It's no picnic competing with a cultural phenom. Auxilium and Vivus know this well: Their new erectile
dysfunction pill Stendra has to go up against Pfizer's Viagra. Competition from Eli Lilly's blockbuster Cialis doesn't help, either.
That's why the companies have been studying Stendra for some sort of
competitive edge. Now, they may have found one: The FDA backed the ED pill as a
fast-acting treatment, taken 15 minutes before sex. Previously, the directions
prescribed a 30-minute lead time.
Cue the talk of spontaneity. Lilly's Cialis is taken daily, while Pfizer
advises men to take Viagra one to two hours beforehand.
Auxilium, which markets Stendra in the U.S. under a deal with Vivus, has
already been leaning on the drug's "rapid onset of action" in its
rollout. The company launched Stendra last December and in March unveiled a
series of ads to tout that speed. The campaign features black-and-white ads
that cheekily address the time-to-liftoff countdown. In one spread, an
amorous-looking couple embraces in a parked car. "This time he was ready
... before they got home," the tagline winks.
The new marketing hook came at a good time for Auxilium. The company said
last week it would hack 30% of its workforce, partly because of low sales of
its testosterone replacement therapy Testim. That entire class of drugs is set for another blow to sales, now that an
FDA panel has backed new limits on their use.
And earlier this week, Endo Health Solutions stepped up with a $2.2 billion
hostile bid for Auxilium. The company will need as much ammo as it can get to
persuade shareholders to let it stay independent and continue with its plans to
buy QLT.