SQUIBB TO BACK CORGARD WITH 200-PERSON PRINCETON PHARMACEUTICAL

SQUIBB TO BACK CORGARD WITH 200-PERSON PRINCETON PHARMACEUTICAL, a newly created unit whose initial product line will consist of the beta blocker Corgard (nadolol), the beta blocker/diuretic combo Corzide, and Pronestyl (procainamide), an anti-arrythmic. Squibb made the announcement April 11 at the annual meeting of the American College of Physicians in San Francisco. "Princeton Pharmaceutical's goal is to minimize the length of time physicians must spend in assimilating information about its products and related areas, while maximizing the quality of that time," stated E. R. Squibb President William Weathersby. "As more and more valuable information about disease conditions and therapeutic options becomes available, there is less and less time in which to assimilate it." By turning over Corgard's marketing responsibility to a new Princeton sales force, Squibb is attempting to alleviate a product positioning dilemma with its other major heart product, the ACE inhibitor Capoten (captropril). Last summer, Capoten's labeling was expanded to permit U.S. marketing for mild to moderate hypertension, an indication that put the drug in direct competition with beta blockers in general and Corgard specifically. Princeton allows Squibb to maintain a marketing focus on both products, each of which generated U.S. sales in excess of $100 mil. during 1985, without relegating either one to a backseat status. At the same time, by increasing its marketing muscle and dividing cardiovascular product sales responsibilities, Squibb may be better able to respond to Merck's entry into the ACE inhibitor areas with Vasotec (enalapril). Merck has said it is positioning Vasotec against beta blockers in the marketplace. While Princeton's initial activities will center around the three cardiovasculars, the the company said it also plans "to provide new drug therapies in the cardiovascular, psychotropic and anti-inflammatory areas being developed by The Squibb Institute for Medical Research." Princeton said it hopes to reach its planned detail force strength of 200 by the end of 1986. Once established, Princeton's sales force will increase Squibb's marketing strength to almost 1,000. Squibb currently employs 750 reps. The company is currently assessing new communications technologies, new forms of patient aids and methods for enhancing communications between doctor and patient. Maurice Oaks, a 27-year Squibb employee, is VP and general manager of Princeton Pharmaceutical Products.