Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Marketing -- Final Exam
March 4, 2025
(Each question is worth 10 points; be specific and brief)
1. Define the following pharmacological concepts and give a medical-marketing example of how each has been used in the pharmaceutical industry to drive product differentiation: efficacy, potency, specificity, selectivity, sensitivity.
2. What pharmacological concepts did the PDE-5 inhibitors (e.g., Levitra, Viagra, Cialis) use to differentiate themselves in a crowded, 3-way competitive market and how were they applied?
3. What are the key pharmacological concepts (eg, PD/PK/side effects) used to differentiate the long-acting basal insulin preparations (eg, Lantus vs. Levemir)? Describe how these concepts were applied.
4. Explain the physiological rationale for the development of COX-2 specific inhibitors (eg, what was the unmet need they were trying to address) and how VIOXX and Celebrex utilized this pathway to differentiate from each other at launch to gain market share.
5. Describe the pharmacological basis for the launch strategy used to differentiate teriflunomide (Aubagio) from other new agents in multiple sclerosis? Include MOA, PK, brain volume loss, tolerability and safety issues in your response.
6. What are the key pharmacological and clinical differences between the pneumococcal conjugate vaccines -- Prevenar 7, Synflorix and Prevenar 13? How were these differences used and what methods were employed to drive product differentiation worldwide in invasive pneumococcal disease?
7. What were the key differences between the HPV vaccines Cervarix and Gardasil and how were they used to differentiate themselves in the introduction of these vaccines? What were some barriers to HPV vaccine uptake?
8. What was the basis for Vesicare’s claim that it was a superior anticholinergic agent for overactive bladder (OAB) compared to the other agents in this crowded area? Do you feel it was a credible argument?
9. How did Nexium build its case that it wasn’t the same as Prilosec in the treatment of GERD & erosive esophagitis and the prevention of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and was worth a premium (eg, non-generic) price? What did this example teach you about medical-marketing strategy?
10. Any suggestions to improve the course for next time? Also, please post a review of the course on www.ratemyprofessors.com so future students can better determine if this course is suitable for them.