Johnson & Johnson cut costs as it faces generic competition to its best-selling prescription drug, the antipsychotic Risperdal, which generated $4.2 billion last year.Phew, it's a good thing that Invega (Son of Risperdal) is on the market to save the day for J & J. And there is some preliminary (read: probably bogus) research suggesting that it works better than Seroquel in treating schizophrenia. See my recent post to understand my skepticism regarding the latest results. Invega is entering a crowded market (Abilify, Seroquel, Zyprexa, generic risperidone, Geodon, etc.) and I don't think it is going to fare particularly well unless there is some pretty darned impressive marketing. Which is not entirely out of the question. I humbly suggest taking a piece from Pfizer's Geodon campaign.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Invega: Just in the Nick of Time?
In a Bloomberg report, it was noted that:
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See also http://atypicalanti-psychotic.blogspot.com/
J&J is laying the dominoes well, too: In community mental health, Risperdal samples are no longer available--only Invega samples. Thus, for people who cannot afford antipsychotics (who are often the people who are the most psychotic) and enter the public psychiatry system, they first receive Invega (despite its dubious effectiveness) so when they do receive funding/money, they stay on it.
Gar!
Whether the subject is automotive repair, computer maintenance, having a cavity drilled out or even something as nebulous as laying new payment to correct a cracked driveway, naturally before anyone precipitously begins to troubleshoot a situation, he or she (especially parents) should study all the facts and not simply operate on “Blue Sky” or uninformed conjecture/information.
Example, if a doctor offers surgery as a solution to a torn knee ligament, or if a Sears repairman wants to replace the compressor in your refrigerator, these professionals would be able to produce sort of scientific forensic information which lead them to deduce something wasn’t quite right (e.g. X-Ray). ..and if they couldn’t produce some sort of hard evidence, we’d throw them out the door.
Right?
Wrong!
Unfortunately, not everyone is that smart.
This is a very simple and rudimentary lesson most of us learned from our parents – or maybe from a friend who laughingly heckled us for being duped in accepting blindly the mechanic’s ridiculous recommendation to replace the driver’s seat because of the engine was sputtering.
I’m pretty certain the lesson went something like this: “Look, don’t assume or listen. Look for yourself, Look, Look, Look.”.
If one is diagnosed with a supposed mental disorder thus requiring some sort of antidepressant or other such similar drug, ask the doctor to see the blood work which clearly delineates what you have. Don’t simply rely on the fact that, through the course of seeing a Psychiatrist, blood was drawn to assume they know something. Ask to see the results. View hard evidence. Also, find out what the side effects are to these drugs.
If there are no results and you begin to blindly take these dangerous medications based solely on faith, you’re going to be that friend who is pitied (not laughed at) while you’re in a unwitting mental fog and locked into the psychiatric system.
Think about it.
Hey CP! I met an Invega rep at the psych yesterday. He had bad ass enormous orange Invega mugs, and his suit, badge and pimping suitcase. [sorry]
So I asked him if he was with Invega? "yes",
"The Son of Risperdal?" "uh yeah",
how do you store your samples?" "climate controlled, blah blah"
I thought you would love how he said yes to "Son of Risperdal".
I caught him off guard,-- wish I had that on tape for a you tube event.
All good comments. Nice to see that the predictable marketing blitz has begun and that reps might be uncomfortable with the term "Son of Risperdal." I suggest that all of my psychiatrist readers use the term when speaking with Janssen reps. Also make sure to ask why in the world you would want to use Invega rather than (less expensive) Risperdal.
A comment was left over at Furious Seasons stating someone died 10 days after taking INVEGA. Listed under Furious Seasons post : Oct 29, New Son of Risperdal.
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