MARSAM WILL COMPLETE HIRING NATIONAL SALES FORCE IN SIX MONTHS

MARSAM WILL COMPLETE HIRING NATIONAL SALES FORCE IN SIX MONTHS, company President Marvin Samson told the Furman Selz Generic Drug/Drug Delivery Conference April 21 in New York City. The generic injectables manufacturer has hired six of a planned 10-12 reps so far and "national coverage of our sales force will be accomplished in the next six months," he said. Marsam also has begun running ads in pharmacy journals, Samson noted. Marsam's new sales force is headed by Executive Director-Sales E.T. Lillard and Director-Sales Administration Rina Kelley. The eight-year old firm is developing its stand-alone sales capability as a result of the dissolution of its marketing agreement with Geneva last summer. The two firms are currently in litigation over that break-up. Marsam has completed construction of a multi-purpose manufacturing facility, Samson said. With the firm's existing cephalosporin and penicillin facilities, Marsam is now "the only generic company that can manufacture any injectable product," Samson maintained. Marsam has received eight ANDA approvals since November, Samson noted, including the first approval for sterile cefuroxime sodium. Cefuroxime is marketed by Glaxo as Zinacef and by Lilly as Kefurox. Samson estimated 1992 sales of $94 mil. The cefuroxime patent expires in August, Samson said. The early approval "gave us a chance to talk to customers and tell them not to get tied up with Lilly and Glaxo in any long-term contracts," he added. Other products being developed by Marsam include the surgical anesthetic isoflurane and the inotropic cardiovascular agent dobutamine. Isoflurane (Anaquest's Forane) is off-patent, but only one generic, marketed by Abbott, is approved. The market for isoflurane is $189 mil., Samson said. Dobutamine (Lilly's Dobutrex) comes off-patent in October and had 1992 sales of $156 mil., Samson said. Marsam has 20 ANDAs pending, he added.