The Most Successful Drugs Ever Launched
3 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // August 21st, 2007 // 3:26 pm
It ain’t easy getting a new med out the door. But some marketing plans work better than others. In the US, for instance, only half of all launches are considered a success. Of course, sales reps are a big factor in the US, because docs wield so much decision-making power about scrips. In any event, IMS Health has analyzed product launches and come up with a list of those deemed to be the most successful. So which ones were they?
1 - Lipitor
2 - Viagra
3 - Avandia
4 - Zyprexa
5 - Fosamax
Each succeeded for different reasons, of course. Viagra was unique - the first sexual dysfunction drug and who doesn’t pay attention to sex? By contrast, osteoporosis isn’t sexy at all, but Merck raised patient awareness of the disease and that can certainly generate scrips. And as Jon LeCroy, drug industry analyst for Natexis Bleichroeder, tells CNNMoney.com, Lipitor succeeded because Pfizer sales reps were armed with test results demonstrating superiority to rival meds.
Source: CNNMoney.com
roccaas
Please remember good old Parke-Davis. It was PD’s labs in Ann Arbor that developed Lipitor (Atorvastatin). PD managers had to beg upper management to continue the development of the compound because of the tremendous number of successful agents already in the market (Zocor, Mevacor, Pravachol).
Almost 1/2 the sales force that launched Lipitor in February, 1997 were Parke-Davis. Pfizer later bought Warner-Lambert, parent of Parke-Davis.
PD and Pfizer made Lipitor the REAL success that it is and was at launch by pricing the drug below the three agents listed above (but above Lescol). Also, the Package Insert for Lipitor was one of the best selling tools in the Pharma Industry as it contained head to head data that was superior in every way against every competitor.
The only missing piece of the pie was Primary and/or Secondary MI Prevention Data (and a sNDA) to prove Lipitor against the other agents which had a combination of Prevention Data in their PI’s from trials such as WOSCOPS, 4S, etc. That data is now part of Lipitor’s proven record.
Those were the days. I had 47 MD’s change their OWN cholesterol Rx to Lipitor from another agent within the 1st month of the Lipitor launch.
What a sales question to ask an MD: “Doctor, if Lipitor is good enough for your treatment, is there any reason why Lipitor should not be the first choice in treatment for your patients with high cholesterol?”
The final feather in Lipitor’s cap was the fast track status for approval granted by FDA because Lipitor’s data showed significant positive impact in Familial Homozygous HyperCholeserolemia (both parents have the gene for high cholesterol and their childern often have horrifically high LDL cholesterols at a VERY young age)
Hank
Coupla points -
Do we really have any substantial primary prevention data for people with one or no risk factors, whether for Lipitor or any of the statins?
Re: the history, Pfizer’s buying WL was essentially a hostile take-over. For whatever reasons, WL/PD wanted to be part of Wyeth/American Home Products.
So much for free agency.
CwDonald
The cost of Lipitor did not effect prescribing much.. it was the appearance of greater potency. Lipitor’s success was based on comparing starting doses of Zocor and Lipitor, which at the time was 10 mg of both Zocor and Lipitor. Obviously being more potent, Lipitor appeared superior. The success of Lipitor was convincing the FDA to permit a lower starting dose. Crestor tried the same trick and failed.
RE Primary prevention, there was a trial done with healthy individuals in the military. Look for the Afcaps/Texcaps study for primary prevention for people with few risk factors. Also 10 year data was reported out a while ago from the WOSCOPS study which was done in Scotland with pravastatin, and the primary prevention hypothesis continued to hold.