Propecia Case

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Furthermore, Merck should position Propecia primarily for maintaining hair levels and only regrowing hair in some cases, because ethics and integrity are core values for the company (Exhibit 2) and it would be wrong to tell all men that their hair would regrow if it wouldn’t happen in every situation. It would not be right to set up false expectations to Propecia customers. It should be positioned truthfully, but also optimistically. The focus of the product positioning should be on what effects Propecia can produce, not what it will. When presented in this manner, consumers can see how effective the product can be in some cases while accepting that it may not grow back as much hair in their own case. It would better to be honest rather than lie and let down consumer expectations. It should also be positioned as a product that is proven to work and should be chosen over all the other hair loss techniques or cover ups men try in order to deal with the problem. It is the only prescription medication for hair loss that actually works, so consumers should get excited about that.

It is also vital that Propecia tells consumers through the product claim ad that there are sexual side effects for men and broken pills could birth defects for pregnant women. Although men may become wary of using the pill because of the sexual side effect and the harm it could cause women around them, all side effects are required by the FDA to be stated in the ad. In order to counter men’s doubts in the side effects, it is crucial that the physicians prescribing Propecia are well aware that sexual side effects only occurred in fewer than 2% of the men taking the drug in the clinical trials and disappeared when they stopped taking it. Physicians should have the knowledge to disperse any worry about sexual side effects to men who are concerned. As for birth defects Propecia can cause for pregnant women, doctors should tell their patients that proper handle, storage, and use of the pills will prevent any harm from occurring. As long as the doctors know enough about the side effects, they should be able to push away any concerns their patients have about Propecia.

Detailing Support Recommendation

Detailing support should be used in the launch in order to equip physicians with the knowledge consumers will be needing from them about Propecia. Even though Casola wants to do direct-to-consumer marketing with the product ad campaigns, consumers will still go to physicians to ask how effective the product is for hair regrowth, the odds of side effects occurring, and more. Therefore, the doctors should be prepped to answer anything that comes their way. Although most doctors will gain awareness about Propecia through the product-claim ads, they’ll still need more in-depth information to answer complex questions that their patients may ask. Sales representatives should communicate to dermatologists as much detail about Propecia, as well as supply dermatologists with samples, impersonal promotion, office merchandising.

Since 30 million men struggle with MPHL or other forms of hair loss, Propecia has the potential to bring $1.5 billion in revenue. Currently, Merck’s highest selling product is Zocor which brings in about $4.6 million. Since Propecia could greatly surpass the highest selling product in sales, it should receive top priority from the company’s sales force and thereby be given greater sales support. In order to reach 10,000 dermatologists and optionally the 26,000 PCPs known to prescribe Rogaine to patients, Merck would need to deploy a sales force of at least 100 representatives. With potential revenue exceeding $1 billion, Merck should not hesitate to give Propecia the resources it needs to become a well-known brand.

Even though Merck could find out which physicians wrote prescriptions for Rogaine, dermatologists should definitely be targeted more than primary care physicians because they’d be the doctors men are seeking hair loss advice from and they’d be more invested in the product. Also, men going to dermatologists instead of PCPs usually are wealthier which is important because Propecia is on the pricier side of $50/month and medical insurance typically won’t cover it. Although there’s only about 10,000 dermatologists in the country, that could still reach a large amount of possible customers who could afford the product.

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