the doctor never gets to sit down in a relaxed setting to go over this information they are either going in blind with a drug or they won't use what could have been a beneficial treatment for the patient.
I am amazed at how many doctors are "no see" in a office setting so therefore are not getting info from the reps on new therapies, but if you can offer them an out of office event with their spouse they are open to it. So, if we cannot do these sort of engagements who loses out?
The argument of cost does not apply although I know that some of you are thinking about it. What is the average cost of having 4 people out to a sit down dinner with drinks, $150-$200. Well think about the cost of feeding 30 to 40 people in an office environment, at $5/head it is at least$150 and you never get the undivided attention of your customer. So why should I spend money to feed 29 people who do not write prescriptions for patients? Pharmaceutical lunches are the most popular means of doing business and I feel the worst for ROI in the industry.
So it seems like the Glory days of the Pharmaceutical industry were when people could sit down to dinner and talk with their spouses and we could all get together with friends and colleagues and share a game of golf without fear of firing or worse yet federal fines for being decent human beings. I think the Glory Days could be right now if we wanted them to be. If we all go out there with the intention of making friends and having personal relationships that have no agenda you could spend time outside the office with your customers without breaking rules, you could be happy sharing your time with your customers and your families and this job would get easier and be more fun. Just because one or two things have been taken away does not mean the Glory days are over it just means we have to work around the absurd restrictions and create our own Glory days.

Corporate loyalty

I was just sitting and talking with my wife about an issue which I find very interesting, Corporate loyalty. I believe this issue spans all realms of business but I am concerned with the pharmaceutical industry because that is what I know. Who is looking out for me? The simple answer is nobody except yourself, how sad is that. What makes me more upset is I feel myself becoming disloyal, saying things like "it's the same game no matter what team you play for" and "if I get a good enough offer I would consider it," is this terrible? I always wanted to work my way up within a company and be a success story, but more often than not these days in order to move up you need to ship out. Is this because companies feel they can fill jobs with any college grad? Does experience mean anything to the company you work for rather than the company that is trying to steal you? I am saying this because I find myself in a position where I can do one of two things I can stay with a nice small company that I have been working for and where I enjoy my relationships or I can go to another company that is trying to lure me away with money and good people with whom I am familiar.
Although I feel like I shouldn't even be considering the latter I am because I have expressed interest in a few positions with my current company where I am strong performer and all around nice guy (I think) and I have not even gotten a call back declining my interest. To me that is the ultimate disrespect, I don't deserve the consideration of a call saying "we just don't think your ready yet" I feel I do. The fact is however in the pharma industry the jobs go to the person who has worked the system enough to get a few more prescriptions then the next guy and not on qualifications. A friend once asked me "how many great NFL players have turned out to be great coaches?" the answer is not many. So then why does the rep from the big city with the huge volume territory and no formulary restrictions make a better manager than the hardworking middle of the pack rep from the low volume rural area? Don't misunderstand me I am certain there are exceptions to to the rule in either direction, but we have all experienced what I am talking about. This is the reason why you see the 23 year old DM telling the 20 year veteran how to do their job, and the fish out of water DM who had great numbers despite themselves and now they have to try to tell someone else how to succeed.
I just feel that this industry has become a game that can be massaged in your favor if you work it correctly and the companies know this and turned a blind eye to it. They only care about numbers however you have to lie cheat and steal to get them and true hard work and loyalty is dismissed for the quick buck and the wink wink. There is no loyalty to the hardworking rep who creates a long term business based on ethics, all these companies want is somebody who will buy off doctors and play games with vouchers and whatever else to make the numbers line up for investors.
Why should I be loyal to that?

Inaugural post

Hello everyone! Well this is pharmalog, and it is what it is, a place to discuss, vent, bitch whatever have you about the pharmaceutical industry or medicine at large. I am not your typical blogger, I am not a computer person, I really don't have time to do this sort of thing but damn it there are times (many times) when I just want to wipe the grin off of a rude ass doctor's face, or kick the crap out of the rep who keeps throwing away my samples, or slap silly the fools in the office who think I can solve the "high cost of prescription drugs" for them from my lowly position. Frankly I get tired of it and I am sure you do to. I thought this would be more constructive then the hour long cell phone calls I have with other reps all the time discussing the ridiculous ranking systems all these companies use to pit us against each other, and the eerie lack of disclosure about script tracking and all of the other bullshit that we all deal with. Or if you are a doctor tell us about the retarded rep that wasted your God damned time, or insulted you, talk about whatever the hell you want to that is what Pharmalog is all about. Patients, we want to here from you as well, if you think Vioxx is a great drug like I do and should not have been pulled from the market because it truly helped millions of people just say so, that is why Pharmalog exists. So here it is, enjoy, I look forward to meeting many of you and sharing our stories and feelings about this amazing and unique system we all operate within.