Introduction In 2002, product leaders from the Biotech start-up ICOS, and Eli Lilly prepared to take a new erectile dysfunction medication to the market. Cialis would be positioned in a market which was currently dominated by Viagra, an erectile dysfunction medication that had been introduced by Pfizer in 1998. In the following case analysis, I will examine the process used by Lilly ICOS, LLC to bring Cialis to market. Utilizing the Harvard Business School Case “Product Team Cialis: Getting Ready to Market” I will point out certain facts surrounding the case, and highlight key issues. Alternative courses of action around bringing the product to market will be identified and evaluated. Finally, a recommended course of action for the company will be discussed.
Facts Surrounding the Case At the time that Cialis was developed as an erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment, that landscape was being dominated by a single player. Viagra, developed by Pfizer, was released four years prior and enjoyed great success over the previous three years. Viagra, whose main ingredient is Sildenafil, was generating over $1 billion in sales for Pfizer year over year for the previous three years (Ofek, 2010). While Viagra was successful in its initial years in the initial market, it was not without its problems. Patient satisfaction with Viagra was below 50% in all markets with the exception of Germany and Italy. Viagra was only effective for hours post dosage, and was affected by the consumption of a high fat meal before taking the medication. It seemed that a fatty meal lessened the body’s ability to absorb the drug. Conversely, Cialis was effective up to 36 hours after a dose was administered. Also, Cialis was not affected by the fat content of the patient’s meal prior to taking the drug. This gave ICOS Lilly an advantage with Cialis as they prepared to enter the marketplace.