Eli Lilly to Expand Sales Force for Evista Osteoporosis Drug
Bloomberg News
October 30, 1998, 11:20 a.m. ET
Eli Lilly to Expand Sales Force for Evista Osteoporosis Drug
Indianapolis, Oct. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Eli Lilly & Co. said
it's boosting its sales force for its osteoporosis drug Evista as
the world's 10th-largest drugmaker looks to increase sales of its
new drugs.
Lilly is reorganizing its sales force, not adding new staff,
the company said. The larger Evista sales force will allow Lilly,
beginning in January, to market the drug beyond obstetricians and
gynecologists to primary-care providers and other doctors, the
company said. Evista, introduced in January, is used to prevent
thinning of bones, a condition known as osteoporosis, which
largely affects older women.
Lilly hopes to increase sales of Evista and other drugs such
as Zyprexa to offset the expiration of its patent on Prozac, the
world's best-selling antidepressant, early in the next decade.
Evista had third-quarter sales of $33.2 million in the third
quarter, compared with Prozac's $793 million in sales for the
same period.
Indianapolis-based Lilly is testing whether Evista can be
used to prevent breast cancer and heart disease. Lilly won
approval to sell Evista in the European Union in the third
quarter.
Lilly fell 3/16 to 80 1/16 in late morning trading.
--Jeannine DeFoe in the Princeton newsroom (609) 279-4096 /jjs |
