Amylin to adopt new sales approach for diabetes market

SAN DIEGO A company that worked with Eli Lilly & Co. to develop the diabetes drug Byetta (exenatide) announced Monday a plan to adopt a new sales approach to target the diabetes market.

Amylin Pharmaceuticals said its existing primary care and specialty sales forces will merge into a single organization to bring a specialty approach to endocrinologists and diabetes-focused primary care physicians. It said it expects to implement the changes in the next several weeks and reduce the total number of sales representatives by 200 employees.

“This new, more focused approach to sales optimizes Amylin’s sales organization for our portfolio today and in the future and will help us to improve the quality of our interactions with core prescribers through more efficient and frequent interactions,” Amylin president and CEO Daniel Bradbury said. “These changes build on Amylin’s scientific strength and leverage Lilly’s expertise and reach with primary care prescribers, so that we are well-positioned to address the information needs of the complex diabetes market.”