Cambridge Sciences Pharmaceuticals (CSP) is an international healthcare company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The firm focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing products that treat metabolic disorders, gastrointestinal diseases, immune deficiencies, as well as other chronic medical conditions. In 2008, CSP received its Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its newest prescription drug, Metabical. Metabical is a drug that offers moderately overweight adults a medically proven, effective method to reach a desirable weight to improve their overall health by shedding ten to thirty pounds.
Barbara Printup, Senior Director of Marketing for CSP, is in charge of managing the upcoming launch for Metabical. After an analysis of a 2007 survey of overweight individuals, it concluded that 70 percent of respondents are not satisfied with their current weight, 35 percent are actively trying to lose weight, and 15 percent are comfortable using prescription drugs to help reach their weight-loss goals. Out of these respondents, 12 percent said they would immediately make an appointment with their health care provider and request a prescription. The ideal Metabical consumer was determined by Printup and found to be overweight college-educated females ages 35 to 65.
To see how potential customers would respond to Metabical, Printup decided to project demand using three approaches. The first approach is looking at the number of overweight individuals in the United
This discussion question is based on a case study. As in all case studies, review the facts of the case and consider the various steps of the nursing process in order to address the critical thinking questions.
ff exit 5 on the NJ turnpike, a few miles down the road resting on the banks of the Delaware River is located a small notable community by the name of Burlington City. Once the seat of power for Burlington County and a stop on the underground to freedom for the enslaved African, it possesses a rich and bountiful history.
This report is Part 1 of assignment for Marketing MBA 565-MBOL1 to Dr. Stephen Baglione
There are only several other weight-loss options in the market competing with Metabical. The first is prescription drugs. These are prescribed for use only by obese and severely obese individuals. This meant that only individuals with BMI of over 30 who were prescribed weight-loss drugs were using appetite suppressants and fat-absorbing blockers. They had serious side effects associated as well, which meant only a doctor could approve them. But these prescription-drug options did not account for the overweight segment with
Since Metabical is a prescription drug for weight loss which can only be bought via a prescription, the overweight patients are not the only decision makers involved. The health care providers are also decision makers in this process for they are the ones who prescribe the drug.
Cambridge Sciences Pharmaceuticals’ (CSP) is international health care company. Their focus is on developing, manufacturing and marketing products that treat various diseases.
In the United States today, obesity has become an enormous problem. In the last 3 decades, the number of people overweight has increased dramatically. A study done by the Centers of Disease Control showed that since 1980, one third of our adult population has become overweight. America is the richest but also the fattest nation in the world and our obese backsides are the butt of jokes in every other country (Klein 28). The 1980s were a time when Americans suddenly started going crazy over dieting, jumping onto the treadmills, and buying prepackaged non-fat foods. However, while all of that was going on, the number of obese Americans began to increase. According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 58 million
In this report, Printup will provide all recommendations for the successfull marketing communication strategy and to ensure the long-term steady demand for Metabical. 3.1 IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM OVERVIEW OF OVERWEIGHT ISSUES IN THE UNITED STATE Excess weight is considered a public health crisis in the U.S, with approximately 65% of the entire adult population categorized as overweight, obese, or severely obese. Being overweight is related to a number of serious health complications, and according to the American Obesity Association in 2005, ³the second leading cause of preventable death in U.S. In addition to health risks, overweight individuals endure a significant social stigma as well as outright discrimination. Laziness and self indulgence are common stereotypes associated with this group. Many overweight people feel like social outcasts. The professional life of an overweight individual could also be negatively affected, as excess weight has been found to adversely influence, hiring decisions, wages, and promotions. Researchers and health care professionals measure excess weight using the Body Mass Index (BMI) scale. The BMI scale, which calculates the relationship between weight and height associated with body fat and health risk, is appropriate for both men and women. It has three BMI categories of excess weight for adults:overweight (25 to 30); obese (30 to 40); and severely, or morbidly obese (over 40). According to CDC
Obesity has become increasingly more prominent in American society. The Unites States has even been termed an overweight nation. Some twenty to thirty percent of American adults are now considered obese (Hwang 1999 and Hirsch et al 1997). With this in mind, Americans constantly look around themselves determining their weight status as well as that of those around them. While some Americans do fit the healthy category, others enter the underweight, overweight, and even obese categories, all of which can be unhealthy.
Attracting health care professionals is extremely important and therefore the initial budget allocated to this segment (e.g. less than 5%) will be increased to 10%. The initial strategies will be maintained, and print advertisements will become available within medical publications during pre-launch (September to November 2008), launch, and post-launch activities. This will allow for the dissemination of information about Metabical’s new appetite suppressant compound and fat blocking calorie absorption agent. Moreover, health care professionals will learn about Metabical’s support program which was designed to complement an individual’s weight loss experience. Interactive online
As technology advances, advances in the pharmaceutical industry increase as well. While most companies use the mentality of screening drugs that show the most binding affinity or particularity of drug applicants to a single defined target, this is not always the best way of doing things. Many off target activities or multi-targeted particularities have been successful in targeted therapeutics. For example, Imatinib marketed by Novartis and Sorafenib co-developed and co-marketed by Bayer and Onyx Pharmaceuticals and Nexavar have shown that looking at the broader spectrum of biological context of how a specific agent works is very important. Increasing importance of translational and clinical research in the early stages of drug development can help connect the drug’s activity to biological impact and clinical significance.
In our experience with Pharmasim we learned that Marketing decision making must be very sensitive and responsive to everything going on in the industry which is very complex. Consumer responses to marketing tactics can be volatile and unpredictable and no idea is guaranteed to work well. Marketing is a matter of meticulous research, assumptions, planning, and volatility at times. Overall we took away two major points: 1) that it is important to consider the product lifecycle in evaluating how to promote businesses and, 2) that the “Sweet Spot” as a competitive advantage should be the greatest point of consideration when evaluating how to best gain leverage to beat the competition in the minds of
They are concerned with health issues caused by overweight and willing to change lifestyle and behavior. The target consumers are determined by characteristics of Metabical.
In America, the weight-loss industry is big business. Commercials on television promote “miracle” diet supplements, retail stores sell low-fat food and beverages, doctors prescribe weight-loss medications, and surgeons hold bariatric surgery clinics. Even though economics drives much of the weight hysteria in our culture, some scientific researchers are responsible for a portion of the hype.
Obesity in terms of measurement is a body mass index (BMI) of greater than 30. Health care professionals and most individuals understand obesity has many implications on one’s health. It is estimated that 78 million, nearly 36% of Americans, are obese (Yanovski & Yanovski, 2015). In a stark contrast, given the number of obese people in the US, approximately only 2.74 million patients were reported to use any type of obesity medications (Shinn & Gadde, 2013). Many barriers exist as to why there is such a small percentage of participants using any form of antiobesity medication: safety concerns, costs, limited efficacy, participants reluctance to view obesity as a diagnosis that would require medical intervention (Shin & Gadde, 2013).