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Post by dt on Nov 20, 2014 12:35:04 GMT -5
My thoughts:
- Nothing negative today. The worst for me was their (over) emphasis on current label guiding where Afrezza will be good and not so good.
- They absolutely have plans for Afrezza, now and in the future. Even if it is just used to bridge Lantus - Toujeo or get into accounts/patients that they currently have not won, even if just in order to try to sell Toujeo. Afrezza will gets its chance to shine.
- The other drugs they have been working with for much longer, if not since inception. If you assume that with waiting for HSR approval, Sanofi has had precious little time to get their heads around all of the aspects of Afrezza. I think pretty good overall presentation based on such a rush. Already way better than Mannkind ever did (IMHO)!
- People really like TS. Someone even clapped when the presenter pulled it out!
- Sanofi is under the spotlight about how they will perform in the next 12 months (Lantus losing patent protection, poor Diabetes sales in the US, firing of CEO, etc). Afrezza is one of the few drugs they have available to sell as of Jan 1.
Separately, I am glad Afrezzauser is back, well rested, and on the offensive. This type of user based information is so much better delivered by actual users. Sanofi/Mannkind are always going to be limited as to what they are allowed to say.
Overall I had low expectations and had even allowed myself to worry that some crazy bad news would be delivered today. And I can say I am pleased with how it went, including the Q&A.
Best
dt
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Post by notamnkdmillionaire on Nov 20, 2014 12:47:19 GMT -5
I'll be more happy when there are hundreds if not thousands of people tweeting, blogging, facebooking etc about how Afrezza is making it finally easy for them to manage their diabetes. That's what will get me excited.
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Post by papihoyos on Nov 20, 2014 12:51:15 GMT -5
I was disappointed in the IR presentation but mostly my fault, I had greater expectations. Clearly they highlighted Toujeo even though it not even approved yet for sales where as Afrezza is baked and ready to be served. I almost felt they were pitching it as a niche product.
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Post by esstan2001 on Nov 20, 2014 12:56:29 GMT -5
Just wish they emphasized the rapid PK profile, and tied that to reduced hypo events, even casually as a belief or a theory as this is not on the label.
Conservative, lacking in any projections, timing, but I think that was expected by all. Almost too much emphasis on inhaled (he was very exited about the device), and going after the unmet early prandial use, no mention of first line use before basal (suppose this is understandable considering what lantus and Toujeo are). And as stated before, maybe sandbagging, by design... Net, I think little price impact. looks like shorts tried to have some impact right around the end of the presentation. Not so much.
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alexer
Lab Rat
Posts: 49 
Sentiment: Long
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Post by alexer on Nov 20, 2014 13:06:17 GMT -5
To be honest here, I don't really care about Sanofi's marketing plans. I believe that once Afrezza hits the market, word of mouth will be our main marketing tool since the product is very convenient to use and works like magic. Remember that a great product is the one that sells on it's own and I truly believe Afrezza is all about that. If you don't believe me, check out AfrezzaUser on twitter.  |
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Post by factspls88 on Nov 20, 2014 13:08:08 GMT -5
I was also disappointed that they didn't talk about the PK profile and its impact on hypo reduction. I hope this was by design in order to lower expectations and keep competition off balance. If not then they are missing the boat strategically in my opinion.
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Post by dreamboatcruise on Nov 20, 2014 13:19:04 GMT -5
To be honest here, I don't really care about Sanofi's marketing plans. I believe that once Afrezza hits the market, word of mouth will be our main marketing tool since the product is very convenient to use and works like magic. Remember that a great product is the one that sells on it's own and I truly believe Afrezza is all about that. If you don't believe me, check out AfrezzaUser on twitter. Word of mouth with patients is great, but you can't overestimate the importance of education and marketing within the medical community. The doctors need to be on board when people start showing up asking about it. |
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Post by ashiwi on Nov 20, 2014 13:19:56 GMT -5
No mention of the "Lost generation" but I guess that will come in time as the marketing begins in less than 2 months.
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Post by Chris-C on Nov 20, 2014 13:20:16 GMT -5
I think it is important to be realistic. Afrezza, as good as it is, is not going to be seen as the main attraction by Sanofi. Also, it is important to be clear that it is still early in the launch, SNY is looking for a new CEO, and the company does not want to tip their hand to competitors by revealing their marketing strategy. They have to be conservative in what they say. So doing a presentation like this is a juggling act, to be sure.
I'm happy that they did what they needed to do. The sales will create change on the street. Patience in investing is golden.
Chris-C
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Post by brentie on Nov 20, 2014 13:44:48 GMT -5
I was also disappointed that they didn't talk about the PK profile and its impact on hypo reduction. I hope this was by design in order to lower expectations and keep competition off balance. If not then they are missing the boat strategically in my opinion. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think they can say Afrezza reduces Hypo's anymore because it's not on the label.That's why they never call it ultra rapid acting anymore either. They can say it about Toujeo because it hasn't been approved yet and has no label. |
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alexer
Lab Rat
Posts: 49
Sentiment: Long
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Post by alexer on Nov 20, 2014 14:30:34 GMT -5
To be honest here, I don't really care about Sanofi's marketing plans. I believe that once Afrezza hits the market, word of mouth will be our main marketing tool since the product is very convenient to use and works like magic. Remember that a great product is the one that sells on it's own and I truly believe Afrezza is all about that. If you don't believe me, check out AfrezzaUser on twitter. Word of mouth with patients is great, but you can't overestimate the importance of education and marketing within the medical community. The doctors need to be on board when people start showing up asking about it. I agree, then it's Sanofi's job to meet the demand and make sure doctors get the right information when that happens. |
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Post by dreamboatcruise on Nov 20, 2014 14:36:15 GMT -5
I was also disappointed that they didn't talk about the PK profile and its impact on hypo reduction. I hope this was by design in order to lower expectations and keep competition off balance. If not then they are missing the boat strategically in my opinion. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think they can say Afrezza reduces Hypo's anymore because it's not on the label.That's why they never call it ultra rapid acting anymore either. They can say it about Toujeo because it hasn't been approved yet and has no label. Wish I did have a real answer, but I believe there may be a difference in what they are allowed to do in marketing aimed at consumers vs what they can do with marketing/education for medical professionals. I would also think FDA wouldn't really control what is said to investors. I don't believe they are prevented from discussing results of data and trials showing PK profile and indicating lower incidence of hypos with doctors just because that didn't become part of the label. I do believe they would be prevented from having a TV or print ad aimed at patients saying that reduced hypos are a reason to use Afrezza. Or I could be totally wrong... in which case in my best Emily Litella impersonation... never mind. |
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Post by kc on Nov 20, 2014 15:42:59 GMT -5
It might be 6 to 12 months more before approval. So Sanofi will be using their sales Reps to push Afrezza. That is a great thing I was disappointed in the IR presentation but mostly my fault, I had greater expectations. Clearly they highlighted Toujeo even though it not even approved yet for sales where as Afrezza is baked and ready to be served. I almost felt they were pitching it as a niche product. |
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Post by kc on Nov 20, 2014 15:44:05 GMT -5
Actually I thought they did mention it as being the reluctance to begin insulin treatment that Afrezza will be the bridge for the person who didn't want to start taking shots.
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Post by EveningOfTheDay on Nov 20, 2014 16:35:10 GMT -5
I actually was very happy with what I saw. Yes, as an investor there are still many more things I would like to know, but I was pretty sure Sanofi would not bring those up today. By the way, although is true that they did not talk about Afrezza's PK profile, its most important quality, slide 93 already shows that a majority of doctors are on board, whether for insulin initiation or insulin intensification. I am sure Sanofi reps have been educating them in the details of Afrezza's pharmakinetics.
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