Novo Nordisk To Ramp Up Diabetes Sales Force In 2007
This article was originally published in The Pink Sheet Daily
Executive Summary
Novo Nordisk tells “The Pink Sheet” DAILY it has started recruiting reps; it intends to add 700 next year.
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Novo Nordisk expects to expand its U.S. diabetes sales force by 700 representatives to a total of 1,900 in the first half of 2007, the Denmark-based firm announced Nov. 30. The move is intended to enhance Novo's sales support for its current diabetes portfolio, but the company told "The Pink Sheet" DAILY that the ramp up will also "prepare [the] organization for future launches of additional...products." Recruitment of the new sales reps is already underway, the firm said. The company's portfolio of currently marketed diabetes products includes Levemir (insulin detemir [rDNAorigin] injection), which launched in March, and its NovoLog franchise of premixed rapid-acting and intermediate-acting insulin. Novo estimates that it has more than 40% share in the U.S. insulin market. The firm's investigational products include the inhaled insulin AERx and liraglutide, a stable once-daily analogue of the GLP-1 hormone, both of which are in Phase III development, according to Novo's website. The firm said the decision to bolster its sales force was "months in the making" and had "no connection to Pfizer's action" to cut its force. Pfizer announced plans Nov. 28 to slash its sales force by approximately 20% as part of an overall cost-cutting initiative (1 (Also see "Pfizer Slashes Sales Force 20%" - Pink Sheet, 28 Nov, 2006.)). During a third quarter call Oct. 27, Novo CEO Lars Sorensen suggested the firm might be ramping up its sales force to meet increased competition in the diabetes therapy market, particularly in light of "increased noise" around oral DPP-4 agents (2 (Also see "Novo Nordisk Declares Levemir A Winner In U.S. Market" - Pink Sheet, 31 Oct, 2006.)). In August, Novo filed a request for a preliminary injunction seeking to bar Pfizer from selling the inhaled insulin Exubera while a patent infringement case is litigated (3 (Also see "Novo Nordisk Seeks To Block Sale Of Exubera, Claims Patent Infringement" - Pink Sheet, 2 Aug, 2006.)). Novo filed the patent infringement lawsuit against Pfizer Aug. 1 in Manhattan federal court regarding patents covering the inhaled insulin treatment. The five patents cited in the lawsuit are method of use patents covering AERx, the firm said. -Daniel Fowler ([email protected]) |