Exubera debacle is the strength of Technosphere Insulin

[ezrasfund]

It is better to under-promise and over-deliver, and this is where Al Mann went wrong with Afrezza (we can now see with 20/20 hindsight.) Al promised a blockbuster, and so Afrezza had to deliver big time right out of the gate. Sanofi had worked with MannKind for years as Lantus was used in the trials, and Viehbacher was committed to a deal. Apparently the Sanofi BOD did not agree, and so the firing of Viehbacher and the subsequent failure, which in the Sanofi graphic would look like an explosion on the launch pad.

Again, as always, with 20/20 hindsight, this launch and the idea of a blockbuster paradigm shift catching fire was bound to fail. As I have realized too late, medicine is an extremely conservative, first do no harm, practice. Endocrinologists have tools that work "well enough" to treat diabetes, and changing medical best practices will be a long road.

Maybe targeted Afrezza clinics are the best approach. They have all the lung function testing equipment, the specialized knowledge about patient training and insurance reimbursement. The clinics could say they seek to treat anyone with problems controlling HbA1c. And somewhere MNKD will have to find 8,000 patients for an extended lung function study.

So maybe MNKD can seriously cut that $10M/month burn rate, keep the lights on, and start to get the word out on the street that some diabetics are getting better results with less stress and less dietary restrictions.

[dreamboatcruise]

Jan 12, 2016 12:39:00 GMT -5 ezrasfund said:

It is better to under-promise and over-deliver, and this is where Al Mann went wrong with Afrezza (we can now see with 20/20 hindsight.) Al promised a blockbuster, and so Afrezza had to deliver big time right out of the gate. Sanofi had worked with MannKind for years as Lantus was used in the trials, and Viehbacher was committed to a deal. Apparently the Sanofi BOD did not agree, and so the firing of Viehbacher and the subsequent failure, which in the Sanofi graphic would look like an explosion on the launch pad.

Again, as always, with 20/20 hindsight, this launch and the idea of a blockbuster paradigm shift catching fire was bound to fail. As I have realized too late, medicine is an extremely conservative, first do no harm, practice. Endocrinologists have tools that work "well enough" to treat diabetes, and changing medical best practices will be a long road.

Maybe targeted Afrezza clinics are the best approach. They have all the lung function testing equipment, the specialized knowledge about patient training and insurance reimbursement. The clinics could say they seek to treat anyone with problems controlling HbA1c. And somewhere MNKD will have to find 8,000 patients for an extended lung function study.

So maybe MNKD can seriously cut that $10M/month burn rate, keep the lights on, and start to get the word out on the street that some diabetics are getting better results with less stress and less dietary restrictions.

More and more people are finding themselves on insurance plans with managed networks and losing the ability to go to any doctor they wish.  An "Afrezza clinic" with a clear bias of prescribing Afrezza over existing medications that are preferred by insurers would seem to have little to no chance of being included in the networks of these insurers. 

[ezrasfund]

dbc, I kind of agree, but I see Afrezza users as being the upscale group with Cadillac insurance or paying out of pocket. If we could just get half of all T1's who drive a Tesla we'd be way ahead. lol