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Excerpts Contd...
Strategy for Losec/Prilosec
On the other hand, AstraZeneca almost stopped all promotion
for Losec/Prilosec and discussed the drug with doctors just to compare it
unfavorably with Nexium. In the US, the company was able to extend its patent
for Prilosec till October 2001 by taking advantage of a law that allowed a six
month extension if the drug was tested on children...
Results
That AstraZeneca had succeeded in defending its market was clear. Analysts felt
that the company had successfully switched the prescriptions of Losec/Prilosec
to that of Nexium sales (Refer to Table II for Nexium and Losec/Prilosec sales
trend). The sales of Nexium between 2000 and 2006 were a whopping US$19.58
billion.
According to the company, between 2000 and 2006, 126 million prescriptions of
Nexium had been written globally, and as of 2007, more than 7 million Americans
were using Nexium...
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Triumph of Marketing
Analysts felt that the results reflected AstraZeneca's
marketing prowess. Especially in the US, its marketing had resulted in a very
strong launch as it grasped 16.3 percent of all new prescriptions for PPIs. This
made it the most successful launch of a drug for acid related disorders...
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Critics at Large
AstraZeneca's strategy also drew a lot of criticism. Critics contended
that the success of Nexium was a triumph of marketing over science.
Nexium was nothing more than a repackaged version of Losec/Prilosec,
they said...
Outlook
AstraZeneca planned to continue managing the lifecycle of its key growth
products in the GI, cardiovascular, and oncology therapeutic areas. It
also planned to maintain its leadership position in the GI market... |
Exhibits
Exhibit I: Astrazeneca's Logo
Exhibit II: Financial Summary of Astrazeneca: 2003-2006
Exhibit III: List of PPIS with their Brand Names and Launch Dates
Exhibit IV: Some Ads of Nexium
Exhibit V: Top Ten Pharmaceuticals Brands by Global Sales
Exhibit VI: Some Awards for Nexium Campaigns
Exhibit VII: Astrazeneca's Development Pipeline in Gastrointestinal Therapy Area
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