Anyone tried Pexion?

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 16:53:23 GMT

Is the graphic design of the brand name a witty reference to the interaction with cigarette smoking?

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Mark Holmes — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:45:21 GMT

I'd seen it and just assumed it was generic phenobarb. I didn't pay it any more attention.

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:31:30 GMT

[quote user="Cat Henstridge"]Maybe they should be advertising on a vet forum somewhere. ;-)[/quote]

OK - you can check your email inboxes now!

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

kirsty — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:14:06 GMT

I believe they (the reps) are all out in Malta at a large sales meeting learning all about it !

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Mark Hedberg — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 19:38:15 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]

[quote user="Mark Lowrie"]Actually it (Pexion; imepitoin) is not. It was first investigated for human use and during the Phase I trials it was found that smokers have an altered metabolism of the drug compared to non-smokers. This was enough for drug companies to lose interest and so it was then ‘picked-up’ by the veterinary market for further development. This abstract gives the basic information on the story so far:[/quote]

How interesting. Thank you

[/quote]well, unless you've got a smoker in the family ;)

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Rob Loxley — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:06:06 GMT

[quote user="Christopher Saul"]Maybe the stand wasn't such a failure after all - we are all talking about it....[/quote]

Fine, have a teaser campaign, but this was supposed to be the product launch?

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Christopher Saul — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:06:55 GMT

Maybe the stand wasn't such a failure after all - we are all talking about it....

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:02:55 GMT

[quote user="Cat Henstridge"]Maybe they should be advertising on a vet forum somewhere. ;-)[/quote]

I don't want to spoil the surprise ...

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Cat Henstridge — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:59:04 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]Successful marketing requires two things, the first being to get everyone's attention and the second being to communicate the benefits of buying. [/quote]

Maybe they should be advertising on a vet forum somewhere. ;-)

I thought the stand was a bit odd as well, fun on the inside but quite bare on the outside. I only stopped by because I knew one of the reps but I had a good chat about Plexion and will probably try it out on the next epileptic I see.

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Bob Russell — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:21:36 GMT

May not be a failure of marketing in the long run but pretty crazy to have a stand for a product none of the attending vets had any knowledge of IMO!

Normally there is a bit of promotion to create some interest at congress! Even more crazy not to have information available for vets at the stand.

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:21:26 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]How interesting. Thank you[/quote] Seconded, and thanks Mark for a succinct answer although clearly I won't be needing to use it as I now know that all my diabetic patients will get better on RMB alone. Silly me for nowt realising that before.

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Rob Loxley — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:56:25 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]So was it a failure in marketing?I don't think so, but far too early to say.[/quote]

The failure to let it be known the drug was on its way and therefore get some information into the very recent 2-part In Practice series on epilepsy management seems a massive missed opportunity?

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:17:12 GMT

How interesting. Thank you

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:14:46 GMT

[quote user="Tim Browning"]It was clever but surely a failure in marketing?[/quote]

Successful marketing requires two things, the first being to get everyone's attention and the second being to communicate the benefits of buying.

The former is arguably the more important. If you get people's attention, a percentage will go and find out about the product for themselves, perhaps by discussing it in a forum (!)

If you don't get anyone's attention, you can blither on all you like about the merits of your new wonderdrug, but since noone is listening, you won't sell a single box.

And don't forget that a stand at BSAVA is but one aspect of an overall marketing plan.

So was it a failure in marketing?I don't think so, but far too early to say.

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Mark Lowrie — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:07:33 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]

[quote user="Mark Lowrie"]even human doctors will be unaware of its use[/quote]

Do you happen to know whether it is something heading for human use?

[/quote]

Actually it (Pexion; imepitoin) is not. It was first investigated for human use and during the Phase I trials it was found that smokers have an altered metabolism of the drug compared to non-smokers. This was enough for drug companies to lose interest and so it was then ‘picked-up’ by the veterinary market for further development. This abstract gives the basic information on the story so far:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23219031

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:56:57 GMT

[quote user="Mark Lowrie"]even human doctors will be unaware of its use[/quote]

Do you happen to know whether it is something heading for human use?

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Mark Lowrie — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:43:36 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]

Has anyone tried Pexion, Boehringer's new veterinary version of anti-epileptic drug imetipoin or even previously tried a generic version of this drug? Sounds good but I have to confess to never even having heard of it until now.

[/quote]

This is a brand new drug and one that is unique to veterinary medicine so even human doctors will be unaware of its use – and hence why nobody here seems aware of it. This is therefore something that nobody is likely to have used yet as it was launched at BSAVA last week and is only available for use as of this week. It is licensed as a first-line anti-epileptic medication and therefore is quite unique in that all other anti-epileptic medications (phenobarb being the exception) do not hold a license or are only licensed as add-on therapy. I am sure the Boehringer reps will be informing all practices about it in the near/immediate future.

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

David Mills — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:15:33 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

As nobody seems aware of it in the general outside veterinary world (including the recent 'In Practice' article, I would second the idea that it is a marketing failure.

[/quote]

This is likely because of its official launch at BSAVA.

Re marketing, is anyone talking about any other of the exhibitions? Thought not. Do you now want to know more about it? Thought so.

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Bob Russell — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:05:49 GMT

As nobody seems aware of it in the general outside veterinary world (including the recent 'In Practice' article, I would second the idea that it is a marketing failure.

(Some strange marketing ideas out there - the recent TV ad for 'Jungle out there' made one of our nurses think of paedophiles!!! This is a creepy ad with lycra clad super-creepy people! http://www.itsajungle.co.uk/ )

Any new anticonvulsant must be a good thing.

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Tim Browning — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 08:48:13 GMT

I walked past the stand several times and tried to find out what the drug was but was unable to pick up a flyer or talk to anyone. It was clever but surely a failure in marketing?

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Rob Loxley — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 08:41:51 GMT

"Boehringer Ingelheim won the BSAVA’s best space-only stand award for a special house containing a series of disorientating illusions to highlight the problems with existing epilepsy treatments for dogs. The company built the Congress stand to mark its new epilepsy drug Pexion, which it claims does not leave dogs feeling nauseous and dizzy."

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

emma_j — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 06:32:58 GMT

what was the stand?

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Rob Loxley — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:34:19 GMT

I did feel the money might have been better invested in more staff to talk to people about the drug rather than something quite gimmicky, especially as it was one of the few truly new things being promoted and was over-run with people.

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Christopher Saul — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:13:04 GMT

It certainly was clever, just made me feel sick...

Re: Anyone tried Pexion?

Mark Hedberg — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:10:52 GMT

Really? I thought it was quite clever!