Healthy Skepticism Library item: 13214
Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.
 
Publication type: Journal Article
Raasch C.
Launching a fighter brand to cushion patent expiry: The case of Zocor
Journal of Medical Marketing 2008; 8:(2):119–126
http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jmm/journal/v8/n2/abs/5050140a.html
Abstract:
The expiration of patent protection and the subsequent sharp decline in sales have become a crucial topic for many pharmaceutical companies in recent years. The effort invested in designing strategies to cushion the adverse effects of patent expiry has increased considerably. One strategy, the launch of a second brand with a lower price, is frequently discussed as a potentially promising new option but has rarely been implemented. This contribution focuses on this fighter-brand strategy, its strengths and weaknesses and compares it to other pricing strategies. Moreover, it provides a detailed analysis of a major case example where a fighter brand was launched, the patent expiry of Zocor in Germany.
Keywords:
patent expiration, strategy, pricing, fighter brand, case study, Germany