This case focuses on the effect of a unique regulatory pathway the biosimilars pathway on the strategy of a significant pharmaceutical company, whose biggest product—which generates 60% of its revenue—finds itself in jeopardy. The case discusses the reasoning for the approach, the new players entering the biosimilars market, and a number of unfavourable financial projections for AbbVie. Did the transaction increase value for shareholders in light of all of these risks. When AbbVie announced in March 2015 that it would be purchasing Pharmacyclics for $21 billion, the news was big. After Abbott separated into AbbVie and Abbott Laboratories in 2013, the pharmaceutical research-based firm AbbVie was established. A biotechnology firm called Pharmacyclics got FDA clearance for Imbrivica, their standout product, in late 2013.
AbbVie gets ready now for a healthy tomorrow. We run a sustainable, flexible business model and governance structure that continually ensures patient access to cutting-edge medications while anticipating and adapting to a changing industrial environment. We take great satisfaction in our long history of effective corporate governance and financial controls. We are serious about our dedication to the future.
The deal considerably broadens and diversifies AbbVie's income stream and strengthens the company's already-established leadership positions in immunology with Humira®, hematologic oncology with Imbruvica®, and Rinvoq®. With prominent brands like Botox and Juvederm, Allergan offers new development prospects in the neuroscience sector through its Botox® Therapeutics, Vraylar®, and UbrelvyTM businesses.
With combined sales of over $50 billion, this diverse on-market portfolio will propel the current AbbVie growth platform (ex-Humira) to approximately $30 billion in revenues in full-year 2020. Additionally, it puts the company in a better position to engage in innovation across all of its therapeutic areas, expand its dividend, and have stronger long-term growth potential. The company intends using its improved operating cash flows to quickly pay down the additional debt.
Markets for AbbVie's goods are quite cutthroat. AbbVie is in competition with other research-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms that develop, produce, advertise, and market their own medications and biologics. For instance, AbbVie's virology drugs compete with protease inhibitors and other anti-HIV medications, while Humira competes with a number of anti-TNF and other products that are authorised for a variety of disease situations.
High customer satisfaction - the business, with its devoted customer relationship management department, has been able to attain a high degree of customer happiness among current customers and strong brand equity among future consumers.
A strong portfolio of brands AbbVie has made investments over the years to develop a strong portfolio of brands. AbbVie's SWOT analysis just emphasises this point. If the company wishes to grow into other product categories, this brand portfolio may be quite helpful.
The effective information system only works with the current business model, which prevents it from expanding into related product sectors.
Days inventory is more than that of the competition, forcing the firm to seek additional money for channel investments. This may have an effect on AbbVie's long-term growth.
Financial planning is not carried out effectively and correctly. The corporation can spend the cash more effectively than it is currently doing, according to the current asset ratio and liquid asset ratio.
The company's product line is lacking several items. A new rival may gain ground in the market as a result of this lack of options.
The firm has lost a modest amount of market share since it is unable to meet the difficulties posed by the new competitors in the sector.
The elements that really can affect AbbVie Inc.'s long profitability in some kind of a particular nation or market are heavily influenced by political issues. AbbVie Inc. operates in the Drug Manufacturers - Major industry in a number of nations and exposes itself to various political system and environmental hazards. Diversifying the systemic political environment risks is necessary to succeed in such a dynamic sector as drug manufacturers, which spans several nations.
The aggregate demand and aggregate investment in an economy are determined by the macroenvironmental variables, such as the inflation rate, savings rate, interest rate, foreign exchange rate, and economic cycle. While microenvironmental elements like industry standards have an influence on the firm's competitive edge. AbbVie Inc. may anticipate the growth trajectory of not just —sectoryname— sector but also that of the organisation by using country's economic factors like growth rate, inflation, and industry's economic indicators like Drug Manufacturers - Major industry growth rate, consumer spending, etc.
Inside the third quarter of 2022, consumers of Abbvie Inc. saw an increase in their cost of revenue of 5.99% year over year and 0.51% sequentially. During the same time, Abbvie Inc. had a rise in revenues of 3.28% year over year and 1.57% sequential manner. AbbVie's main marketing initiatives are focused on getting doctors, key opinion leaders, and other healthcare professionals to prescribe or advocate their brand of medications. Hospitals, state and federal government entities (such as the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the United States Department of Defense), managed care providers (such as health maintenance organisations and pharmacy benefit managers), and hospitals are all significant clients. Although all of the company's medications in the United States must be sold with a prescription, AbbVie also promotes directly to consumers. AbbVie concentrates its marketing initiatives outside of the US on important opinion leaders, payors, physicians, and national regulatory authorities. Additionally, AbbVie offers patient support initiatives that are closely tied to its medications.
Through AbbVie-owned distribution centres and open warehouses, the company typically sells its medications directly to wholesalers, distributors, government agencies, healthcare institutions, specialty pharmacies, and independent retailers around the world. According to the market covered, purchases are either conducted directly to clients or through distributors outside of the United States. Distributors or wholesalers account for 55–60% of all sales done outside of the United States. Over 3% of AbbVie's sales are distributed by no wholesaler or distributor outside of the US. With certain other businesses, certain items are co-marketed or co-promoted. There isn't a single client of AbbVie whose loss would have a materially negative impact on the firm's management.
Product Strategy
Sells its goods into five major categories, each of which corresponds to a different product line. Its entire line is marketed under the name.
Offers a wide range of items for sale, allowing clients to choose the one that best meets their needs.
Sells items that are distinctly different from those of rivals and come with a range of services. As a result, its products are regarded as distinctive.
Its goods are thought to be of a higher calibre than those of rivals. Customers are therefore prepared to pay more for these.
Sells goods that are renowned for their classic design and usability for consumers.
Pricing Strategy
A competitive pricing method is now being used to determine the price level that will be followed. This really is owing to the fact that there are many rivals in the sector, relevant information about them freely accessible. In order to determine pricing for a select few items about which information about rivals is either unavailable or for which production costs substantially greater, it also takes costs into account. These products are often sold at a premium to those of competitors. This is due to the fact that it has more features, which the expensive price offsets.
Currently, it also makes use of product bundle pricing, where things are grouped and sold for less than the sum of the separate items. For some items, it also employs an optional product price method.
Promotional/ Advertising Plan
Employs a variety of mediums to market its products. It makes use of conventional media, which includes a radio and television commercial. This is advantageous because of its broad appeal and capacity to draw a sizable audience. Due to the growing popularity of the internet, it makes use of online and social media advertising, which is advantageous and less expensive.
Due to the significant monthly usage of youtube, facebook, and twitter, it mostly promotes on these channels. These sites, which are exposed to often updated information by, have over 100,000 likes or customer followers.
Carries out numerous sales promotions while participating in a variety of trade shows and events throughout the year.
This transformational transaction was successful due to three important elements.
Having a common goal is essential to fusing our disparate businesses.
AbbVie and Allergan had separate concentration areas before the deal. Allergan concentrated on cosmetics, eye care, women's health, and neurology whereas AbbVie concentrated mostly on medicines in immunology, hematologic cancer, and other speciality areas. Because of this, our firms were significantly diverse from a portfolio viewpoint. It was crucial that our staff members comprehend the long-term goal of joining these two very different businesses to produce something significant for patients. This was the very first and maybe most important step in making sure the integration went smoothly. Many millions of employees, spread throughout both firms, had to share our belief that this purchase would be revolutionary, so we could not only rely on our leadership teams to know it.
The lengthy approach is driven by research and creativity.
Throughout AbbVie's founding in 2013, our pipeline has been the heart of our organisation and the force behind all we accomplish as a commitment to the patients of today and the future.
The merging of AbbVie and Allergan was a crucial next stage in the development of that pipeline. In fact, even while the globe struggled with COVID-19 since the conclusion of our purchase, we have continued to develop. The epidemic has, if something, highlighted how important it is to advance innovation and research. Finding and creating new medications is undoubtedly difficult, but AbbVie's existence has always been driven by our quest of research and innovation.
Our successful diversity is a crucial factor in this.
There could be a cultural conflict when two big businesses merge sometimes, and businesses shouldn't undervalue the impact of culture on the success of the new entity. Remarkably, our cultures and our people were already closely connected as a result of our shared objective. It takes a lot of work to combine two big businesses, but our employees were the most crucial project all along. We put a lot of effort into making sure that all of our team members, whether they were from AbbVie or Allergan, not only understood our vision and values but also arrived at work every day feeling motivated by a more significant, more meaningful purpose.
Currently, we have more than 50,000 devoted workers spread all over the globe. Collectively, employees from of the two businesses representing a variety of experience,
AbbVie is indeed a biopharmaceutical business with a focus on research. In 2013, it separated from Abbott Laboratories. Over the course of its first five years on the market, the firm has seen accomplishment. Humira, a very successful medicine, brought in billions. But a number of AbbVie's best-selling drugs have also been the subject of legal action.