More troubles for Byetta?

Aug/18/2008 12:10

The news could not have come at a worse time for Lilly; “ New Byetta-Related Deaths Reported” is the headline in todays Wall Street Journal. However from one drugs woes comes opportunities and this could spell a major opportunity for Januvia. Not only is it an oral medication but now some patients may prefer Januvia or Byetta because of potential stronger warnings that may have to be included in the products label.

Januvia has steppe up their DTC ads while the Byetta ads seemed to have disappeared from the air. When Byetta came out there was a lot of buzz about the weight loss side effect but the initial product shortages put the breaks on any momentum they had gained. Given that type 2 diabetics have a choice between an oral medication or an injection I am sure that 95% would prefer to go with an oral medication. Believe me there is nothing harder than trying to get people to give themselves a shot in lieu of simply taking a pill. Byetta’s flat sales are truly a reflection of the difficulty in trying to get patients to give themselves a shot in addition to the challenge of getting physicians to train people on how to give themselves an injection.

Balance of news?

Earlier this month there was word that Byetta might extend lives of type 2 diabetics. Any news like this of course is encouraging but how do DTC marketers balance this great news with new negative reports in the media? Well first of all it would help to be transparent and let users know about the reports, (no I’m not crazy) as people are going to find out about it anyway. It would help to put the reports of pancreatitis inter perspective so people can understand the risks. How many people got sick out of the total number of people taking the drug and how many people died out of the total number of people taking the drug. Patients can judge ,with their HCP’s, the risk of going on Byetta vs. other mediations. When bad news like this is reported in the media silence can be the worst tactic in the world for the brand.

It will be interesting to see where Byetta lands in the rough and tumble world of Type 2 diabetes medications. With the number of diabetics exploding and Avandia sales all but extinct one product is going to emerge as a clear winner. Will it be a generic or a brand?