Novo Must Get Rid Of Paula Deen: Kliff Explains
63 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // January 20th, 2012 // 9:47 am
Earlier this week, Paula Deen, the self-styled ‘Queen of Southern Cuisine’ and Food Network star, disclosed that she not only had Type 2 diabetes for the past three years, but had just signed up as a paid spokesperson for Novo Nordisk, which sells various diabetes treatments (back story). The reaction was fast and furious - Deen was chastised for failing to disclose her diabetes sooner, given that she cooks all softs of fattening and, often, unhealthy food. And Novo Nordisk was criticized for a choice that made the drugmaker appear cynical and hypocritical. We asked David Kliff of Diabetic Investor about this unusual pairing and the implications…
Pharmalot: So what do you make of this choice of celebrity endorsers?
Kliff: When I looked at who she is and what she cooks and what she’s all about, I was outraged. The recipes she’s promoting are not what a diabetic should be eating. But my outrage also comes from the fact that she hid her diabetes. She kept this fact secret for three years, because she knew if she told people that she’s diabetic - and out there cooking foods that, basically, cause diabetes – she looks like a hypocrite. And she did this for the money, of course.
When you hide something like this from the public, what message are you sending? Are you saying it’s okay to have diabetes? I don’t think that’s the message she’s sending. I think the message she’s sending is that she hid diabetes and she did so for obvious business reasons - money. Basically, that’s saying to the public that there’s something wrong with having diabetes, something so wrong that I chose to hide it. Just think back to the old days when AIDS was new. People with HIV would hide it. Anyway, diabetes is not a death sentence. I’ve run four marathons and two triathalons with diabetes.
Pharmalot: Why do you think Novo Nordisk chose her?
Kliff: They could care less. This shows they have no scruples. You know, you can’t grow a conscience. And if they had one, they would have disassociated themselves from her as quickly as possible. I can’t tell you what a disservice she has done to the millions of people with diabetes and the millions who will get diabetes. What she’s done in her own shyster way is make it that appear that Type 2 diabetes is almost like being a leper.
Pharmalot: How do you mean exactly?
Kliff: She could have done a lot of good. When she found out she had diabetes, she could have said ‘I learned my lesson and I’m going to change my cooking. And if you do the right things, you can live a long life with diabetes.’ But she didn’t offer the right message.
Pharmalot: Okay, and you started to discuss the company…
Kliff: What they’re doing is endorsing a view that there’s something wrong with you if you have diabetes. This is a company that’s devoted its entire corporate life to helping patients with diabetes, but now they’re bastardizing themselves and in the long run, this will backfire on them. I really just don’t know what happened to this company. But since they had a change in the US leadership a few years ago, they’ve had a lot of problems. They were investigated by the Department of Justice and there were lawsuits filed (see here and here). The entire environment has changed. This is a company that’s lost its way. It used to be very respected. It’s a shame.
Pharmalot: But isn’t it possible this could blow over and, in a few months, the spin will be that a person can conduct themselves as she does but still manage their diabetes? And they could sell a lot of product?
Kliff: What I think they’re going to do is play stupid. They’ll say something to the effect that ‘we thought she was recently diagnosed.’ Kind of like Newt: ‘What did the president know and when did he know it?’ Yes, we live in a short news cycle. But I would say she’s pretty much toast now. They’ve done a lot of damage to the diabetes community and to themselves. And it’s becoming viral. I think if Novo was smart, they’d find a gracious way to get out of this deal.
They’re sending the absolute wrong message to every patient out there. Quite honestly, I think it’ll backfire. Think of the timing. In about nine days, we have the PDUFA date for Bydureon (a diabetes drug from Amylin Pharmaceuticals - back story). It’s a direct competitor to the Novo drug, Victoza. They’re both the same type of drug, they belong to the GLP-1 class. And to me, Victoza is a substandard drug compared to Bydureon. Victoza is taken once a day, while Bydureon is once per week. They can both do a good job of controlling blood sugar and do a lot of good for patients, but that one factor alone puts Novo at a disadvantage. Would you rather inject yourself once a day or once a week?
Pharmalot: So you’re saying the timing couldn’t have been worse?
Kliff: Novo knows Bydureon is coming. Their reps are scared to death. Victoza has done well since it was introduced, but everyone knows that run is going to come to end. And their insulin franchise is kind of stagnant – its’ becoming more commoditized. Given what’s coming, if Novo was smart - and I don’t know they are – they should say this deal with Paula Deen is a mistake and it was inexcusable and admit it was an insult to every diabetic. They’d look a lot better if they did that. But if they stand by her, they will also look like hypocrites.
Pharmalot: So is it too late to dig themselves out of a hole?
Kliff: The company has a lot of business issues to be worried about and I think this controversy is something they just don’t need and should run away from it as fast and as gracefully as they can. I believe the company is somewhat lost - Novo has always had a reputation for providing premium products at premium prices. But we live in a world now where premium products are being sold at generic prices and that’s a big problem for them. And we see threats to their core insulin franchise. Just as there GLP-1 franchise gets off the ground, we see it faces a threat. And we see the pipeline, which used to be one of the best in the industry, is now kind of barren. The situation for Novo doesn’t look so good. And what do they do? They get Paula Deen. I think they have to get rid of her.
Pharmaguy
Wow! A very scathing attack on Novo Nordisk even by my standards! I agree that Deen does more harm than good for diabetes and that she’s been deceptive and may even continue to be deceptive while working for Novo.
But I don’t think the people at Novo Nordisk “could care less” (actually, they COULD care less; shouldn’t that expression be “couldn’t care less”?). You could say Novo cares more about the bottom line than about the public perception of diabetes. Or that Novo is more interested in being in the presence of celebrities than rank and file people who suffer from diabetes.
Anyway, that’s my two cents. BTW, I don’t have Type 2 diabetes and hope I never do suffer from it.
John Kamp
Kliff misses the whole point. Deen is the perfect celebrity to help consumers understand the dangers of diabetes, pay attention to thier diets, get tested, get treated and visit the gym. see my blog post at: http://www.cohealthcom.org
John Kamp
Executive Director
Coalition for Healthcare Communication
original industry insider
Ed, may I offer the following suggestion: In the 1970’s CBS’s “Sixty Minutes” had a weekly three minute segment called “Point, Counterpoint”, in which hot topics were hotly debated. Given that Novo Nordisk has just received the prestigious recognition of being named No 43 on Fortune Magazine’s Top 100 companies, it might be useful to being in company reps who know the real NND story for such a direct interview with Kliff, a la Mike Wallace. Nothing better then two nemeses glaring at each other with the interviewer caught in the middle. Here’s some excerpts from the Fortune piece and the link:
PRINCETON, N.J., Jan. 19, 2012 -/PRNewswire/ — Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO), the world leader in diabetes care, has been ranked 43rd in FORTUNE magazine’s 2012 “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. Reflecting the passion of Novo Nordisk’s employees, the company has been highlighted on the list for four consecutive years.
“I’m convinced that it is our people who set us apart. Each and every person at Novo Nordisk wants to make a difference,” said Jeff Frazier, corporate vice president of human resources for Novo Nordisk, Inc. “As we continue to actively recruit high-quality talent in the United States, our goal is to identify and instill the same spirit in every new team member.
“Working at Novo Nordisk provides a meaningful experience because of our intense focus on improving care for those living with diabetes,” said Kate Owen, clinical trials executive director at Novo Nordisk’s U.S. headquarters in Princeton, N.J. “Every employee understands this disease on a personal level – simply as we all know someone affected by it. We bring thoughts of those people to work each day and that makes us work harder and smarter.
“Working at Novo Nordisk provides a meaningful experience because of our intense focus on improving care for those living with diabetes,” said Kate Owen, clinical trials executive director at Novo Nordisk’s U.S. headquarters in Princeton, N.J. “Every employee understands this disease on a personal level – simply as we all know someone affected by it. We bring thoughts of those people to work each day and that makes us work harder and smarter.”
“Novo Nordisk has been producing industry-leading diabetes treatments for nearly 90 years. Guided by a set of values known as the Novo Nordisk Way, the company applies a holistic approach to diabetes management: from supporting prevention programs to pursuing an ultimate cure for the disease.”
Various countries within Novo Nordisk’s network of local affiliates have been listed as a “Best Company” at least once since 2002. Those affiliates winning top honors in the past have included Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. In the U.S., Novo Nordisk has been recognized as a top employer in New Jersey since 2005 in addition to appearing on the annual FORTUNE list. Other organizations recognizing Novo Nordisk’s corporate practices and culture include Conceive Magazine, Working Mother Magazine, and the Dave Thomas Foundation’s Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces.”
I don’t know Kliff and his cheap shot mentality, but if I worked for NND I’m confident that you could put me across the table and from what I know about NND and their good works I could turn him into a mass of (unsweetened) quivering jello within a three minute point, counterpoint interview.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/novo-nordisk-named-fortunes-100-141500004.html
Robert Walsh
Wow. For all the fat she uses, surprised the statin makers hadn’t beaten Novo to sign her up.
The very first episode I watched, she was pulling some massive gooey brownies out of the oven. “Y’all know what would be good on this? Some whipped cream”, and she drags a tub out of the fridge.
Then she had second thoughts: “What would be even better is some vanilla ice cream melting on top of this brownie!” and she crowned the thing with a scoop the size of her head. And then: “But you know what? it could still use the whipped cream on top of that!”
Rich Meyer
This assessment is right on and I congratulate both Ed Silverman and Mr Kiff for telling it like it is. What do we have to do to convince people that diabetes is an epidemic and is a dangerous disease and is largely preventable with diet and exercise (type 2 only) ? Ms Deen is sleazy to say the best but I just cannot understand why someone at Novo would have hired her under the circumstances of her denial ? Again a drug company who is grossly out of touch with the reality of marketing today but more importantly a drug company who saw an opportunity to make money not warn consumers that eating things like “fried butter” are deadly
Ed Silverman
Hi Original Industry Insider,
Thanks for the note and I agree. I had the same thought earlier this week - you know what Bob Dylan said: ‘If there is an original idea out there, I’d sure like to hear it,” or so the legend goes.
Anyway, I reached out to Novo Nordisk in hopes of chatting with someone - on the record - about how and why the drugmaker pursued this opportunity and how it plans to sort out the mess. I am waiting to hear back.
Y’all stay tuned,
ed
gary v
I couldn’t agree more! One thing I believe almost everyone seems to have missed is the fact that a person with Type 2 diabetes has a chance of controlling their condition without medication. There is a chance for Type 2s that with a change in diet and an introduction of exercise there could be no need for medication. This, I believe is a huge oversight by the news media and the diabetes community at large. It seems pretty obvious that Paula Deen never even considered a change in diet or, for that matter, serious physical activity.
ps
One question: How do you think Novo Nordisk learned that Deen has the disease? That’s been irking me all along. Do you think her management reached out to them to find her yet another money making scheme?
dzieczko
Home-making female celebrities need to be very careful when they get involved in any way with business connections to big pharma…
Just ask Martha Stewart…
Donna V.
At the very least, it’s in extremely poor taste that Novo Nordisk has selected someone with such widely public, poor health habits as a paid spokesperson for type II diabetes management.
Sure, Paula Deen is reciting some correct messages about “moderation” and offering lighter recipes in addition to–not instead of–the usual sugar and fat ladened ones. These words and actions come off as very disingenuous. As for Novo Nordisk, shame on them. Their decision appears to be more about driving the bottom line than sponsoring a strong role model to help improve outcomes in diabetes.
Bottom line, this whole situation make PD look like a hypocrite and Novo Nordisk look like a desperate, greedy big pharma company.
AvgJoe
Dear Original: If you seriously think anyone would ever believe anything in a pharma company press release you are absolutely delusional. The examples of lies, doubletalk and the like are literally endless. FYI — I also believe that Enron was on Fortune’s list. And a lot of other tarnished firms. It doesn’t make their idiotic actions any less acceptable. And as for your parting comments, I’m not sure who’s more grandiose, you or Newt.
Irene
The primary goal of any corporation (including Paula Deen’s) is to return value to its shareholders. Why is this so hard for people to remember?
original industry insider
Avge Joe, it’s not just Fortune mag and the US. If you bothered to read my entire post you’ll see that NND has been included inn Best Companies worldwide, exemplified by honors in Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland.
On the other hand they must have paid off those countries as well to get on their lists, I’m sure you’ll agree.
original industry insider
Thanks, Ed. While you’re waiting on that long queue to get a crack at NND, remember us poor folks in Big Pharma and the good works we do to ameliorate human suffering, as you play our National Anthem, sung to the music of another Dylan favorite, “Subterranean Homesick Blues”:
“Johnny’s in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I’m on the pavement
Thinking about the government…”
Ah yes, always the government.
Good weekend to all.
OII
Chris H
Who better to relate to other people with diabetes than someone like Paula Deen? If she now changes her ways and shows people how to cook and eat well and manage their disease, more power to her and Novo Nordisk.
Traditional approaches to managing diabetes has often resulted in patients who are not compliant or persistent in their treatment.
Bravo to Novo Nordisk for trying this approach. Mr. Kliff’s holier-than-thou attitude is not helpful. Who does he think patients will listen to? Someone like themselves who’s trying to change or some stellar example of good health or a doctor? Shame on Kliff. You go, Paula.
Diabetes Sufferer
It’s a disgrace to hold Paula Deen up as an example to those of us who battle with diabetes each and every day. Doesn’t Novo Nordisk understand just how difficult it is for us to manage our diets and control our condition? And to think THEY ARE PAYING her to flaunt those meals on TV. I mean, how many test strips could probably be purchased for what they are paying her!!!
IAPharmr
Don’t rush to such quick judgement! A common known fact in the medical community is that patients who have recently been diagnosed with a chronic disease (especially one that can lie silent for years before discovery) often take several years to “accept” the fact that they have the disease, and truly change their lifestyle. This could very well be the case with Ms. Dean. How she conducts herself now that she has acknowledged her disease in public should give us some insight as to whether she is only trying to make a buck, or has come to grips with her disease and will use her media presence to help others like her.
original industry insider
Hey, let’s all get in on the act!. Here’s a recent clip of Jon Bon Jovi shilling for Pfizer. Glad it’s an Advil spot. JBJ’s music gives me headaches.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2HbgLknbVs
Martin K
From a marketing perspective, I’m curious how the Novo Nordisk “Diabetes in a New Light” campaign tested among endocrinologists, dietitians, nurse practitioners, GPs, all other HPCs who manage patients with type II diabetes.
No doubt it tested well in consumer research among those who love her brownies topped with ice cream. But what mechanism is Novo Nordisk putting in place to help consumers reconcile the contradiction in messages between what she says/does within the context of the “Diabetes in a New Light” campaign vs. the blatant messages she sends through her TV program? PD has already publicly stated that she does NOT intend to alter the recipes she promotes on her show.
John
Give me a break. How about we give Ms. Deen a little more than a week to make some lifestyle changes before we go about bashing her as the anti-Christ of food. Her son Bobby has his own show now that Paula appears on where he makes lighter versions of her more fattening fare…do people really think he did this on his own. Doubtful…I’m pretty sure somewhere in the fine print Ms. Deen is likely listed as “Producer”. How about we give her a little time to deal with the publicness of this whole thing, cut her some slack and see where it leads?! If she doesn’t make some changes, then pull the plug.
Proper Use
Pharma Guy,
The “I could care less” just bugs me. As you point out, it should be,” I couldn’t care less”. This “could care less” means you still have room to care less.
Thanks!
Martin K
From a marketing perspective, I’m curious how the Novo Nordisk “Diabetes in a New Light” campaign tested among endocrinologists, dietitians, nurses, GPs, and all other HPCs who manage patients with diabetes. Did they conduct unbiased market research with those stakeholders to understand their perspective on the impact that someone like Paula Deen may have on diabetes care? No doubt the campaign tested well among consumers who know and love PD’s food.
Also wondering what mechanism Novo Nordisk has put in place to help consumers distinguish between the conflicting messages PD sends within the context of the “Diabetes in a New Light” campaign vs. the blatant and appalling messages she sends by promoting the recipes that she has indicated she has no intention of altering on her TV program.
Robert Walsh
Sweet. Suffering. Jesus.
After she switches her M.O. to feature only healthy low-fat low-carb fare, where are we going to get our Southern Comfort Food Porn?
Lee
How can both Novo Nordisk and the ADA stand by her when she makes it perfectly clear she will not be changing her cooking style? That’s not exactly what I would call a motivated patient role model. If a spokesperson’s public behaviors don’t matter, heck why not hire Adam Richman for the job or does industry have to wait until potential spokespeople actually become sick and put on their product?
Irene
Don’t like her show? Don’t watch. Easy enough.
Oh, wait, we can’t possibly allow the unwashed masses to be exposed to this toxicity. Let’s tar and feather her and run her out of Hollywood on a rail. And the Cupcake Wars people and the Diner guys need to go, too.
AvgJoe
Dear OII:
I’ll have to assume that NND must have violated the FCPA to get those international endorsements. Wait, that’s craazyy, pharma companies wouldn’t violate the FCPA would they? And you really still didn’t deny that pharma PR can’t be trusted.
That’s the thing here, pharma has a horrible rep — regardless if YOU’RE a hard working doc or QA professional. If that bugs you, leave the industry or convince your C-level execs to do something about it. Hiring PD only damages the pharma brand again. It’s an industry that is dying by a thousand self-inflicted cuts.
As for PD herself — two things to remember, SHE sought out this deal and SHE said she doesn’t intend to change her show. Saying “moderation” a few more times is obviously just lip service and hypocrisy at its finest. Regardless of your supposed debate skills, you won’t convince me otherwise.
Lee
Totally agree, Irene, about freedom of choice as well as individuals exercising judgement and taking responsibility for their actions. I believe the issue is that Paula Deen accepted a position as a paid spokesperson for a very serious condition. As such, don’t you believe she has an ethical responsibility to modify her public behaviors? Taking money and performing scripted tasks within the context of the Novo Nordisk campaign while also publicly stating that she has intention of changing her cooking style on her lucrative TV program begs the question: Is she sincere about supporting improvements in diabetes management or is she simply on the take for more $$$?
Lee
** Edit to post in response to Irene **
… Taking money and performing scripted tasks within the context of the Novo Nordisk campaign while also publicly stating that she has ** NO ** intention of changing her cooking style on her lucrative TV program begs the question: Is she sincere about supporting improvements in diabetes management or is she simply on the take for more $$$?
Lee
*** Edit to post in response to Irene: ***
… ** NO ** intention of changing her cooking style…
Proper Use
The company made a poor decision. And, that’s the bottom line.
original industry insider
Send for the glucometer police! Next up on the table is Rachel Ray. Ain’t she a porker! Hey Rachel, better cut back on those King Cake Cupcakes and those overloaded Philly Cheesesteak hoagies or you might find Ed knocking on your door one of these days!
http://msnnews.net/2011/02/jennifer-aniston-paid-a-visit-to-visibly-overweight-rachael-ray/
http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=4413
http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=1216
dzieczko
Possible explanation for poor decision making?
http://www.cnbc.com/id/46072292/
Tamara Piety
I think the critical thing to remember is that this is a business that makes a drug to treat a condition that some propose is preventable through watching your diet and exercise (that is, through a non-drug approach). Fewer people who develop Type II diabetes (or if they develop it, can manage it through diet and exercise alone), the less of the drug they will sell. It is very straight forward. Now I am NOT suggesting that the company is deliberately trying to make people develop diabetes so they can treat them. Not that straightforward. But I am suggesting that the company might predictably want to subtly suggest that the principal treatment for the disease is drug-based rather than diet-based. It has to know that Paula Deen’s business is itself far too tied up in this style of eating to completely abandon it. I have to figure she or her people approached Novo. Having these two things come out at the same time shifts the focus from the food to the drug in a way they both probably thought would preserve the illusion that patients could continue eating the same way without risk and bring positive attention to Novo at the same time. Actually pretty smart, plausible PR strategy given the businesses that they are both in. I have no doubt that one of the functions that Paula Deen serves for many people is to reassure them that they way they eat is not only fine but it is a sort of identity to be celebrated. Paula Deen Lean would just be one more of hundreds of diets. And all things being equal, it is better for Novo if people need to rely on the drug. It looks like though they just didn’t fully count on the backlash. And its cleverness doesn’t mean it was the right thing to do. I am perfectly willing to believe that it took Ms Deen awhile to really process this diagnosis and that this represents her best effort to cope with it and keep her identity. But that doesn’t mean that her prescription for eating has been a responsible one. And I think ultimately, this is probably the wrong move for Novo for many of the reasons suggested.
original industry insider
dz I just read the same piece. Problem is that when you can polishn off a $135 bottle of Dom Perignon at one sitting 3-4X/week, as some of my Wall St buddies are probably doing right now, you don’t really think of yourself as an alcoholic-just somebody with expensive tastes.
Doc
“Deen is the perfect celebrity to help consumers understand the dangers of diabetes…”
Are you kidding me?!
Deen is the perfect celebrity to show consumers how to develop diabetes.
That’s like saying Jack the Ripper was the perfect person to show the edge of surgical instruments to surgeons.
original industry insider
Just remember what another Dean, Jimmy Dean said about life; like sausage, you get out of it what you put into it. Maybe the grossest tagline in commercial history since I used to have to make visits to slaughterhouses, and saw first hand what goes into making sausage.
So, HEEERE’S JIMMY!
http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=jimmy%20dean%20sausage%20ad%20youtube&tnr=21&vid=1577588884710&l=15&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts3.mm.bing.net%2Fvideos%2Fthumbnail.aspx%3Fq%3D1577588884710%26id%3D5baa272539d8172c21eea23c7ef1f2c3%26bid%3DcEgxUrlAQBysBg%26bn%3DThumb%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fwww.youtube.com%252fwatch%253fv%253dZ6OmYOVmk98&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DZ6OmYOVmk98&sigr=11apb4q4q&newfp=1&tit=Jimmy+Dean+Sausage+Commercial+from+1994
cliffintokyo
Who said only US companies care more about dollars than diabetes?
Donna V.
Dear Doc– Excellent analogy!
dzieczko
So what’s *eating* you?
http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000068573
The 60 days notice in NJ for the soon-to-be-unemployed is just giving the vultures time to amass their paperwork…
original industry insider
dz, the CNBC piece showing increased illness in NJ commensurate with increase in foreclosures is dubious. I attribute it to having to watch five seasons worth of episodes of “Jersey Shore” and also “Real Housewives of New Jersey”. IMO explains 100% of the illness. See for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVWRXZWGzzI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb-CmL0×59c
original industry insider
This explains the rest of the morbidity unexplained by the above:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_HBafs1xdg
dzieczko
@OII - you have the risk/benefit ratio for what is *eating* people to back up your *dubious* claim?
your frivolity gets insulting…
Diabetes Sufferer
Paula Deen, I have only one thing left to say: “FORK YOU for bad taste”.
imaginary industry insider
Sorry @dzieczko I like to base all of my pompous, off-topic commentary on youtube clips and Wikipedia searches alone. The very fact my endless wittering adds absolutely nothing of value to Ed’s excellent blog matters not.
original industry insider
III, I am imagining that someday you and the other supercilious posters on these boards will quit taking themselves so seriously. Read my postings IN TOTO (that’s Latin) and you will find a combination of factual information based on my 29 years in pharma, brilliant insights, wit and wisdom, sometimes with a little bit of invective towards people who consider the blogosphere as hard news 24/7. Read all of Ed’s posters; they are not all hard core by any means.
dzieczko
Big pharma needs to get back to being a science-based culture - and let’s just say that it is not a *suggestion* that they do so - more like a command or get out of the way.
Seen the movie “Margin Call”, OII? Pharma blew itself up just like the Street - *risk management* is crap data.
Enough *noise* time, already…
Madame Deen needs to start educating people about diet. If she won’t then take the $$$$ back and give it to someone who will. She can do it gracefully by going into the history of how people lived - no desk jobs - when they were eating fat-rich foods sprinkled with the show-off luxury of sugar and show off her creativity and re-define *luxury* eating…
original industry insider
dz I haven’t seen the movie, but I think you as well as many others would probably agree with the comment respected reviewer, Roger Ebert. This is an excerpt from his review:
“I think the movie is about how its characters are concerned only by the welfare of their corporations. There is no larger sense of the public good. Corporations are amoral, and exist to survive and succeed, at whatever human cost. This is what the Occupy Wall Street protesters are angry about: They are not against capitalism, but about Wall Street dishonesty and greed.”
The “Big Pharma House of Cards” as I see it includes many factors. Risk management also involves personal risk, and has nothing to do with greed. Many long time pharma guys, including me gave up lifetime middle management careers in the “go go” 90’s and 00’s to risk our careers by going into start-up biotech and specialty pharma companies with zero promise of success. I went from a company of 100,000 to a company of 5 (not a misprint) and personally I took a 25% pay cut to join. We worked 24/7 to build a company, starting with $50 million in venture capital, and sold the company in 2007 for $700 million, and that was AFTER an aborted IPO. The company could have just as easily folded except that we had entrepreneurial leaders who we believed in. The investors made a 14 fold ROI, and I received a walkaway check well into the six figures, enabling a comfortable retirement and provisons for my family.
What made this country great is that with a combination of hard work, smarts, a gut check, and a bit of luck you can succeed. It has nothing to do with greed. It’s all part of risk/reward, and do I have any apologies for becoming a “one percenter”? Absolutely not. Just like the old Smith Barney ad, me and my colleagues made our money the old fashioned way-we earned it.
dzieczko
Where did you get the background and scientific knowledge to get private investors to give you $50 million? From your time in Big Pharma, right?
You are an insider’s game so the point you make about making your money the old-fashioned way is certainly true.
Did everyone who worked at your company have to sign over their scientific discoveries to the corporation? Are they now in the 1%…or just unemployed and on the secret list only insider’s get from HR to be sent over to alert the debt-collectors?
Or was your multi-million compound from the NIH tax-funded library of discoveries?
And how does throwing money at Ms. Deen fit in to the formula for what made this country a great scientific success?
And why did you not give the name of your biotech and the miracle compound - we’re all friends here working for the greater good, right?
original industry insider
dz, I’ll try to address a couple of your points:
-My background and scienttific knowledge had little to do with us getting $50 million up front. Back in the 1990’s up until the dot com bubble burst, virtually any startup company with a reasonable business plan and a persuasive powerpoint presentation could get money, which back then flowed like Niagra Falls. I was nothing special for that time and place. Put me or one of my colleagues up there at the podium in one of Zegna’s black micro striped wool 2-button suits flashing those nifty powerpoints and we were all able to squeeze a few bucks out of the boys at Morgan, Goldman, etc. The inside joke back then that anybody with a PhD, a white coat and a lab monkey could get funding, which was largely true.
-didn’t have to raid the NIH library for compounds, and would never waste my time with folks whose vision of big time money is a check for a new electron microscope and nothing beyond. Besides, you think I would violate my confidentiality agreement for you goons? Let’s just say we had some ideas about life cycle management that were attractive to investors.
-As for the likes of Paula Deen and Jon Bon Jovi, they may not be a great scientific successes but they ain’t crying all the way to the bank either.
dzieczko
Deen and Bon Jovi are entertainers and they have their own river of $$$$….instead, why not give Grandmothers the big pharma $$$ they seem to have to burn on from their marketing and advertising departments to cook good meals for the diabetics in the family?
When did DIRECT, hands-on, “life cycle management” in the hands of the *live* person fall out of favor with *inwestors*?
There are thousand of people who have contributed mightily to the advancement of medical knowledge and their names are not know and they are not in the 1% - go figure…and no one can even find the REAL SCIENCE data generated back in the 1970s that would have proven that a lot of the research Morgan et al funded in th erah-rah 1990s was a pipe dream - never gonna happen…
As I said before - either Big Pharma gets back to supporting a science-driven culture (BIOLOGY) or it gets out of the way…however, at the speed at which they are self-destructing by hanging on to their risk management data, science might just need to get far enough away from the sucking sound…
OCCUPY BIG PHARMA PIGS
JFK said “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. So I say
Let’s ask all the rich pharma people who hide money in the Cayman islands what they can do for their country.
Let’s ask all the pharma corporations that don’t pay taxes what they can do for their country.
Let’s ask all the politicians who suck up to the pharma corporations for handouts what they can do for their country.
Let’s ask the media that regurgitates press releases instead of doing investigative reporting what they can do for their country.
OCCUPY PHARMA! TAKE NO PRISONERS!
original industry insider
dz you are wrong to think of risk management as incapable with success. A while back Ralph Nader wrote the book “Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile” about safety issues in automobile design.
Take home message: people still drive cars despite Nader’s book. People still take drugs despite the polemics hurled at my industry. Detroit endeavors to make their products safer, and we endeavor to do the same.
Bottom line: people will always drive cars, and people will always take drugs. No planned obsolescence in either case.
imaginary industry insider
Good grief OII. What an agonizingly boring individual you are
Observer
@ OII - may I observe that I think (hope?) You meant to say that “risk management is not incompatiable with success?” Then again, one cannot be sure … And if your history really did include time at The Boots ( as in the parent of “Boots The Chemist”) I misdoubt that we met in the UK 20 or so years ago but one never knows.
Such “wit and wisdom” should have stood out like a candle on a dark night ….. Then again, Americans were in short supply during my time there.
original industry insider
Observer, my time at Boots was from 1990-1995, then with Knoll Pharmaceutical Company from 1995-2000 after Boots was acquired by BASF following the withdrawal of Manoplax (which I still think is a good drug in limited use). I was in clinical research and enjoyed my visits 2-3X/year to the the Midlands and the Boots office on Pennyfoot Street in Nottingham. Don’t know if we crossed paths. I always had a very high level of respect for the folks I worked with in Nottingham. In fact, back at the office in Lincolnshire, IL we had a framed picture of Jesse Boot in the lobby.
I was fortunate on one occasion to hear a lecture by the esteemed Boots pharmacologist Dr Stewart Adams, whose discovery of ibuprofen helped millions of arthritis sufferers.
All in all I was very impressed by the Boots folks. Actually they were the ones with most of the wit and wisdom; the Americans were mostly along for the ride. Things got a lot duller after the Germans took over, and I still have a lingering grudge against BASF for dissolving the Pennyfoot St office after the takeover.
Melissa
Well its really none of anyone’s business if she has diabetes. I didn’t announce to the world that I did. People do treat you different. Looking at everything that goes into your mouth. I’m a diabetic and I love watching her show. It’s not going to change how we feel. So I say…Leave her alone and find something else to do.
dzieczko
Let’s see, daughter was dating the MD running a biotech and Mom looked into it and bought about 28K of stock. After a prolonged whipping in the media during the darkest days of the Iraq invasion - I guess she served a purpose uniting the country in a constant sense of self-righteousness - she *lied* to an FBI agent (who was later found to be a convicted liar, himself - go figure) and was sentenced to serve time in prison for - well, who knows?, the *lying* stuck because the jury did not know that the FBI dude was a convicted liar at the time of the trial…
Martha Stewart’s run-in with NJ *biotech* - definitely a cautionary tale about inwesting with (edited) risk takers…
But with loyal fans like Melissa behind her, Deen will just TAKE the $$$ and run - God Bless America…
Ed Silverman
Hi Folks
Just thought I’d stop by after noticing a few of the recent comments on this thread. I do appreciate the interesting and provocative remarks that have helped to sort out the issues raised by Paula Deen and Novo Nordisk and, in the interview with David Kliff.
That said, I’d like to request that the comments hue to the subject at hand. I realize this particular topic has stirred some emotions, but it would be helpful if we all do our best to redirect that energy.
And yes, I removed a couple of the most recent comments since they did not add to the discussion and I also edited a few words from one comment so it would not be misinterpreted. If anyone objects, feel free to contact me.
I hope this does not dampen the enthusiasm to further discuss this or any other topic. As I’ve noted in the past, the site is a bit like a garden party in which one is free to flit from group to group, listen and chat, and then move on. Just please resist the urge to throw a wine glass, which can alter the vibes.
Thanks for stopping by as you do,
ed
dzieczko
No problem, Ed, the wine glass slipped - no one is perfect :-)
With so many people, world-wide, living in cities, there is a disconnect in understanding what the *healthy* classic connections are. Icelanders were surprised to find that diabetes was creeping into their gene pool. There will be different approaches by different cultures to dealing with the chronic condition of diabetes, based in large measure on what the connections are in the food chains. A successful management could very well be in some *natural* adjustment that can’t be patented and sold for profit. Science based cultures don’t worry about *how much*. They just what to figure out *how*.
What is never helpful is when an all-out political food fight starts in the middle school cafeteria:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789/ns/msnbc_tv-morning_joe/#46098408
Let’s hope this isn’t another Martha Stewart meets medical research world moment leading to a prolonged nightmare of personal ruin - although it appears Deen has more insider friends so it probably won’t be….
Harry
Guess who just got fired by their publicist, y’all…
Zsa
I believe Novo-Nordisk wanted Paula Deen, not for her diabetes, but because she’s fat. NND is conducting studies on Victoza and weight loss. There’s HUGE money in weight loss. NND can’t say that because the drug is not approved for that. I believe her having diabetes, if she actually has it, was just a “means to an end”. The end being…If Paula Deen can lose weight, then her legion of fans, (who became as obese as she is, by cooking and eating like her), will demand Victoza also. Then NND can bail out Hostess, to offer free Ding Dongs or a copy of her recipe book with every prescription. That would be a win for Paula “diabetes” Deen and a double win for NND.
easy to judge
Wow, if Diabetes is so easy to fix and you have the cure…let me know, bc right now, with the epidemic we have in the US, there are bigger problems than who NND picks as their spokes person! Maybe patients and doctors should be more accountable! Doctors need to spend more than 5 min. with these patients, teach them something! Here is something to think about… perhaps, NND thought to select a person like PD, who is driving home and supporting bad habits (”comfort food”), for the millions of people in the US with diabetes NOT to mention pre-diabetes (who are in pre denial denial)… and allow these people to see what negative results can come from reckless, extreamly indulgent lifestyle choices. My hope is #1) this will remove her from being a “chef icon” for cooking to kill (which is WAY over due). #2) moving forward possibly allow her audience to see her struggles and make better choices then she did/does. #3) allow PD to walk people through the truth of what this diagnosis means and DOES NOT mean! Like, you are not doomed to live a short life… you CAN impact your disease with dramatic lifestyle changes… and that people with type 2 have so much control.
One thing I will say… the number of extreamly over weight, unhealthy doctors shelling out demands for their diabetic patients to loose weight, eat better, exercise is really my concern! I believe your doctor, whom you PAY, should weigh a bit more on your measure of sound medical advice vs. PD! Really, you say PD is a hypocrite?! Live what you teach … and maybe give doctors more time to teach specifically diabetes.
original industry insider
When I was working on Meridia I learned alot about diets. The simplest equation in the world for weight loss is
Cals expended > cals consumed= wt loss.