Pfizer's Buyout of Wyeth (Yes, HR)

[pattnic]

So, I don't keep up with the news much, as I find it pretty depressing, so it was just yesterday that I learned of the planned buyout of Wyeth by Pfizer. Yes, this is horse-related.

Fort Dodge Animal Health is a division of Wyeth. FDAH is in direct competition with Pfizer's animal health division. Pfizer plans to cut 8,000 of their own positions (about 10%) and a total of about 15% from the combined companies (about 20,000 postitions total).

What do you think this will mean for FDAH?

[mkevent]

I think it may be a good thing. Honestly, I never trusted the "science" behind FDAH (I used to sell for the competitor) and Wyeth was in bad financial straights for the past few years-massive layoffs in the pharma side last spring. I'm not an analyst, but I doubt Wyeth or FDAH could have survived much longer on their own. I think Pfizer is much sharper when it comes to marketing their products. I don't know how the R&D compares for the companies, however-I used to sell for Beecham Animal Health but that was the late 1980s(prior to GSK and then Pfizer Animal Health).

[smilton]

I used to work for FDAH R&D in Iowa. I've been checking in with friends to see if they still have jobs.

[Robin@DHH]

Oh my and Merck just bought Schering-Plough. Are we going to be left
with only one or two suppliers of horse health products?

[Blkarab]

Oh my and Merck just bought Schering-Plough. Are we going to be left
with only one or two suppliers of horse health products?

I used to work for Sanofi-Aventis, and yes, we are probably only going to be left with one or two suppliers and just a handful of human suppliers as well. Just the nature of big pharma, both human and animal.

Anyone have any news about Novartis? They have a pretty strong animal health side too. I have some friends who work on the human side, but haven't heard much lately.

My quality of life has improved greatly since leaving the pharmaceutical industry, in ways I never would have guessed.

[mkevent]

Blkarab-OMG me too!!! I lost my job last year(after 18 years in the industry) and I've never looked back! I can't believe how much stress I endured while in pharma-I kept telling myself that the salary justified it, but it really didn't. I am so much calmer and self confident now and just enjoying life! If you aren't in pharma, it's really hard to understand why it's such a difficult job-all I can say if I feel much better about myself now mucking stalls than I did promoting drugs!

[Blkarab]

mkevent--

I have never been happier. I left pharma 2 1/2 years ago and haven't looked back. (after 10 years in the industry). I was sick and tired of having my job threatened every 6 months, driving over 2000 miles a week and putting up with counterparts that didn't have a clue or wanted to stab you in the back. It took over a year to fully settle into life without so much stress. My husband and I are back to actually wanting to talk (instead of growl) and my horse believes that I'm a new person.

I feel like I gained my life back when I quit. I feel bad for my friends who just can not see past the $$$ and are still miserable in their jobs.

You are absolutely right about the mucking stalls part! I took on an office job (which I initially thought would drive me to utter boredom), and it's great. I don't have to worry about lunches, doctors, appointments. If I need time off, it's no big deal, and I can do lessons again! The absolute best part, is when I'm finished at the office for the day, I don't have to do paperwork or planning when I come home!

Those who have not been in this industry, just don't understand the stress and pressure. My friends were so happy when I quit, they threw me a party and said "about time, you were miserable".

[mkevent]

Blkarab-
I hear you! When my ex company was going through the lay-offs, I was on cafe pharma trying to find updates(I know, I know-and that was the first BB I joined-I was so worried about joining COTH because of that experience!!)
I actually also worked for Sanofi-Aventis back when it was Marion Merrill Dow-sometimes I feel like I worked for almost all the pharma companies at one time or another-mostly because I wanted to stay part time(still was stressful as *^%#$ but for less $ and benefits!) and part time never lasts at pharma companies.
Not to hijack the original thread but I guess the reason I'm a bit more optimistic is that a lot of pharma companies got too greedy/aggressive/away from what their mission statements were in the 1990s and early 2000s-one doctor does not need to see 6 reps from the same company talking about 3 products! When I did veterinary sales, it wasn't as bad as human pharma sales, but the vet sales side still was influenced by the pharma side as far as aggressive marketing. There was a big push to over market mediocre products whether or not the animal really needed it. The last time I was in the vets' office for my cats appts, there was a big poster in the exam room from Fort Dodge stressing how annual exams need to be biannual exams. To me, it just looked like another marketing ploy-maybe that's why my outlook is a bit jaded. I don't know about FDAH, but I can tell you that Wyeth did not have the best management/training/etc compared to other companies. I'm hoping that with greater resources(Pfizer) maybe the R&D will improve and Animal Health will have some improved and needed new products over the years to come. JMO

[seeuatx]

So I'm guessing that I should not be hoping to hear back from Pfizer on my application :no:

[tkhawk]

Oh my and Merck just bought Schering-Plough. Are we going to be left
with only one or two suppliers of horse health products?

I hope this doesn't end up like the banks where they become too big too fail.

I didn't realize Fort Dodge was part of Wyeth(aren't they the ones producing premarin or is it being phased out?)

[caffeinated]

I hope this doesn't end up like the banks where they become too big too fail.

I didn't realize Fort Dodge was part of Wyeth(aren't they the ones producing premarin or is it being phased out?)

Yep, Wyeth is the producer of Premarin.

I wasn't under the impression it was being totally phased out, though it's taken a significant cut over the last several years.

[Blkarab]

So I'm guessing that I should not be hoping to hear back from Pfizer on my application :no:

probably not. If you want a career in sales, I would look elsewhere. There are plenty of other companies that are hiring sales forces with a lot less stress and pressure than Pharma. I interviewed with Pfizer animal health at the time I left my prior company, and the experience was not pleasant, which helped reinforce my decision to leave the pharmaceutical industry.


The money is not worth the stress! Period! Be prepared to work 60-70 hour work weeks and be paid for 40. Hope you like to drive a lot. Spend hours of your own time studying the medications in order to pass a test with a 90% or you don't have a job. Promote medications that may be mediocre compared to the competition, but you have to promote them as if they were the best thing in the world (see mkevent's post, it's all true).

I'm sorry to hijack the thread, but it's a tough, tough job without much end reward these days. Doctors and vets alike don't want to see 3-6 reps a week promoting the same products. Most you won't even get to see. We used to joke that the UPS guy was given more respect.

I was in my vet's office last week and they were complaining about the Pfizer rep taking up so much time during lunch that they couldn't get their work done. 10 years ago or more, it was a well-respected job with lots of perks and benefits. Not so much anymore.

BTW---forget about riding, you won't have the time.

[wateryglen]

Yes, I too am wondering how the Wyeth sale will affect the PMU industry. Will they honor the contracts? Will they cut again? I'd hate to see another sell off in this economic time. My understanding is that HRT sales have risen again since the low of a few years ago so there's still a demand for mare urine. I can only hope the price of Premarin comes down or that a generic will be allowed. It's very expensive imho. I don't know when Wyeths patent was up.
I had to stop my HRT due to cost. My 3 pmu fillies had to eat! :(

[mkevent]

I think I remember hearing that there there was a reason Premarin didn't have a generic equivalent- I wish I could remember what the reason was! It's a very old product and there would already be a generic equivalent if it were possible.
IMHO, Wyeth(again I don't know alot about FDAH except as a previous competitor) needed to be bought out. It actively promoted questionable products (hence the numerous lawsuits) and didn't give enough effort/time/energy into the good products that it had. When the company was in financial straights, cost cutting measures went into effect for everything except the top executives bonus! I guess this is not too unusual in big business-hence our current economic climate. Big Pharma is not the answer either -I don't think anyone wants to see just one or two conglemerates running the entire pharma industry-competition is good for R&D and to encourage companies to streamline their products for greater tolerability/better pricing, etc. I don't know what the answer is but I do know it's a problem that needed to be fixed.

[Cooper]

I used to work for Sanofi-Aventis, and yes, we are probably only going to be left with one or two suppliers and just a handful of human suppliers as well. Just the nature of big pharma, both human and animal.

Anyone have any news about Novartis? They have a pretty strong animal health side too. I have some friends who work on the human side, but haven't heard much lately.

My quality of life has improved greatly since leaving the pharmaceutical industry, in ways I never would have guessed.


Bringing this thread back to life, as we all wait to see who is going to buy who. The top contenders for buying FDAH or Schering/Intervet seem to be Novartis, Eli Lilly (Elanco), Bayer or Boehringer Ingelheim. News reports say that the second round of bids are being accepted and we should know by end of July.

I work on the animal health side, and I have to say that I do love my job. I have been in the industry 20 years, so have seen alot of change, but the industry has been very good to me. It isn't ALL gloom and doom like some would have you believe.;)

That being said, I would like to get this recent round of mergers behind me, so we can quit wondering what the heck we are going to be selling in the coming year.

[pattnic]

FDAH will be divested to Boehringer Ingelheim; at least 50% within 10 days of the completion of the merger (which was October 15). I think this is a GOOD thing!

Licensing, distribution, etc for Equimax will also revert to Bimeda alone.

[Daydream Believer]

Add me to the list of those who hated to work in Pharma! I worked for now closed branded division of Mylan Labs and if I had not moved at that time, would have been given a pink slip and the offer of severance. What a horrible stressful job...I was in Finance as a CPA and I can tell you the pressure is horrible. The hours were horrible. I do think sometimes that job is the one that truly ruined my desire to remain in corporate accounting as a career. I find being a trimmer and running a farm...while my hours are even longer now...far less stressful and more rewarding.

Mylan I think still owns the rights to "Granulex V" which is identical to the human version Granulex for proud flesh.

[Petstorejunkie]

SA vax for pfizer suck, LA vax for FDAH suck so maybe *hopefully* thru this merger we can get decent vax for both sides. Pfizer is a PIA to deal with as far as distribution goes, about as bad as Merial.
Ill have to gossip with my vet

[RodeoHunter]

Not to hijack, but people leave pharma?? I have been trying so hard to leave but don't know how or where to go! I am on the clinical side in project management and it definitely pays for my horse but the stress is just getting to be too much. People who have left and can still pay for your horses.....where did you go?? Maybe this should be a PM request in order to avoid hijacking even further :)