Wyeth said the restructuring of its U.S. sales force was only a start and that it is considering making similar changes globally.
“Obviously it is a first step. We’re also looking internationally. Our European affiliates have started to look at how to optimize the sales force,” said Bernard Poussot, head of Wyeth’s pharmaceutical operations said in a Financial Times report.
Last month, Wyeth said it would use inside, part-time sales representatives in the U.S. to complement its full-time sales force, which is being reduced by about 25 percent to 30 percent.
Adding the part-timers will result in a net sales force reduction of about 15 percent, Poussot said.
Wyeth has deployed part-timers in its consumer division for the past few years.
As reported in MM&M, the drug maker began piloting them in its pharmaceuticals division in July and said it will fully implement them by year’s end (MM&M, July 2005).