Pharmaceutical Executive-06-01-2007

Pharmaceutical Executive

A Very Specialty Moment

June 01, 2007

Features

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While the most sought-after opinion leaders are often older, well-established physicians, companies should also be aware of the rising stars. Younger, up-and-coming specialists who are beginning to publish are often more cutting-edge and open to experimental approaches.

Thoughtleader: Stephen Sherwin, Cell Genesys

June 01, 2007

Thought Leader

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Cell Genesys knows something about building successful biotech companies. In fact, its chairman and CEO, Stephen Sherwin, MD, a Genentech alum, has built at least three, if you count Cell Genesys spinouts Abgenix and Ceregene. Through a strategy of M&A and licensing programs-plus betting on the right technology at the right time-Cell Genesys has been able to raise enough capital to gamble on what Sherwin believes could be the future's most promising therapies, including gene activation, immunotherapy, and oncolytic virus therapy.

Fixing the Sales Model

June 01, 2007

Special Reports

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It was like the end of the arms race last November when Pfizer announced it was slashing its national sales force by 20 percent. Coolly downplayed as cost-cutting by new CEO Jeffrey Kindler, the stunning move was met by industry insiders, Wall Street analysts, and the media with one humongous collective sigh of relief. Big Pharma was seen as having grown dangerously addicted to the detailing game over the past decade, with the top firms plowing more and more of their blockbuster profits into trying to keep up with Pfizer's "flood the zone" strategy and with less and less to show for it.

Back Page: The Incredible Shrinking Donut Hole

June 01, 2007

Features

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Medicare Part D's infamous donut hole-the gap in coverage where subscribers have to shell out full drug costs-sparked a national debate long before the first poor, frail, creaky (or so you imagine) senior citizen stumbled into it. Critics of Part D-mostly Democrats, plus advocates ranging from AARP to the Gray Panthers-argue that government price negotiations, which the legislation bans, would lead to savings that could close the gap. Part D backers-mostly Republicans and PhRMA-counter with "Don't fix it if it ain't broke," pointing to surveys showing that as many as 80 percent of the 23 million subscribers are pleased with the program after just the first year. Plus, they say, Part D's so-called consumer-driven design controls costs, which, in fact, came in lower than projected.

The View From Inside

June 01, 2007

Executive Profile

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There's tremendous opportunity for us to understand how drugs can be used even better to get the right outcome, not only how to contain them in order to avoid complications or adverse events