Premium Essay

Biopure Case

In:

Submitted By rocwun
Words 1372
Pages 6
Biopure Corporation: Case Write-Up
Problem Definition In February 1998 Biopure Corporation faced a difficult decision regarding the launch of its newly developed “blood substitute” products. Biopure had developed “Hemopure”, a blood substitute for humans, and an ancillary product “Oxyglobin” for the veterinary market1. Hemopure was still in the process of gaining Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval , while Oxyglobin had already been approved and was ready to be launched1. FDA approval was estimated to be two years away2, but this could change as the approval process is inherently complex and uncertain. The main problem Biopure faced was whether to launch Oxyglobin now, or wait until Hemopure was approved and launch both products simultaneously. This was a complex problem as the early launch of Oxyglobin would have both positive and negative repercussions for Biopure. These repercussions needed to be carefully analysed in order to decide what the best course of action is. Another problem was that Biopure had competitors with similar human blood substitute products in the pipeline 3 . Biopure have to consider how to position and price their products in relation to their competitors. An additional problem exists in the pricing of Oxyglobin and Hemopure in order to appeal to their respective markets4. Lastly, Biopure has no current cashflow and therefore needs to be successful with its upcoming IPO in order to raise the requisite cash and solidify its future5. Analysis Human blood is an extremely important commodity as it is used for blood transfusion procedures. However, blood collection is becoming increasingly difficult because donor rates are falling and a lot of collected blood is being discarded due to contamination or expiry6. Biopure identified a need for a “blood substitute” product which would provide the following benefits7: 1) eliminate the need for

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Biopure Case

...research on Oxyglobin is available. Launching Oxyglobin without waiting for 2 years for Hemopure is the first alternative we came up with. As no other competitors are in the vet blood substitutes market, Biopure will definitely have the first-mover advantage as long as they launch it in a timely manner/fast enough. Also any other competitors won’t be able to jeopardize the Oxyglobin’s profitability as it takes about 2 to 5 years for them to obtain FDA-approval. Assuming that Biopure decides to launch it, they also have to consider how much they are gonna charge for the product. In the first option, the price will be set at a low rate, ranged from 80 to 100 because pet owners are price sensitive. The average cost that pet owners spend per visit to the vet is about $60, which is pretty low. Also, Vets double the price as they sell the product so it is necessary to keep the original price low. For instance, even if Biopure sells a product at $50, Vets will sell the product at $100 to make profits. Therefore, pet owners will still feel that the price is beyond their budget and would go with a cheaper alternative available. (in a heartbeat). However, other sales team members claimed that it should be launched at a higher price carrying $200 premium, which is the second option. In case of emergency, pet owners are definitely not going to just let their pets die to save a couple of hundreds dollars. The price is...

Words: 483 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Biopure Case Analysis

...To: Carl Rausch, President and CEO, Biopure From: Team 1 Subject: Launch Strategies for Oxyglobin Team 1 strongly recommends the launch of Oxyglobin in the veterinary market as soon as possible. In order to make this launch as successful as possible, Team 1 recommends: * Launching Oxyglobin from a fully-owned subsidiary of Biopure * Establishing an initial launch price of $xxx * Focus the supply chain on Critical Care Veterinary services * Establish a direct to consumer advertising campaign The team feels that this launch strategy will provide substantial value to Biopure and set up for a strong introduction of Hemopure once approved by regulatory authorities. The successful launch of Oxyglobin will: * Create a path to get income for initial public offering to reduce risk associated with Hemopure * Give opportunity to learn how to position Hemopure within the human market * Define Biopure as a socially acceptable blood substitute company * Provide 5 year exclusivity in the veterinary market * Respond to the market demand While every launch presents risk, Team 1 feels that we are setting up Biopure for the best possible launch position. The move to a fully-owned subsidiary will allow the launch of Oxyglobin into the veterinary market while minimizing risk to the human market. Customers will be less likely to feel that they are being prescribed an “animal drug” once Hemopure is approved. Establish a price of $200 to veterinary...

Words: 351 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Biopure Case Study

...Case Write-up #4: Biopure Issues: The main issue for Biopure corporation was the strategic decision on when to introduce Oxyglobin. What should be the launch strategy for Oxyglobin that ensures that the potential of Hemopure would not be affected? SWOT analysis & Reommendation: S: Oxyglobin is the first blood substitute that has received full government approval. The FDA approval would be a time consuming process, the company will be the first player to enter the market and gain first entry advantage. Biopure products are universal blood substitutes, free of infectious agents and contamination, and could be saved up safely up to 2 years. Able to immediately start off with 100% efficiency at transporting oxygen. W: No distribution channel, and lack of prior expertise in launching the product and marketing. Potential unrealistic price expectation for Hemopure blood substitute. O: By entering first, BIopure could gain market exclusivity. The Company could generate more revenues that could be used to counteract possible loss in the price of Hemopure. The dissatisfaction with the currently available blood transfusion alternatives in the marketplace is very high, so the demand for blood substitutes would be expected to be extremely high. Entering first with Oxyglobin could bring brand image to Biopure and discover possible side effects. T: Main competitors were Baxter and NorthField which might potentially come out with innovative developments in the future. There were...

Words: 420 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Biopure Case Analysis

...Areya Popal Case Analysis: Biopure Corporation Background: Biopure Corporation is a company that produces artificial “blood substitutes” that are used in humans and animals. Currently their product for animals, “Oxyglobin”, has passed FDA approval and can begin selling but the human product “Hemopure” is still in phase 3 trials. The problem presenting itself for Biopure is whether to release Oxyglobin now or later, with Hemopure. This is because they feel that it will bring up questions as to why Hemopure is so expensive compared to something so similar in product. Market Outlook: Biopure has the ability to profit substantially with Oxyglobin, which could help in earning positive cash flows. From the case we know that 240 dogs (clinic/average of 800 patients) needed blood transfusions for acute blood loss but only 2.5% of the total 800 received them. The biggest hindrance to a bigger blood transfusion market was the lack of adequate blood supply and lack of value in current alternatives. If an adequate blood supply was easy to access at a price point of 150$, emergency clinics make up a market potential of 16.875 million USD [750 emergency clinics x 150 units of canine blood transfused x 150$]. For primary care centers the market potential would be 36.3 million USD [14,250 clinics x 17 units of blood transfused x 150$]. If we were to take into consideration the price point survey presented in the case then out of the 240 dogs with acute blood loss, 76 of them would receive...

Words: 472 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Biopure Case Stusy

...Biopure Corporation: A Case Study Biopure Corporation specializes in blood substitutes for transfusion patients, both in the veterinary market and the human market. However, in 1998, Biopure faced the monumental decision of whether to begin selling Oxyglobin, a blood substitute, to the veterinary market or to wait until Hemoglobin, a blood substitute for the human market, became available for sale. Biopure’s problem was simple: should the company launch Oxyglobin before Hemoglobin is FDA-approved or wait until after Hemoglobin is approved and released into the human market. Ted Jacobs, vice president for Human Clinical Trials at Biopure Corporation, argued that Oxyglobin should be released later because Hemoglobin would not be able to be priced at such a high rate if the same product (for a different market) was charging much less. However, Andy Wright, vice president for Veterinary Products at Biopure Corporation, countered that Oxyglobin would increase the market and make people familiar with the Biopure name, thereby giving the company competitive edge in the human market. Our recommendation is to release Oxyglobin immediately rather than wait for Hemoglobin’s FDA-approval. The reasoning behind this decision follows from an analysis of both the veterinary blood substitute market and the human blood substitute market. Reasons to release Oxyglobin immediately are summarized in Exhibit A. This conclusion requires the Oxyglobin marketing team to make several subsequent decisions...

Words: 1385 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Biopure Case Study

...MKTG 510 Jason Biopure Case Recommendations 6/4/13 To: Carl Rausch, President and CEO of Biopure Corporation From: Jason RE: Biopure Product Release Analysis Date: 6/4/13 Dear Mr. Rausch, The contents of this letter will provide you the information and analysis you will require in order to make an effective decision on the timely release of your Biopure products (Oxyglobin and Hemopure). Reccomendation Based on the analysis conducted by our firm, we are recommending you proceed with launching Oxyglobin. Our recommendation to release Oxyglobin prior to hemopure is based on the financial analysis performed on Oxyglobin (see exhibit A) and the need to fulfill the market demand of veterinary care and emergency centers with an adequate supply of blood. Financial Analysis Our team has determined the selling price of the Oxyglobin product to be $100. As defined in the table on the far right, our profit from Table A Financial Report_ January Sales Revenue $2,500 Cost of Goods Sold $1,600 Gross Profit $ 900 Fixed Costs Production Costs $1,250 Material Costs $ 1 Sales Training $ 300 Total fixed Costs $1,600 Net Profit(loss) $ 900 January Sales Revenue $2,500 Cost of Goods Sold $1,600 Gross Profit $ 900 Fixed Costs Production Costs $1,250 Material Costs $ 1 Sales Training $ 300 Total fixed Costs $1,600 Net Profit(loss) $ 900 operations will be $900k monthly or $10.8M...

Words: 438 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Biopure Harvard Business Case

...the timeline to release Oxyglobin. I would recommend releasing Oxyglobin to the market as soon as possible. Situation Analysis: There has been a debate if Oxyglobin release should be delayed by two years as it might jeopardize the sales of Hemopure. The concern here is that the estimated price of Oxyglobin ($150 per unit) might not allow Hemopure to be released at a higher estimated price as $600 per unit. As per my analysis this should not be a major concern as the advantages of releasing outweighs this concern. Here are the reasons why Oxyglobin should be released soon in the market: * As FDA approval takes time, being the first player in the market will give us an edge over the others and we will get an opportunity to establish Biopure. The possibility of success of Oxyglobin will become a platform for Hemopure to use the brand image already built. * The competitors Baxter Internationals and Northfield Laboratories are expected to release their products for human blood substitute at a price $600 to $800 per unit. The price of Hemopure should be compared against other human blood substitute as opposed to animal blood substitute. * As we do not have prior experience of going into market, this will be a good opportunity to experiment and learn before releasing Hemopure. It will also help us to form contacts with distribution networks, as our competitors have established distribution network. * This will be a good opportunity to generate our first profit. The estimated...

Words: 738 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Case Study: Biopure Corporation

...The Biopure Corporation developed two new “blood substitutes”: Oxyglobin (targeted the veterinary market) and Hemopure (targeted the human market). Oxyglobin was ready for the market, but Hemopure needed two more years to launch. Therefore, Carl Rausch, the CEO of Biopure, had to decide whether or not Biopure should launch Oxyglobin first or wait for Hemopure. Oxyglobin and Hemopure were almost identical in physical properties and appearance. However, the veterinary market was smaller than the human market. Therefore, launching Oxyglobin with a low price would create an unrealistic price expectation for Hemopure, so Biopure cannot optimally price Hemopure. This essay will discuss this challenge as well as the recommendations for confronting this challenge— launching time, and pricing. The Biopure Corporation should release Oxyglobin on the veterinary market now because Oxyglobin would bring more benefits for the company. This was an opportunity for Biopure to introduce Oxyglobin— 84% of veterinary doctors complained about the lack of blood transfusion alternatives in the market. As a first mover in the veterinary market, Biopure did not have any competitors, so the company could monopolize the market. If competitors wanted to enter the veterinary market, they had to wait at least two years to get an FDA approval. Carl Rausch did not need to worry that launching Oxyglobin would jeopardize the company’s ability to price Hemopure. The reason was demands were different in the veterinary...

Words: 379 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Family

...With these developments, it is obvious that conflicts between parties of different nationalities occur and liability to tax on income of foreigners especially among those engaging in trading venture. Whilst the laws affecting domicile and residence may be sufficiently settled, it is paramount for courts to pursue a detailed analysis to ascertain specific preliminary issues so as to avoid controversial rulings. Courts often handle numerous financial cases that involve what can be best described as foreign or international elements. In such cases, court must decide whether it has the jurisdiction under the Family Law Act 1975 to make a decision on such cases. In the event that it is determined that the court is invested with the jurisdiction to determine the case, the court has to consider whether there is a system of law in foreign country that also has the jurisdiction to handle the case. As it was addressed in the case Attorney General of New Zealand v Ortiz [1984] AC 1, these benefits and costs to either party if the case resolution is made in foreign country as compared with the apparent country should also be a subject of concern. [1] Legal systems in most countries around the world adopt community property regime, which takes effect at the inception of marriage or at the time of divorce. For instance, California and Massachusetts in the United States have adopted community property regimes that support equal division of assets upon divorce. However, this provision...

Words: 659 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

None

...Adapted from Bernhardt & Kinnear (1988). Cases in marketing management, pp. 6-16. Plano, TX: Business Publications, Inc. Pay careful attention to the following points. They are often used by instructors to evaluate either a written or oral analysis. 1. Be complete. Each area of the situation analysis must be discussed, problems and opportunities identified, alternative presented and evaluated using the situation analysis and relevant financial analysis, and a decision must be made. An analysis that omits part of the situation analysis or only recognizes one alternative is not a good analysis. Second, each area must be covered in-depth and within insight. 2. Avoid rehashing case facts. Every case has a lot of factual information. A good analysis uses facts that are relevant to the situation at hand to make summary points of analysis. A poor analysis just restates or rehashes theses facts without making relevant summary comments. 3. Make reasonable assumptions. Every case is incomplete in terms of some piece of information that you would like to have. A good case analysis must make realistic assumptions to fill in the gaps of information in the case. For example, the case may not describe the purchase decision process for the product of interest. A poor analysis would either omit mentioning this or just state that no information is available. A good analysis would attempt to present this purchase decision process by classifying the product and drawing upon real life...

Words: 487 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Save Me

...are given. It is understandable then that we should seek out more opportunities to apply our skills and make more positive impacts within our jurisdictions. It is this general attitude that led us to get involved in investigating cold cases. How We Got Started Mark had, for several years, been consulting with our Coroner’s Division as a forensic anthropologist. During this time he came to learn that there were numerous coroners’ cases in which the identity of the decedent was unknown. These cases were kept in three-ring binders on a shelf in the Sergeant’s office. Over the years, in the course of this forensic work, we would discuss these cases and the progress that was being made on them. The conversation usually ran along the lines of us asking “any luck with that 1980 homicide victim?” and the sergeant answering “well, we’ve gotten so many new cases that I haven’t been able to even look at it yet.” This went on for a few years and through two different sergeants. One day we, as a crime analysis unit, were brainstorming about how we could broaden our “client base”, as it were. We had been successful in integrating ourselves into our Investigations Bureau and had been involved in numerous major cases. And, of course, we had always been active in producing tactical and strategic analyses for our patrol personnel. But we knew that we could be doing more, particularly given the size and responsibilities of our agency. It was during...

Words: 412 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Business Case

...BUSINESS CASE Presented to the Accountancy Department De La Salle University In partial fulfillment Of the course requirements In ACCTBA2 (C33) March 2, 2015 A stakeholder is typically concerned with an organization delivering intended results and meeting its financial objectives. In general, a stakeholder can be one of two types: internal (from within an organization) or external (outside of an organization). The stakeholders in this situation are Lanie Marquez and Tim Rodriguez who are also partners in the retail distribution business and their capital contributions are as follows P500,000 and P300,000 respectively they are an internal stakeholder since they are also the owners. The total Capital of both stakeholders is P800,000 and with a monthly salary for both partners at P15,000 on the assumption that both of them will contribute to manage the business equally. Assuming that both managed the business equally the total salary for the year for Lanie and Tim are P180,000 each. They share profit and loss equally and no interest will be given on capital contributed. The problem for this situation is that Lanie is starting to get concerned with the behavior of her other partner Tim. He only manages the business 50% of the time, which will mean that his salary of P15,000 will need to decrease by also 50% since he does not manage the business equally with his partner. The business has seen a downturn in the profit outcome and for the current financial...

Words: 758 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Ralph's Grocery Case Summary

...Ralph’s Grocery and United Food and Commercial Workers Union The case that I chose for the week 6 critical thinking assignment concerns Ralph’s Grocery Company, located in California. It applies to this week’s material due to the fact that the case involves unlawful suspension and discharge of an employee, as reviewed by the National Labor Relations Board. Background In May 2011, Vittorio Razi was an employee at Ralph’s Grocery and was suspended and terminated after he refused to take a drug test without first consulting with his UFCW Local 324 representative. The company (Respondent) says that on the day in question, Razi’s behavior was in question, acting nervous, anxious, agitated, and slurred speech. After a couple managers discussed the...

Words: 750 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Chromogens Affecting Wealth Wear Staining Teeth

... Many people wonder why their own teeth stain so easily. The enamel on your teeth and chromogens are what stains your teeth, but what exact beverage stains teeth the most? I chose this topic because I was curious to know what stains teeth the most. It affects us daily because it could rot your teeth or you can’t pick up hot chicks anymore. So what causes teeth to stain? The temperature causes teeth to expand or contract making it easier for stains. So hot and cold drinks affect that. Color in foods and beverages come from chromogens. Chromogens are intensely pigmented compounds that stick to teeth enamel. Chromogens cause a lot of trouble when they mix and react with other stain causing and stain promoting factors. Tannis may be natural or synthetic tannis is another factor that stains teeth. Tooth enamel is porous making it extremely susceptible to stains. The darker the liquid the darker the stain. There are some examples that stain teeth. Not only sodas bad but also Gatorade. Beets are bad for you also. Mostly cause they’re concentrated. Berries dark skins stain teeth. Ketchup is also really bad because of its bright red color and high levels of acid. Dark liquids and sauces you put on your foods also stain teeth. Colored candy and popsicles both contain colorants that will transfer to the teeth and embed in the porous enamel. Fruit juices, especially grape and cranberry, leave a colorful tinge on the teeth and tongue. Colored sodas instantly discolor teeth. The citric acids...

Words: 594 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Fin 571

...efficient investigative products and services. As a result, the coverage requirements for ANACI and NACLC investigations have been enhanced to support a common content baseline for all agencies. Note that these enhancements apply only to those ANACI and NACLC cases submitted on an SF 86. The purpose of this FIN is to provide you with information concerning what case coverage changes have been made. The case price adjustments necessary to support these changes will be reflected in the FY 2007 case prices. ANACIINACLC Cases Currently, listed and developed issues which are identified in ANACI and NACLC cases (for non-DoD customers) are not pursued beyond the normal scope of the investigation. These cases are returned to the requesting agency so that the agency may decide whether to adjudicate the case based upon the information in hand, conduct additional follow-up themselves, or request a Reimbursable Suitability Investigation (RSI) from FISD to cover the additional issues. Beginning with FY 2007, expansion of these issues will become a standard part of both the ANACI and NACLC products. Effective October 1, 2006, issues apparent at scheduling or developed during the course of the investigation and which fall within the 5-year case coverage period, unless otherwise noted, will be expanded upon according to the following chart (exception: issues which are known to have been covered in previous investigations, or which would reasonably have been expected to...

Words: 772 - Pages: 4