NAMSR- Medical News: Medtronic and Sanofi form tactical alliance

ARLINGTON, Va. - June 25, 2014 - PRLog -- The collaboration will primarily focus on two key priorities: the development of drug-device combinations and delivery of care management services to progress adherence, streamline insulin treatment, and help people with diabetes better manage their condition.

The alliance will be designed as an open-innovation model, leveraging the capabilities, as well as the human and financial resources, of both companies. The companies plan to work together in the future if the two initial phases go as planned.

"We know that insulin and other medicines are only one element of treating the whole patient. There is no day off in managing diabetes, and lack of adherence is one of the major hurdles to optimal disease management. That is why Sanofi is committed to developing integrated care solutions that focus on making life easier for people with diabetes and improving clinical outcomes that may help reduce costs to the overall healthcare system," commented Pascale Witz, Executive Vice President of Global Divisions & Strategic Development, Sanofi. "Through this important collaboration, Sanofi will tap into technology advances that aim to create holistic treatment solutions which take into account the individual patient's needs."

"Diabetes is unfortunately rising in prevalence around the world, driving up system costs and, most importantly, adversely impacting the lives of millions of people. Like Sanofi, we believe there is tremendous opportunity to better align care across the diabetes care continuum through new and varied technologies and patient care management strategies," said Omar Ishrak, Chairman and CEO, Medtronic. "Medtronic is committed to taking a broader approach, expanding beyond our core strength in Type 1 diabetes, to co-develop an array of technologies and patient services that will deliver superior clinical outcomes at an affordable price. We also know we can't do it alone - so we are particularly excited to join in this effort with Sanofi who, like us, is committed to exploring new avenues and approaches to solving the challenges associated with diabetes."

The coalition will pair Sanofi's extensive insulin portfolio and drug development expertise with Medtronic's expertise in insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring. One of the priorities of the alliance will be to distribute novel drug-device combinations, together with new form factors that are affordable, convenient and easy to-use to increase therapy adherence and deliver better results. These efforts will focus on improving the management of Type 2 diabetes, particularly for people who cannot reach glucose control even with multiple daily injections of insulin.

Care management services, another priority area for collaboration, will be delivered through a program designed to guide people with Type 2 diabetes who are failing to achieve disease control on oral therapies through the initiation phase of insulin treatment. Insulin initiation can be challenging as a high number of patients drop insulin treatment in this early phase.

As world leaders in corresponding segments of diabetes care Sanofi and Medtronic already have an agreement in place serving specific Type 1 diabetes patients in Europe with an implantable insulin distribution system, and intend to add this project along with additional innovative projects to the alliance. Carrying out of the alliance is subject to the negotiation and execution of a final agreement between the companies.

CANDIDATES WHO WANT TO BREAK INTO MEDICAL SALES:

RMSR® Medical Sales Certification offered by the National Association of Medical Sales Representatives is designed for entry level medical device sales reps. The course covers a wide array of topics pertaining to industry knowledge that candidates need to acquire before applying to medical sales positions.

The course and training helps to develop the industry skills, maximizing the candidates’ potential and goals, as well as making them feel valued and stimulated in their role when communicating with members of the medical community. By an applicant acquiring medical sales training and a RMSR Certification, it puts him/her in a position of strength and qualifies them for medical sales jobs. Medical knowledge is key in this industry and when communicating with doctors, surgeons, and nurses etc. It is extremely important for representatives to use key terminology pertaining to the medical product he/she will be promoting. The only way to succeed in this industry is to garner actual sales. Doctors and Surgeons will not acknowledge a Sales Rep who is not proficient in essential medical terminology, knowledgeable of medical devices/equipment and the anatomy. For those lacking a solid sales background the RMSR course covers knowledge of medical selling techniques and regulation such as Effective Territory Management, Effective Networking, Medical Sales Ethical & Regulatory Guidelines and more.

The National Association of Medical Sales Representative™ (NAMSR) is the largest professional association in the world for Medical Sales Representatives. Through our numerous members, the NAMSR™ provides accredited training, continuing education, information about the industry, up-to-date news, programs to assist medical sales reps in their work, training programs to assist candidates who want to break into the industry and initiatives to improve communication with the medical sales field.

For more information on the NAMSR or the RMSR certification visit www.medicalsalescareer.com or call 800-313-9198