Selling Obesity Drugs to Americans

Selling to One Third Obese Nation

With an obesity rate 1 out 3 in the nation, selling obesity drug to American had been a daunting task. Although Contrave manage to get the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), sales had been way below expectation. Both Qsymia and Belviq with approval from the FDA in 2012 also face poor sales. Bloomberg Businessweek's article on 15 Sep 2014 looks at the difficulty of selling obesity drug in American.

Major Setbacks

The disastrous safety record of diet drugs pulled from the market in the 1990s, was a major contributing factor to the resistance to weight-loss pills. A large number of health insurance plans not pay for the drugs which often lead to only modest weight loss is another major contributing factor. Clinical trials had shown that Placebo, medical condition intended to deceive the recipient, had proven far more effective than Contrave's loss of only 4.1 percent in weight.

Marketing Strategies

Orexigen Therapeutics, the manufacturer of Contrave, is enlisting the 900-person U.S. sales force of Japanese pharmaceutical giant Takeda. Orexigen will approach primary care doctors and specialists such as endocrinologists who often treat obese patients. "Primary care physicians love samples, so sampling is a part of the tactical plan," said Mark Booth, Orexigen's chief commercial officer. Meanwhile Takeda preparing print and online ads directed at patients, says Katie Andino, director of obesity marketing for Takeda USA.

The Competition

Eisai, the maker of rival drug Belviq, approach the market by running national television commercials. "Weight loss is not just about willpower" is the theme of their advertisement. This suggest that Belviq is the missing factor to the aid willpower. Honest disclosure of the side effects such as "high doses may cause mental problems" does not seem to give much mileage.

Honest Disclosure

Show of integrity is not the reason for honest disclosure. Complication arising from lawsuits can be very messy if things are not properly spelled out. Takeda are careful to stress that the drug must be paired with healthy behavior. "A pill is not enough," says Andino. The introduction of Contrave will include partnership with "an innovative behavior modification program" for people committed to losing weight. Contrave’s label comes with a boxed warning about risks of suicidal thoughts, as well as other risks identified by the FDA.

Free Samples

Using the pill to enhance willpower would only work on certain individuals. Obesity pills are so difficult to sell that all three manufacturers are offering free trials and prescription discounts in their marketing plan. With such promotional offers, users would not have to buy these pill after the sampling period if it does not work for them.