Partnering with Forest: Frequently Asked Questions
Forest has extensive experience working closely with a variety of U.S., European
and Asian partners. The information below answers many of the most common
questions regarding Forest’s partnership goals, its partnering philosophy and
the range of expertise available to each partner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What distinguishes Forest as a
partner?
A: Our focused approach, flexibility, rapid
decision-making process and track record in collaborations is what make us a
uniquely desirable partner. Since flexibility is the key to a successful
alliance, we mobilize our pre-clinical, clinical, regulatory, marketing,
manufacturing and distribution resources to meet the unique requirements of
each partnership.
Q: What type of success has resulted
from these collaborations?
A: Our collaborations have delivered a number
of important drugs to market including:
Lexapro®(escitalopram oxalate), a widely prescribed antidepressant;
Namenda®(memantine HCl), the first drug approved for the treatment
of moderate and severe Alzheimer’s disease; and
Campral® (acamprosate calcium), the first new drug approved for
alcohol dependency in a decade. Our success in obtaining a continuing pipeline
of innovative products is based on our strengths in drug development, sales and
marketing. Some of our existing partnerships have yielded positive results that
in turn have produced multiple product opportunities. For example, our
collaboration with Lundbeck first brought the SSRI antidepressant Celexa to the
U.S. market and then followed with the licenses of several other compounds
including, Lexapro.
Q: What kinds of products —
and what kinds of partners — does Forest seek?
A:Forest seeks in-licensing opportunities in
all phases of development from pre-clinical to products ready for FDA review.
We are open to virtually any therapeutic category, including areas in which we
are currently active. We partner with a wide range of companies—from
small biotech firms to mid-sized companies to multinationals. Our
collaborations also include the co-development and co-promotion of drug
products. Our goal is to deliver effective therapies.
Q: What do partners discover when
they work with Forest?
A:They discover that we have as much passion
for successfully marketing their products as if it were our own. We have a
sense of ownership at every level including sales, marketing and medical. Our
senior management is intimately involved in the licensing process and pays
close attention to our carefully selected pipeline. Our scientific staff has
the full range of resources and talent to conduct the preclinical through Phase
VI research needed to bring a drug to market, and our national sales force has
more than 2,700 representatives and managers. We use state-of-the-art tablet
and liquid production equipment. Our fully automated distribution operations
can ship our products to customers throughout the U.S.
Q: What is the extent of Forest’s
selling capabilities?
A:An industry-leading sales force ranked at top
for productivity and sales call quality, the Forest sales organization is
comprised of 2,700 professionally trained representatives. Our sales
forces—which reach primary care physicians, psychiatrists, neurologists,
hospitals, managed care organizations and senior care providers nationwide –
have a track record of helping to establish drugs like
Lexapro®(escitalopram oxalate) and
Namenda®(memantine HCl) as leaders in their categories. Forest is
consistently ranked as one of the best companies to sell for by Selling Power
magazine.
Q: What kind of regulatory
experience does Forest have?
A: Our regulatory expertise is a primary reason
for our ability to bring products to market quickly and efficiently. Having
brought several innovative drugs through the complex regulatory process, we
have a commanding knowledge of relevant laws and regulations regarding
Investigational New Drug/New Drug Applications (IND/NDA) and Quality
Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) processes. Our track record includes meeting
the requirements of the expedited review process for drugs such as Namenda.
Q: What are Forest’s drug product
formulation capabilities?
A: Forest has the capability to prepare
immediate release, modified, and controlled release formulations of tablets and
capsules. We also have experience developing liquids, aerosols, and dry powder
inhalers.
Q: What manufacturing
capabilities does Forest have?
A: Forest operates several FDA-licensed solid
dosage and liquid manufacturing and packaging facilities in the U.S. These
state-of-the-art facilities—covering more than 530,000 square
feet—are capable of producing more than 16 billion solid-form doses and 2
million liters of liquid annually. In Europe, Forest operates IMB- and
MCA-licensed solid dosage manufacturing and packaging facilities totaling
100,000 square feet, capable of producing more than 4 billion doses annually.
To meet current and future production needs, additional property expansions and
acquisitions are planned to manufacture, package, warehouse and distribute our
growing product line.
Q: What is Forest’s marketing
experience?
A: We have launched and promoted products in
intensely competitive markets. The launches of
Celexa®(citalopram HBr),
Lexapro®(escitalopram oxalate),
Benicar®(olmesartan medoxomil) and
Namenda®(memantine HCl) have all been cited by pharmaceutical
industry observers as being among the most successful new product introductions
in their respective years. After the launch of Lexapro in 2002, it quickly
became one of the most prescribed antidepressants in the United States.
Similarly, in 2004, Namenda became the number two product in its category
within three months of launch. Benicar launched into a crowded ARB market as
the seventh ARB and, as the fastest-growing ARB, is now third in its market.
And Campral®(acamprosate calcium), the treatment for alcohol dependence, became
the number one product for new prescriptions in less than five months after its
launch.
Q: What kinds of agents does Forest
have in development?
A: Currently, Forest’s pipeline includes
investigational agents in the therapeutic areas of asthma, gastrointestinal,
cardiovascular, stroke, Alzheimer’s, neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, and CNS
disorders.
Q: How do I contact Forest about
licensing opportunities?
A: Call our Licensing and Business Development
department at (212) 224-6921.
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