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Using Aleve now that Vioxx and Bextra have been taken off the market
Company overview
Aleve is a drug that is produced by Bayer HealthCare LLC. This company operates all over the world. It has its headquarters in Leverkusen Germany. The company operates in over a hundred countries in the world and employs over a hundred and ten thousand individuals throughout its channels of operation (Mackenzie, 2011b, para.2). The company deals in a variety of products that are further grouped into different divisions.
These include Animal health, Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Care and Medical care (Mackenzie, 2011a, para.1). The headquarters of these divisions are located differently. The division of Pharmaceuticals and Animal health are based in Germany whereas those of consumer car and medical care are found in the US, (Bayer Healthcare, 2011b, para.1). Aleve is a product in the consumer care category.
The company makes use of the local companies in the different parts of world where it has its establishment to help in product distribution. These local companies liaise with the local authorities and other regulators to ensure that the company operates within the legal procedures for business.
Executive summary of a marketing plan
Bayer HealthCare LLC is a company that deals in a variety of health products for human and animals as well (Mackenzie, 2011b, para.1). The company was established in 1863 by Friedrich Bayer and Johann Friedrich Weskott as a dyestuff factory. The company has seen various developments to be the current dealer in health products. The company’s clients are human patients as well as animal keepers.
It currently deals in a range of products that are doing well in the market. The company had massive sales in the last financial year. The best sold product last year was Betaferon®/ Betaseron® with sales of about €1206 million (Bayer healthcare, 2011a). Aleve was one of the twenty best selling products of the company last year with total sales of €273 million (Bayer healthcare, 2011a).
The company has been out to provide quality health care products for human and animal health. It has been the concern of the management to provide products that conform to health requirements as provided by legislation on health matters. This is aimed at positioning their products well above the others in the markets.
To improve on the overall sales, the company has made improvements on certain products in the consumer care division. The new products will be available in qualities and quantities that are considered improvements on the previous product.
The company shall adopt a marketing strategy that will be used to expos the new product in the market and increase sales. The plan will go for one year after which it may be adopted depending on the performance.
Description of the target market
Aleve is in a pharmacological class of drugs called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Aleve is used to relieve pain and inflammation of the body tissues.
Aleve can be used for minor aches, pains, or fever. It is appropriate for the managing pain in arthritis, tendonitis, menstrual camps, gouts, and many others (Drugs.com, 2011, para.2). Thus, the targeted customers for the products are the individuals with such problems. The dosage for this product also differs depending on the nature of the health problem to be managed.
Aleve drug has side effects and it is not recommended for use by some groups of individuals. These include young children, pregnant mothers, and nursing mothers.
These groups are not included in the target market. The drug is also not recommended for use by individuals with history of heart problems, stroke, high blood pressure, liver or kidney disease, asthma, or bleeding disorder. These individuals may use the drugs under the directions of a physician (Drugs.com, 2011, para.7).
Due to the probable side effects even on the recommended users, there is a need to take the dosage as directed by the physician. The medication should not be taken in large quantities and neither should it be used for a long period. In the event that the drug has to be used for a long time, there is need to consult with the doctor who will check if there are side effects following the prolonged use of the drug.
Description of the competitors
Competition in consumer care products is intensified by factors like the prices of the drugs, their availability to the customers, their suitability and effectiveness in pain relief, and their side effects on the users. Some of the key competitors include Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and BASF SE among others (Mackenzie, 2011b, para.3). The companies would always want to medical drugs that have little or no side effects on the users.
The contraindications will also limit the individuals who would use the drugs thereby narrowing the market. The dosages of the different drugs also differ among individuals. This necessitates packaging in different sizes to accommodate all the users. The company that issues products in varying sizes will have a better market than the others with fixed package sizes will.
Several health products were available that can be used for the relief of pain just like Aleve. Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra fall in a category of drugs called Cox-2 inhibitors. These fall in a broader category termed as Non-Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that also include Aleve (Drugs.com, 2011, para.1).
Fortunately, some of these products have been eliminated in the market following the adverse side effects that they had on the users. Some of the drugs that have been eliminated in the market had fixed packages that were to be used by every individual regardless of the level of the pain and other factors like body weight that determine dosage.
Drugs like Bextra were associated with serious side effects like severe skin reactions that would result into deaths (Cohen, 2004, para.4) the drug is also contraindicated on the individuals who are allergic to sulfa drugs. The drugs have been found to be no better than the old NSAIDs.
Drugs like Bextra came in one size that was to be used for everyone. This is different from the older NSAIDs that came in different sizes. It is important to recognize the fact that contraindications of drugs have a high association with the dosage.
The contraindication can be reduced by using the lowest dosage that is allowed (Cohen, 2004, para.7). This is achievable if there are smaller packs of the drugs. With the differential packaging, individuals are able to get the lowest dosage for the relief of their pain and inflammation.
Description of product or services
The company has understood the changing trend in the market for the consumer care product. It has noted some of the weaknesses that saw some competing products being withdrawn from the market. Drugs like Celebrex had effects similar to Vioxx and Bextra creating a possibility of withdrawal as well. The company has improved on its manufacturing processes to reduce the contraindications of the drugs.
The company produces various brands of Aleve (Naproxen) namely Aleve, Anaprox, EC-Naprosyn, Naprelan, and Naprosyn (Drugs.com, 2011). However, the company has opted to center more on the production of two main brands Anaprox and Naprosyn. The drugs will only be available as tablets.
Due to the differential needs of the users, the two brands shall be provided in varying sizes. The sizes will be 200mg, 300mg, or 400mg. The smallest size is a reduction of the initial tablets that were 220g. The physiological effects of the drugs have been fully established and the drugs could be obtained over the counter.
Cases of minor aches and pain can be managed by the drug without a prescription from the doctor as long as the user follows the directives that accompany each package. However, there are certain individuals who have to consult a physician even for the management of a minor ache by these drugs.
These include individuals who have history of a heart problem, hypertension, asthma, stroke, respiratory problems, or other related disorders. The drug need not be used by patients who have undergone some surgical operation related to the heart and neither should the drugs be used before such operations. All conditions under which the drugs cannot be used are provided as user directives attached to the packs of the drugs.
Marketing budget
The current products to be promoted in the market are improvements on the previous products that the company has been dealing in. To get the clients to understand the improvements on the products require an extensive advertisement and product promotions.
Much appeal on the adverts will emphasize on the improved contraindication of the drugs on patients and their availability in smaller packages that could be used for any level of dosage. The nature of this appeal requires more of a visual impression. In this regard, the company has scheduled to use four main modes of advertisement.
The first priority will be given to advertisement on television. This will be followed by advertisement on press (newspapers and magazines). The other batch of the advertisement funds shall be channeled to internet advertisement. Lastly, the company will have a direct communication with the potential clients to notify them of the latest development of the products.
The advertisement through the different media will be carried extensively in the first month following the launch of the new products. During the first month, the company will also provide offers for purchases of large amounts of the drugs. Products like Aleve T-Shirts, drinking water, washing soaps and body lotion will be provided for purchases worth €20 or more.
The company will also sponsor an athletics competition drawing key participants from all over the world. The event that is scheduled to take four days will be held in the first week of the marketing period at the headquarters in Leverkusen, Germany.
The company has set aside €40 million for the purpose of advertisements, sales promotion, and the athletics championships. The amounts shall be distributed among the different tasks as follows:
Amounts in millions
Advertisement on television………………………………. €12.5
Advertisements on newspapers and magazines…………… €8.0
Advertisement through Internet……………………………..€5.0
Direct mails…………………………………………………. €5.0
Product offers………………………………………………. €2.0
Athletics championships …………………………………… €10.0
Other expenses……………………………………………… €2.5
An allowance of €2.5 million is put aside for the other expenses that might emerge in the marketing period. It could be used for filling the gaps caused by a deviation in the estimated expenses. Other adjustments might also be made depending on the circumstances that will be identified in the due course.
Description of location
The company (commonly termed as Bayer Group) has locations in the five different continents in the world. It has major offices at its headquarters in Germany and in the United States. There are retail stores in over 100 countries in the world with some 315 operating companies (Mackenzie, 2011b, para.1).
The products are readily available in these retail stores. There are arrangements with the local companies to distribute the products to clients in different parts of a given country. The clients that require large amounts of drugs like health institutions can be served easily through this mode.
The company has also established an online retail shop. Through this mode, a client can order for products from any part of the regions online.
By quoting the order quantity and the physical address, the management of the company will arrange for shipment of these products from the regional retail stores to the clients. All the transactions of this purchase will be carried out online. The clients may be required to take part in the distribution depending on their physical location from the company’s nearest retail store.
Pricing strategy
The company will offer products at relatively competitive prices. The products will be available in packets containing 100 tablets of each of the sizes (200mg, 300mg, and 400mg).
A 200gm packet will go for €6.0; a packet of 300gm will be available at €8.5 whereas a packet containing 400gm tablets will go for €10. A 5% discount will be provided for cash sales throughout the first month of the new product in the market. Another 5% discount will be provided for large purchases throughout the product’s period in the market.
Summary and implementation
There are competitors all over the world that deals in the same drugs. For instance, there are companies producing painkillers in countries like India. These provide challenges to the operations of the company in those regions. With the identification of the trend in the health products and making the necessary adjustments, the new products are bound to perform well in the market.
The varying sizes of the tablets are and the subsequent differential prices will provide a strong advantage to the products over the competitors. The promotional strategy is developed depending on the popularity of the media and the kind of information that is to be delivered. The strategy is likely to expose the improved products to the targets.
The sports event drawing individuals across the globe will attract a global audience thereby adding on the popularity of the products. With the proper management at, these advertisement and promotion, strategies will be implemented and the marketing objectives achieved.
The new products will be launched at the beginning of the last quarter of this year (October 1, 2011) and the plan will be used for a period of one year. A sales analysis will be performed in the first two months after the launch. Sales report will be obtained from twenty retails stores form each of the continents.
The retail stores will be selected to ensure that the different regions are presented to provide information that is more reliable. The progress of the plan towards achieving the marketing objectives will be revealed by this sales analysis. A significant deviation from the set targets will require an intervention by the sales team.
References
Bayer HealthCare. (2011a). Bayer HealthCare Products. Web.
Bayer HealthCare. (2011b). Bayer HealthCare Worldwide. Web.
Cohen, J. (2004). What Now for Users of Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra? MedicationSense.com. Web.
Drug. (2011). Aleve Consumer Information. Web.
Mackenzie, K. (2011a). Bayer HealthCare AG. Hoover’s Company Records, p. 116564. Austin.
Mackenzie, K. (2011b). Bayer AG. Hoover’s Company Records. Austin. p. 41808.
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