Managing in Troubled Times Case Study

Case Title:

AstraZeneca's Crestor: Challenges in the US Market

Abstract:
London-based drug maker, AstraZeneca, is the fourth largest in the world and second largest in Europe. When the company announced its plans to enter the cholesterol-lowering drugs segment (also called statins) with Crestor in the US, it received mixed responses from the industry and analysts. Though a lucrative segment, the sensitivity attached to statins' safety and usage was of particular concern to AstraZeneca. The drug faced a further setback after the European regulators demanded a labelling change and a reputed medical journal raised doubts about Crestor's safety. This only complicated Crestor's strategy as the established players, Pfizer and Merck, took advantage of the negative sentiment.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To discuss the challenges faced by AstraZeneca in the process of taking the drug to market
• To discuss the competitive scenario that prevailed at the time of Crestor's introduction
• To discuss the promotional and marketing initiatives of the companies involved.

Keywords :  AstraZeneca; Cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins); Blockbuster drugs; Crestor; Lipitor; Baycol controversy; Negative sentiments; Pfizer's marketing; Merck's Zocor; Bristol-Myers Squibb's Pravachol; Marketing budgets; FDA approvals (Federal Drug Administration); Managing in Troubled Times Case Study; Merck's Vytorin; The Lancet; Clinical tests