BioPointe Case Studies: Nitromed

Cardiovascular | Natonal Sales Force Build

Situation: In 2004, BioPointe was engaged by Publicis Selling Solutions (PSS), a contract sales leasing company based in Lawrenceville, NJ, to assist in a large commercialization project for a biopharmaceutical client. The project involved hiring, then leasing a 200 person contract cardiovascular sales force to Nitromed, a biopharmaceutical manufacturer based in Lexington, MA. Nitromed received FDA approval of BiDil (for treatment of heart failure in African Americans). BiDil was the first drug in history to be indicated for a specific race. Studies had shown BiDil decreased mortality rates in African American patients suffering from congestive heart failure by as much as 43%. This created global media attention (see press release) for Nitromed which increased the level of urgency to commercialize the company while in the global spot light.

Objective: Several objectives were at hand for this project. As a result of the target audience, an increase in diversity recruiting initiatives needed to be addressed and planned. Additionally, Nitromed was facing reimbursement issues which required the need for seasoned cardiovascular hospital reps who had established relationships with key opinion leaders and proven track records of success in “pull through” selling environments. The principal objective was to peak the interest of highly successful cardiovascular sales who were directly employed by manufacturers to consider leaving for a contract sales position.

Action:BioPointe planned and launched an aggressive campaign which involved crafting an effective candidate value proposition and quarterbacking the efforts of several internal and external talent acquisition resources. The internal teams targeted and engaged diversity employment agencies to assist in the sourcing and profiling of candidates. BioPointe also engaged affiliate partners in several states to assist in the recruitment process. BioPointe developed a robust value proposition called, the “Contract vs. Direct” analysis. The model highlighted the benefits of working in a contract selling environment and challenged the benefits of working directly for a manufacturer. BioPointe industry research teams provided compelling trend data which clearly showed the rise in acceptance and utilization of contract sales models in the life sciences industry. This data enabled recruiters to present the Nitromed opportunity in a state of certainty with factual data to back it up.

Result: The Contract vs. Direct value proposition proved to be extremely effective in converting award winning direct manufacturers sales reps over the contract sales model way of thinking. BioPointe exceeded the diversity recruiting requirements by more than 10%. The company hired 8 District Sales Managers and 75 Cardiovascular Specialty Reps within 90 days. The projected was completed on schedule. As a result, the partnership between PSS and Nitromed was notably enhanced which ultimately lead to an increase in business and overall profitability for our client.