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Post by notamnkdmillionaire on Jun 10, 2015 9:23:35 GMT -5
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Post by jimo on Jun 10, 2015 9:56:29 GMT -5
This is the frustrating part - they still don't seem fully committed - No TV Ads.
From Amy's post:
"Sanofi does plan to begin a consumer advertising campaign towards the end of this year that will focus on digital and print, but no TV ads, according to Andrew Purcell, Head of the Diabetes Business Unit at Sanofi. They’re hoping to “demonstrate success” with the drug first, and also by then, the newly approved 12-unit cartridge will be available too (although personally I’d be more excited about a 2-unit option)."
The line on "demonstrating success first" shows they are not all in on this yet.
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Post by esstan2001 on Jun 10, 2015 10:03:35 GMT -5
This is the frustrating part - they still don't seem fully committed - No TV Ads. From Amy's post: "Sanofi does plan to begin a consumer advertising campaign towards the end of this year that will focus on digital and print, but no TV ads, according to Andrew Purcell, Head of the Diabetes Business Unit at Sanofi. They’re hoping to “demonstrate success” with the drug first, and also by then, the newly approved 12-unit cartridge will be available too (although personally I’d be more excited about a 2-unit option)." The line on "demonstrating success first" shows they are not all in on this yet. I caught this too, and can only hope that it is sandbagging to manage expectations- under promise, over deliver. I also note it is not consistent with what has been fed the investment community. we shall see.
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Post by mnkdorbust on Jun 10, 2015 10:12:22 GMT -5
I was also under the impression (don't have the info handy but was pretty sure it was posted here) that there was casting for content. I believe Eric was part of it. Hey it's a big card game so sandbagging would be probably be a smart move on their part. It's a lot easier being on the offensive than defensive. If they tip their hand too much it allows competitors to get their defense ready.
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Post by babaoriley on Jun 10, 2015 10:19:59 GMT -5
I'm sure Amy wrote a genuine piece, a lot of work went into that article. I was bummed by the whole thing. And what's this about ads at the end of the year?
Reading her synopsis on Sanofi represents the first time I feel a bit uneasy about Sanofi.
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Post by brentie on Jun 10, 2015 10:27:31 GMT -5
This is the frustrating part - they still don't seem fully committed - No TV Ads. From Amy's post: "Sanofi does plan to begin a consumer advertising campaign towards the end of this year that will focus on digital and print, but no TV ads, according to Andrew Purcell, Head of the Diabetes Business Unit at Sanofi. They’re hoping to “demonstrate success” with the drug first, and also by then, the newly approved 12-unit cartridge will be available too (although personally I’d be more excited about a 2-unit option)." The line on "demonstrating success first" shows they are not all in on this yet. I caught this too, and can only hope that it is sandbagging to manage expectations- under promise, over deliver. I also note it is not consistent with what has been fed the investment community. we shall see. I've been hearing just print for a while now... "But Jefferies' Shaunak Deepak said MannKind's plan to roll out print advertising in diabetes-specific periodicals during the third quarter will help boost sales." www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/15/06/5569249/jefferies-mannkinds-consumer-ads-for-afrezza-may-increas#/ixzz3c7ss2bB4Re: Afrezza Sales AND Marketing leads should be canned. "So Sanofi's big DTC campaign rolling out in July that is supposed to save this drug will not include TV advertising due to "budgetary constraints" .. uh oh!!" www.cafepharma.com/boards/showthread.php?p=5445789
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2015 10:33:11 GMT -5
This is the frustrating part - they still don't seem fully committed - No TV Ads. From Amy's post: "Sanofi does plan to begin a consumer advertising campaign towards the end of this year that will focus on digital and print, but no TV ads, according to Andrew Purcell, Head of the Diabetes Business Unit at Sanofi. They’re hoping to “demonstrate success” with the drug first, and also by then, the newly approved 12-unit cartridge will be available too (although personally I’d be more excited about a 2-unit option)." The line on "demonstrating success first" shows they are not all in on this yet. I caught this too, and can only hope that it is sandbagging to manage expectations- under promise, over deliver. I also note it is not consistent with what has been fed the investment community. we shall see. If you start to run TV ads now, think about the logistical ramifications. Most docs do not know about Afrezza, Spirometry will have its challenges and the prior authorization for the actual Rx itself. With all of this, the ROI on TV at this point would be poor. Sure, you raise awareness to the roof, but you got all these docs who know nothing about Afrezza and think it behaves like an RAA and then you have the whole physician re-education thing in fire drill mode since they have been caught with their pants down, they are now mad and may look like fools in front of their patients and the hassle of prior authorization adds demands to the docs time which they are already in short supply of. The speakers bureau addresses awareness over the next few months. Once A improves on the formulary Tier, that issue gets reduced. Perhaps then, TV advertising but it is too early for that now.
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Post by jimo on Jun 10, 2015 11:29:28 GMT -5
This part is most frustrating as we have great advocates shrugging their shoulders at the lack of effort on Sanofi's part:
"The "low profile" of Afrezza was corroborated by prominent endocrinologist Dr. Irl Hirsch when I bumped into him in the ADA speaker room. We shrugged our shoulders at each other over how Afrezza doesn’t seem to be getting a fair shake"
This is odd that we have a great product and well known advocates pushing for more support and Sanofi saying "Afrezza needs to demonstrate success". I don't think this is sandbagging but do think they've deprioritized it to a point where its a wait and see approach which leaves us all exposed.
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Post by mnholdem on Jun 10, 2015 12:03:13 GMT -5
Hakan/Matt did reiterate at the Goldman Sachs 36th Annual Global Healthcare Conference presentation today that Sanofi's D-T-C marketing of Afrezza would start with print and web/digital advertising.
The subject of insurers moving Afrezza up to Tier 2 later this year played into the conversation later as one of the reasons for focusing the DTC in this direction. What it really comes down to is $$$. Matt said it himself, "Making a TV commercial doesn't cost that much, but airing it does." [paraphrased]
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Post by notamnkdmillionaire on Jun 10, 2015 12:08:49 GMT -5
Most people aren't watching TV these days. There are a very few places where you'd want to advertise. And due to the cost, it's prohibitive due to the cost. It makes no sense now to do a TV commercial for Afrezza until it actually is selling and making money. I think web/print based ads are the way to go initially.
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Post by mannmade on Jun 10, 2015 12:22:08 GMT -5
I was also under the impression (don't have the info handy but was pretty sure it was posted here) that there was casting for content. I believe Eric was part of it. Hey it's a big card game so sandbagging would be probably be a smart move on their part. It's a lot easier being on the offensive than defensive. If they tip their hand too much it allows competitors to get their defense ready. I believe those were for industry video usage
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Post by Chris-C on Jun 10, 2015 15:14:06 GMT -5
In real estate, the keywords are location, location, and location. In investing, the keywords are patience, patience and patience. There are many reasons why broadcast ads would not be a good idea yet and many of them have been reiterated above. Sanofi is clearly focusing on educating providers, and making sure that Afrezza is well understood, since it is not simply a matter of substituting an inhaler for a unit dosed pen. Neither the twelve unit cartridge nor the capacity to produce enough Afrezza to supply a huge demand are quite in place yet. We all want the drug to be widely used, and it will be; but as has been reiterated a thousand times, this will not happen overnight. Marketing Afrezza is not the same thing as selling iPhones (and besides, even iPhones took a while to catch on).
Meantime, the cost to short the stock remains high, the short interest remains high, and the conditions remain for a short squeeze of significant proportions. An announcement of a partnership for another Rx application of Technosphere could come at any time, and that too could blow the lid off.
I personally think the shorts are getting a bit squeamish. They may even be losing some sleep at night. The most recent hit piece by AF was arguably the worst piece he has ever written; which is saying something about him reaching new depths. Even the commentators to his hit piece consistently observed how desperate it sounded and how transparently misleading it was.
Those who are impatient with the company should know that it is not Mannkind's style (nor exclusive job now) to trumpet their product; nor is it Sanofi's style to share their game plan with competitors. I think both companies know what they have, and like the goose that laid the golden egg, they are going to nurture it and protect it as carefully and competently as they can. Investment advisor Nate Pile remains confident and continues to advise his clients to buy. He has observed more than once that this stock will generously reward long term investors. I like his track record, his reasoning, and his patience.
Chris C
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Post by noonen on Jun 10, 2015 22:18:08 GMT -5
I'm sure Amy wrote a genuine piece, a lot of work went into that article. I was bummed by the whole thing. And what's this about ads at the end of the year? Reading her synopsis on Sanofi represents the first time I feel a bit uneasy about Sanofi. agreed, kind of, on the bummed and uneasiness. but what can sny say or do? they aren't going to blast the market now when they 1) still need to raise awareness for the docs 2) work on labeling 3) work on insurers 4) get spirometry smoothed out 5) somehow get results in numbers big enough to be significant (I think in a statistical way?) that mimic the early adopters' amazing results and that they can use in meaningful advertising. I counter any (fleeting) negative shivers about sny by remembering: 1) usury-like rates on the share lending lessening the pain (controversial for some, but I sleep well participating) 2) lantus took a year or so to really take off 3) the early adopter results and words like "amazing". "first time in my life." . Lordy. 4) news is actually starting to trickle out about real technosphere potentials down the line this is not a tirade directed at you or anyone in particular, but it seems that sny hyping toujeo launch more than afrezza is producing significant discomfort. But from sny's pov, it makes sense. Do they spend their marketing efforts on a slightly modified, improved, patent protected, low hurdle version of their cash cow (Lantus) that is coming off patent? Or spend it all on Afrezza that, while badass is new, different, dealing with comps to bongxubera, and has only been on the market a few months. Seems like a fairly straight forward choice. Does it make us more comfortable, no, but afrezza isn't going anywhere if the early results are legit, formulary tier improves, and word continues to spread. Yes. if we get down to the 4's and 3's again it will blow. But financially as long as mnkd has cash, access to that sny facility, that $30mm from the Mann Group, and a cfo that is fairly confident that august will not provide more dilution (other than maybe the convert converting) I'm good with the prospects for Afrezza and the runway of cash for operations. none of this info is new or earth-shattering, but it gives me comfort. Call me crazy.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2015 7:20:31 GMT -5
I take Amy's comments as a plus because what she is really saying is that Afrezza is great so why isn't Sanofi promoting the hell out of it. She is very intelligent, a great writer, speaks to diabetes in a way only someone who is diabetic themselves can, sincere and passionate and here efforts have helped many many people with diabetes. Hats off to Amy. Where Amy may have a bit less knowledge is in the actual marketing of pharmaceutical products and while she and many of us are frustrated, we only see the tip of this iceberg and there is much none of us know. One of Amy's comments is that the busses used at ADA did not have any Afrezza advertising on them. Those advertising spaces get booked up well in advance of the show and prior to Afrezza having FDA approval so with no disrespect intended for Amy, if you cannot see the part of the iceberg that is submerged, it is difficult to grasp what may or may not be happening.
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Post by harryx1 on Jun 11, 2015 7:34:34 GMT -5
For the most part, I believe the article was positive for Afrezza and I also believe Amy is very enthusiastic about Afrezza from actually using it and seeing the benefits. So how many influential diabetic professionals and users did she make contact with this past weekend? Also keep in mind that she probably used Afrezza in front of many of them during Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, snacks, etc. so they really got to see it in action. Now how many of them left ADA and now have a better understanding of it and will spread the benefits by word of mouth?
Also keep in mind that DiabetesMine was one of the top tweeters during ADA. So I'm hopeful that she made a good impact during the conference. With Afrezza commanding 50% of the interest with Toujeo at the Sanofi booth, I would consider that pretty good buzz. Just IMHO.
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