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Bayer staffs up for prostate fight
Posted 6 March 2018
Bayer has appointed a speciality brand manager in prostate cancer with hopes its PBAC-recommended radioactive therapy Xofigo will soon list on the PBS.
The brand manager is one of two new speciality brand managers appointed by Bayer, with the other handling macular degeneration blockbuster Eylea.
Ben Wadling, moving over from an almost three-year run as national sales manager at AbbVie, has now taken up the role of senior brand manager prostate cancer.
Wadling is most likely tasked with handling the listing of Xofigo, which was recommended by the PBAC in November for the treatment of castration resistant metastatic prostate cancer on a cost-minimisation basis with Janssen's Zytiga.
Once listed, Xofigo will compete with Zytiga and Pfizer/Astellas' Xtandi for a slice of the lucrative prostate cancer market in Australia. It is a key growth product for Bayer and will be looking for a new PBS revenue stream when Eylea takes a price cut next month after five years on the PBS.
The Public Summary Document (PSD) for Xofigo says the product is "manufactured in Norway and shipped to Australia as a Type A radioactive package" with Bayer requesting a separate Risk Sharing Agreement to reflect its higher distribution costs - a request rejected by the PBAC.
However, the reimbursement committee did recommend a new program to manage the new form of cancer therapy.
"The PBAC noted advice from the Department that there were numerous steps involved in developing a new Section 100 program for radiopharmaceuticals, based on specific issues related to the radioactive nature of the product, which could delay the progression of the recommendation to Ministerial consideration," its PSD said.
A replacement for Wadling, who previously also worked at Actavis and AstraZeneca, has yet to be announced by AbbVie.
At the same time Joao Fonseca, formerly of Novartis, has taken up the role of brand manager for Eylea with responsibilities for business development and licensing.
Meanwhile AbbVie has appointed a new communications member to its immunology portfolio.
Poppy Diamantis takes on the role of communications and patient relations manager and brings with her a long history in the NSW hospital sector, most recently having done a marathon nine year-plus stint at the South Eastern Sydney local health district. Diamantis took up the new role in late February.
Over the weekend, Covance, one of the country's largest contract research organisations, moved from its Macquarie University owned Research Park Drive site just by Macquarie University Hospital following the expiry of its lease.
The company has moved to Macquarie Park's Macquarie Corporate Centre in Waterloo Rd, just a 10-minute walk away from its previous premises.
David Rowley
Posted 6 March 2018
Bayer has appointed a speciality brand manager in prostate cancer with hopes its PBAC-recommended radioactive therapy Xofigo will soon list on the PBS.
The brand manager is one of two new speciality brand managers appointed by Bayer, with the other handling macular degeneration blockbuster Eylea.
Ben Wadling, moving over from an almost three-year run as national sales manager at AbbVie, has now taken up the role of senior brand manager prostate cancer.
Wadling is most likely tasked with handling the listing of Xofigo, which was recommended by the PBAC in November for the treatment of castration resistant metastatic prostate cancer on a cost-minimisation basis with Janssen's Zytiga.
Once listed, Xofigo will compete with Zytiga and Pfizer/Astellas' Xtandi for a slice of the lucrative prostate cancer market in Australia. It is a key growth product for Bayer and will be looking for a new PBS revenue stream when Eylea takes a price cut next month after five years on the PBS.
The Public Summary Document (PSD) for Xofigo says the product is "manufactured in Norway and shipped to Australia as a Type A radioactive package" with Bayer requesting a separate Risk Sharing Agreement to reflect its higher distribution costs - a request rejected by the PBAC.
However, the reimbursement committee did recommend a new program to manage the new form of cancer therapy.
"The PBAC noted advice from the Department that there were numerous steps involved in developing a new Section 100 program for radiopharmaceuticals, based on specific issues related to the radioactive nature of the product, which could delay the progression of the recommendation to Ministerial consideration," its PSD said.
A replacement for Wadling, who previously also worked at Actavis and AstraZeneca, has yet to be announced by AbbVie.
At the same time Joao Fonseca, formerly of Novartis, has taken up the role of brand manager for Eylea with responsibilities for business development and licensing.
Meanwhile AbbVie has appointed a new communications member to its immunology portfolio.
Poppy Diamantis takes on the role of communications and patient relations manager and brings with her a long history in the NSW hospital sector, most recently having done a marathon nine year-plus stint at the South Eastern Sydney local health district. Diamantis took up the new role in late February.
Over the weekend, Covance, one of the country's largest contract research organisations, moved from its Macquarie University owned Research Park Drive site just by Macquarie University Hospital following the expiry of its lease.
The company has moved to Macquarie Park's Macquarie Corporate Centre in Waterloo Rd, just a 10-minute walk away from its previous premises.
David Rowley
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