Pfizer + Wyeth = ?

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I'm sure it's smart folks making smart decisions..
I don't see how the merger will affect healthcare one way or another. I really haven't given it much thought.

But I am intrigued with Merck getting into generic biotech arena.
 
ItsOverZyvox said:
I'm sure it's smart folks making smart decisions..
I don't see how the merger will affect healthcare one way or another. I really haven't given it much thought.

But I am intrigued with Merck getting into generic biotech arena.
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Intrigued in what sense?

Personal financial opportunity? Or impact on where future of the sector lies (i.e. more biologics, monoclonals, etc.)?
 
SpirivaSunrise said:
Intrigued in what sense?

Personal financial opportunity? Or impact on where future of the sector lies (i.e. more biologics, monoclonals, etc.)?
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Impact on where future of the sector lies (i.e. more biologics, monoclonals, etc.

Once in a while, I'm not always about "me."
 
ItsOverZyvox said:
But I am intrigued with Merck getting into generic biotech arena.
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All of the blood suckers will get on board with generic biologics because they realize their lobby will eventually lose the battle (most likely in the next four years) that has blocked competition up to this point.
 
ItsOverZyvox said:
Impact on where future of the sector lies (i.e. more biologics, monoclonals, etc.

Once in a while, I'm not always about "me."
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Oh please, you are salivating over the potential bottom line impact of generic enoxaparin, which I hear is formulated and ready to be shipped as soon as some legislation gets patched through.
 
Priapism321 said:
Oh please, you are salivating over the potential bottom line impact of generic enoxaparin, which I hear is formulated and ready to be shipped as soon as some legislation gets patched through.
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Are you stalking me? You just go and do you work....

:meanie:
 
But that brings up an important question.

What kind of impact will it have on healthcare system finance to have Zosyn, Primaxin, and Lovenox go generic?

The 2 blockbuster generics were Rocephin and Zofran. And it was huge.

Zosyn, Primaxin, and Lovenox will be astronomical.
 
Do you think generic Imi/Cilastin will be that big of a deal? Zosyn and Lovenox I can see, Primaxin, we just don't use that much of (and have it under lock and key).
 
njac said:
Do you think generic Imi/Cilastin will be that big of a deal? Zosyn and Lovenox I can see, Primaxin, we just don't use that much of (and have it under lock and key).
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Typical Primaxin use is around 30 - 70% of Zosyn. So yes, it's a big deal. Of course not as big... If hospital spends $1 for lovenox, they usually spend $0.60 for Zosyn and $0.30 for Primaxin... ballpark figure.

Then again, it really depends on the gram negative resistance pattern.
 
ItsOverZyvox said:
Typical Primaxin use is around 30 - 70% of Zosyn. So yes, it's a big deal. Of course not as big... If hospital spends $1 for lovenox, they usually spend $0.60 for Zosyn and $0.30 for Primaxin... ballpark figure.

Then again, it really depends on the gram negative resistance pattern.
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I like how you explained that.

We're in the process of switching from primarily enoxaparin to fondaparinux. I wonder if that will change once enox goes generic
 
njac said:
I like how you explained that.

We're in the process of switching from primarily enoxaparin to fondaparinux. I wonder if that will change once enox goes generic
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Well,

Here is how Lovenox to Arixtra conversion works.

OASIS V and VI has shown that 2.5mg Q24h Arixtra ($16 per dose contract pricing) was just as effective as 1mg/kg Q12h Lovenox in ACS, yet with less bleeding. 1mg/kg usually means 60mg, 80mg, or 100mg per dose of Lovenox. 80mg Lovenox usually costs around $40 - 45 per dose. So, if you convert to Arixtra for ACS, it's $16 per day vs. $100 per day. Huge huge savings. One concern is that Arixtra doesn't have a reversal agent while we can attempt to use Protamine for Lovenox reversal.

Now, cost savings from VTE prophylaxis won't have much impact...since 40mg Lovenox costs arond $20. Yet, better than nothing.

Let me know how you guys pull this off.
 
Oh puh-leese... this rumor has been around for at least five years, and resurfaces every few months. Though now even WSJ is writing about it, so maybe Pfizer and Wyeth just grew tired of the empty rumors and decided to give them some substance... Poor Wyeth, though... last couple years have sucked for them worse than for any other company.
 
pfizer did just free up a bunch of money having MAJOR layoffs...this is the 3rd or 4th cut since 03.

but i'll be surprised if this is actually the direction they are going.
 
gmuskie said:
pfizer did just free up a bunch of money having MAJOR layoffs...this is the 3rd or 4th cut since 03.

but i'll be surprised if this is actually the direction they are going.
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Not to mention closing their plant here in Ann Arbor. Sold the complex for $108 million to U of M. Seems like chump change and they were desperate to get rid of it -- thankfully for UM the entire state is in the shi**er and they were on top.
 
Its about time Pfizer re-invests their profit margin from Viagra! I mean gah, 15$ a pill @ 30 Pills a month by most all men > 50 = more than enough money to buy out the company.

Besides, with the patents for Viagra and Lipitor up in a few months, pfizer needs something big again.
 
Why is Pfizer trying to buy Wyeth? They have no late stage blockbuster drugs in the pipeline and Pfizer just sold their consumer healthcare division to J&J only 2 years ago. Not only that, but Pfizer will need to take on debt to buy a company that has a huge R&D overlap.

BOOO
 
Argentium said:
Why is Pfizer trying to buy Wyeth? They have no late stage blockbuster drugs in the pipeline and Pfizer just sold their consumer healthcare division to J&J only 2 years ago. Not only that, but Pfizer will need to take on debt to buy a company that has a huge R&D overlap.

BOOO
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Pfizer can merge/make the purchase and then they are just a levo-pantoprazole (you know, true innovations) away from a blockbuster. Gemtuzumab has promise in leukemia, and they are doing a decent job bribing (I mean, educating of course) physicians into believing patients need methylnaltrexone for $40 a dose to take a ****.

I am happy to hear anecdotally that desvenlafaxine appears to be falling on its face, but Pfizer may be able to provide better "education" to our esteemed physicians/NPs/PAs/Janitors/Whoever can prescribe drugs nowadays than Wyeth.
 
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Priapism321 said:
believing patients need methylnaltrexone for $40 a dose to take a ****.
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Anecdotally...I hear there are some rich-ass heroin addicts that love the hell out of that "innovation."

Here in a few years they are going to combine relistor with some arbitrary opiate as one single product and market it as the "miracle" opiate that doesn't cause constipation or itching. You watch. I bet anyone on here $50 that **** happens...
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
Anecdotally...I hear there are some rich-ass heroin addicts that love the hell out of that "innovation."

Here in a few years they are going to combine relistor with some arbitrary opiate as one single product and market it as the "miracle" opiate that doesn't cause constipation or itching. You watch. I bet anyone on here $50 that **** happens...
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50 big ones says you are probably correct, but I still fail to be convinced that methylnaltrexone is an actual "break through" in opiate induced constipation. The trial published in the New England Journal honestly had no business being there if anyone actually would actually take the time to read these manuscripts. To me, it seemed like it was better than nothing per their methodology, WOW!!!
 
Hels2007 said:
Oh puh-leese... this rumor has been around for at least five years, and resurfaces every few months. Though now even WSJ is writing about it, so maybe Pfizer and Wyeth just grew tired of the empty rumors and decided to give them some substance... Poor Wyeth, though... last couple years have sucked for them worse than for any other company.
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It's happening... (it was on CNNMoney, take that for what it's worth:laugh:) I'm guessing that Lipitor going generic soon had something to do with it..

http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/26/news/companies/pfizer_wyeth/index.htm
 
ItsOverZyvox said:
Well,

Here is how Lovenox to Arixtra conversion works.

OASIS V and VI has shown that 2.5mg Q24h Arixtra ($16 per dose contract pricing) was just as effective as 1mg/kg Q12h Lovenox in ACS, yet with less bleeding. 1mg/kg usually means 60mg, 80mg, or 100mg per dose of Lovenox. 80mg Lovenox usually costs around $40 - 45 per dose. So, if you convert to Arixtra for ACS, it's $16 per day vs. $100 per day. Huge huge savings. One concern is that Arixtra doesn't have a reversal agent while we can attempt to use Protamine for Lovenox reversal.

Now, cost savings from VTE prophylaxis won't have much impact...since 40mg Lovenox costs arond $20. Yet, better than nothing.

Let me know how you guys pull this off.
Click to expand...

Most recent chest guidelines state you can use factor 7a to reverse fonda. At what point would it be necessary to use such an expensive antidote? It is dosed daily and I found an elimination t 1/2 of 17-21 hrs (but not duration of action) -- can't you just transfuse in the meantime and wait for it to clear (unless it's a renal pt...)

It's a slow morning in the poison center so the blackberry is in heavy use.
 
njac said:
Most recent chest guidelines state you can use factor 7a to reverse fonda. At what point would it be necessary to use such an expensive antidote? It is dosed daily and I found an elimination t 1/2 of 17-21 hrs (but not duration of action) -- can't you just transfuse in the meantime and wait for it to clear (unless it's a renal pt...)

It's a slow morning in the poison center so the blackberry is in heavy use.
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As I said, no reversal agent.

Lol!
 
I have an uncle that is a drug rep for Wyeth in northern Arkansas. He almost lost his job this past year due to cutbacks.
If the merger goes through do you believe there will be more cutbacks and he will be at risk again?


And no comments about how useless drug reps are----you know it, I know it, and he knows it. 😱 But...he does have a family to take care of...so your thoughts, please....
 
HaleyRX said:
I have an uncle that is a drug rep for Wyeth in northern Arkansas. He almost lost his job this past year due to cutbacks.
If the merger goes through do you believe there will be more cutbacks and he will be at risk again?


And no comments about how useless drug reps are----you know it, I know it, and he knows it. 😱 But...he does have a family to take care of...so your thoughts, please....
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Drug reps are useless... just kidding...they are people too...most of them:meanie:.
Yes, one would think that the larger company would want to streamline its operations....so he might be at risk again.
 
HaleyRX said:
I have an uncle that is a drug rep for Wyeth in northern Arkansas. He almost lost his job this past year due to cutbacks.
If the merger goes through do you believe there will be more cutbacks and he will be at risk again?


And no comments about how useless drug reps are----you know it, I know it, and he knows it. 😱 But...he does have a family to take care of...so your thoughts, please....
Click to expand...

Recently Pfizer announced they were cutting loose 1/3 of their sales force. I do not think the move was to make room for Wyeth reps.
 
Looks like they have entered into a binding agreement... Once again, common sense and better judgement loose to the short-term greed. That's what is bringing down the pharmaceutical industry... people worry about pleasing the Wall Street analysts next quarter/year instead of thinking about company's long-term profitability. 😡
 
It's happened. According to a Pfizer drug rep I heard from, the final price was $68 billion. Wow. That's like 7 times my home country's entire annual budget.
 
Priapism321 said:
Recently Pfizer announced they were cutting loose 1/3 of their sales force. I do not think the move was to make room for Wyeth reps.
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Just great! All of these major companies are merging and firing people left and right. I know we live in a free market but when there is no competition, these companies will eat the public for breakfast.
 
ItsOverZyvox said:
What's DM? Dextromethorphan?
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Yep, as in Robitussin DM. They will combine products in combinations to scratch a little more money out what they have instead of doing real research. I have been around long enough to remember when these companies were mostly ethical.

Just think, ALL Lilly salespeople were pharmacists. The salesman actually knew all about the product and the science. I used to play racquetball with my Upjohn salesman and when Halcion came out he spent weeks at the medical school library researching sleep disorders and competitors drugs. He was anything but young.

When these companies changed from that to knownothing eye candy, I can't pin a date on it.

I expect nothing from these companies and therefore I am never dissapointed....
 
Old Timer said:
Just think, ALL Lilly salespeople were pharmacists. The salesman actually knew all about the product and the science. I used to play racquetball with my Upjohn salesman and when Halcion came out he spent weeks at the medical school library researching sleep disorders and competitors drugs. He was anything but young.

When these companies changed from that to knownothing eye candy, I can't pin a date on it.
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And what's the point for a sales rep to be knowledgeable if the federal regulations restrict them from saying anything which isn't in the label? Just how much can say, if you are limited to the label? And I know for sure I couldn't keep to the label precisely because I have all the clinical knowledge - but as soon as I dared to answer a question in a meaningful way, the Feds would be all over me and my company, so I would end up fired and the company would get a multimillion dollar lawsuit. So, the point of having knowledgeable reps is? 🙄 When those regulations came into place in 1980s, the change has started... and then the selling model leading to expansion of sales force into tens of thousands... thankfully, now the sales reps are being trimmed down dramatically.
 
Hels2007 said:
And what's the point for a sales rep to be knowledgeable if the federal regulations restrict them from saying anything which isn't in the label? Just how much can say, if you are limited to the label? And I know for sure I couldn't keep to the label precisely because I have all the clinical knowledge - but as soon as I dared to answer a question in a meaningful way, the Feds would be all over me and my company, so I would end up fired and the company would get a multimillion dollar lawsuit. So, the point of having knowledgeable reps is? 🙄 When those regulations came into place in 1980s, the change has started... and then the selling model leading to expansion of sales force into tens of thousands... thankfully, now the sales reps are being trimmed down dramatically.
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Actually, now reps can provide info regarding "non labeled use." It's published somewhere... Also, MSL can discuss non labeled use.
 
Old Timer said:
Just think, ALL Lilly salespeople were pharmacists. The salesman actually knew all about the product and the science. I used to play racquetball with my Upjohn salesman and when Halcion came out he spent weeks at the medical school library researching sleep disorders and competitors drugs. He was anything but young.
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See my signature? Yep, an "RPh" goes after his name.......
 
Hels2007 said:
And what's the point for a sales rep to be knowledgeable if the federal regulations restrict them from saying anything which isn't in the label?
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No point, they can all go away and take their thinly veiled bribes, "education" and "drug knowledge" with them. I wouldn't notice.
 
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