The United Kingdom?s BBC is airing a documentary later this year on consumer cultural changes using several iconic brands as representing those shifts. One of those brands they chose to profile is Lipitor. I was asked to appear on that program to discuss the consumer launch of Lipitor. I was proud to do it, not because I had such a big role in its launch, but because I could talk about the role consumer communication had in its success. I joined the Lipitor team in 1996, fresh from a three year stint in Japan as Warner-Lambert?s consumer marketing director.
"It was the opportunity of a lifetime." - Bob Ehrlich
I was lucky to work for Maurice Renshaw during my time in Tokyo. Maurice, from Australia, was our President and a very talented general manager and innovative marketer. He was sent back to the states in 1996 to run the drug division Parke-Davis. This was during the final stages of FDA approval of Lipitor. I asked Maurice for a job in the drug division because I was frankly bored of marketing chewing gum, cough drops and candy after 13 years. While I liked selling candy and gum and enjoyed my years running various brands, I could not see ending my marketing career selling peppermint Trident. Luckily for me, Maurice Renshaw needed someone to head up the consumer marketing at Parke-Davis and I was selected. I was now dealing with helping to saving lives versus freshening breath.
I was part of an extremely talented multi-company team including Parke-Davis and Pfizer members.? The partnership between the two companies was not always smooth, but was very effective. Pfizer was a very confident company and Warner-Lambert was not as used to having big success in the drug business. Their sales force was top of the cardiovascular field and they felt Lipitor could and would be number one.
Our 1997 launch meeting in San Francisco had Jon Stewart as our day one emcee. Colin Powell and Christopher Reeve were our motivational speakers. Thousands of young detail reps from both companies were given the reasons why Lipitor would succeed and how they could help sell it. They left ready to make Lipitor number one.
How did the number five entry into the statin market do so well? Not many people would have bet on Lipitor being so successful. A lot had to do with the people planning the launch. I was greatly impressed with our Parke-Davis senior team marketers, Larry Perlow, Lynn Alexy, Adele Gulfo, and Katie Macfarland. These folks worked 12-hour days for months along with their counterparts at Pfizer. They put together a flawless launch package. Lipitor succeeded mostly because it was a better statin. Lipitor worked because our massive combined sales forces convinced doctors that at the lowest dose we provided the best results. Lipitor worked because we educated consumers to know their cholesterol numbers and of course Lipitor gave consumers the best results.
Many observers think Lipitor succeeded because we sold it hard to the public on television and print. In fact, that is not true. Lipitor had the number one new Rx share of about 34 before we launched our campaign in 1999. The national advertising created by Bates Advertising worked and Lipitor continued to grow into the $7.6 billion brand it became in the U.S. and achieved $12.8 billion worldwide at its peak. Over the course of its patent life Lipitor sold $131 billion, the largest in drug history.
I was proud to work on the brand in its pre-launch and roll-out stages. It was the opportunity of a lifetime for a career marketer. I was part of a Super Bowl winning team albeit I would equate my role as being the kicker. The real stars are people I never met who invented it and pushed it for years to get it into clinical trials. Maurice, Larry, Lynn, Adele and Katie let me be part of the success and for that I will be eternally grateful.
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