GENENTECH SIGNS ON BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM SALES FORCE TO DETAIL ACTIVASE TO OFFICE-BASED PHYSICIANS; MOVE SUPPLEMENTS GENENTECH SALES FORCE EXPANSION

Genentech will soon have Boehringer Ingelheim's 400-person U.S. sales force detailing Activase (recombinant tissue plasminogen activator) to office-based physicians in an effort to stimulate physician acceptance of thrombolytic therapy. Under an agreement-in-principle between the two companies, "starting May 1, the approximately 400 members of Boehringer Ingelheim's U.S. sales team would spend one-fifth of their time promoting Activase to office-based primary care physicians," Genentech noted in a Feb. 16 announcement. "The agreement . . . would remain in effect through the end of 1991 and could be extended thereafter." The move allows Genentech to extend marketing coverage of its TPA product beyond the initially targeted hospital market and help the company increase its previously stated goal of 20-25% sales growth in 1989. Activase sales were approximately $ 150 mil. in 1988. The addition of Boehringer's sales force in the office-based physician market also puts Genentech a leg up on Beecham's Eminase (APSAC) in that market. Beecham announced a co-promotion agreement for its injectable anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase product with Upjohn last May. That agreement, Beecham said, will put over 1,000 sales and marketing people behind Eminase in the U.S. While Upjohn and Beecham's combined hospital sales force, which is near 300, would bear the brunt of detailing the thrombolytic agent, Upjohn's presence in the office-based market must have appealed to Beecham. Upjohn has over 1,000 reps in the field; however, not all would be detailing the Beecham drug. Beecham's PLA (product license application) for Eminase has a shot at a 1989 approval. The company filed the PLA in June 1988. The clinical data for Eminase that has reached publication shows the Beecham drug with comparable-to-favorable efficacy compared to Genentech's Activase when measured by survival. Eminase will also have a price advantage at current Activase levels. However, Activase will still have at least a year-and-a-half marketing headstart and widespread physician acceptance and experience. Genentech currently has plans to expand its hospital-based sales force 50% by the end of this year, from 200 to 300 reps, ("The Pink Sheet" Jan. 16, p. 8). The biotech firm has previously reported its intention to expand its marketing presence beyond cardiologists during the coming year. At a recent analysts presentation sponsored by Hambrecht & Quist, Genentech CEO Robert Swanson suggested that a key to generating Activase growth is expanding physician acceptance of thrombolytic therapy for heart attacks. "Obviously, both the hospital and office-based cardiologists and certain internists are key," Swanson noted. "The principal answer lies in education and the process must be done on a doctor-by-doctor basis." The co-promotion agreement "represents a quick and reasonable way for Genentech to accelerate its promotional efforts for Activase and thrombolytic therapy," Genentech Senior VP-marketing James Gower remarked. For Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech's exclusive licensee for TPA in all countries except the U.S., Japan and Canada, the agreement allows the firm to build on its presence in the U.S. cardiovascular market with Persantine (dipyridamole) and Mexitil (mexiletine). In a separate action, Genentech announced the promotion of Stephen Sherwin, MD, to VP-clinical research and Barry Sherman, MD, to VP-medical affairs. A former National Cancer Institute researcher, Sherwin has served as director of clinical research for cancer, immunology and infectious disease products since joining the company in 1984. He will now have responsibility for Genentech's overall clinical research effort.(ITEM 200)#050928M001J59307# #970804M001XFCWP5# (ITEM 201)(COPYRIGHT) 1989 F-D-C Reports, Inc., The Pink Sheet, February 20, 1989