Yes, this is going to be another pro-capitalism article, so I’ll advise you to start sharpening your pitchforks now. For the purposes of this article, when I use the term Big Pharma, I’m referring to the industry as a whole, though mostly just the market heavyweights (Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, etc). I’ll briefly mention other industries though mostly I’ll only refer to their market leaders as well, for the sake of brevity and fairness.
There has been a lot of chatter around the promising weight loss drugs currently in development by Big Pharma, and it’s easy to see why. Much of the developed world has an obesity problem, and hence the market for such drugs would be enormous. As I’ve mentioned before, the Big Pharma business model is broken. However, all is not lost and there is a long-term play that is being overlooked right now; cultivating one’s own customers.
The issue with the healthcare sector in general is that it is very reactive instead of proactive. Typically, Big Pharma will wait for a market to develop first before they invest hundreds of millions of dollars into developing a drug to serve said market. However, waiting for a market to develop before taking action is a passive approach, and definitely isn’t the mindset of a true capitalist. Instead, forming your customer base is the ideal move; after all, the best way to predict your future is to create it (of course, the second best way to predict the future is to become NostradAmish!).
“But Dan, Big Pharma doesn’t need to create this market because it already exists!” a savvy reader will point out (the non-savvy readers will just lob profanities at me as they storm out). Truthfully, they’re right, however this market will not last forever. If this drug is as effective as the pundits (eww…pundits) claim it is, then Big Pharma runs the risk of devouring its own market. In other words, they will run out of obese customers much in the same way that we risk running out of oil. However, this doesn’t need to happen; Big Pharma can diversify into the soft drink/snack food/fast food business and swell the pancreases and clog the arteries of patients worldwide. Thus, ensuring that they will not run out of customers.
Ideally, this will happen as the weight loss drugs are undergoing the bureaucratic approval process. Big Pharma should launch soft drinks that are high in sugar and compete for space in the vending machines, convenience stores, restaurants and even the school cafeterias of the developed world. Next, Big Pharma can disrupt the fast-food space by producing burgers/tacos/subs that are absolutely loaded with preservatives and other artificial chemicals. Finally, Big Pharma can penetrate the home by offering both sweet treats and salty chips to appease both taste preferences; after all, we need to make sure the junk food cabinet is full at all times! And let’s make no mistake, Big Pharma is larger than Big Soda , Big Burger, and Big Cookie combined, so I’m not accepting the excuse of Big Pharma can’t afford to invest in these spaces; yes, they absolutely can. Big Pharma could not only enter these industries, but could quickly throw its weight around after a short amount of time.
Truthfully, it wouldn’t even be that difficult for them to do so either; all the industries that I just mentioned are all scrutinized by the same group of government lackeys. Therefore, Big Pharma already knows what the FDA looks for when approving a product or facility. Furthermore, Big Pharma has proven to be quite capable of developing a consumable product, standardizing manufacturing and quality control, streamlining distribution and of course, marketing the absolute shit out of it.
Admittedly, marketing would be the most difficult part out of this process. Greater marketing minds than mine could debate on this topic on which approach will work best. Camp A could say that having the logo of a Big Pharma company on the snack wrapper/soda bottle/burger wrapper/whatever could convey the stringent quality of the pharma brand to the customer. Having a pharma logo on the packaging could also be spun to the consumer to convey a message of health and superfood. This could be bolstered by the addition of some B-vitamins or antioxidants into the calorie bomb to divert the consumer’s attention away from the massive sugar and saturated fat content of the item. On the other hand, Camp B would say that separate branding could be the way to go, as Americans distrust Big Pharma (though apparently still want their weight loss drugs?), so distancing the two brands might be the way to go.
“Dan, this idea is so utterly manipulative and I will not have any part of it! This is what happens when capitalism is allowed to run amok” an angry reader rocking a Che Guevara t-shirt will spout towards me. I hate to tell you, but these drug companies are for-profit entities, just like the hipster clothing store that charged you $30 for that dumb shirt you’re wearing. Don’t worry, I accept you, even if your 75-IQ mind can’t see the irony of that situation. Now, stop swinging that pitchfork before you put someone’s eye out, kid. But in all seriousness, not everyone will want to take the weight loss pills. Simply put, if you don’t want to take the weight loss drugs, you could lose weight the Natty way. “But Dan, that’s hard!” Yes, it is. There will be no pills, surgeries or dumb fad diets to aid you. Changing a habit is hard, yet it is possible. Why? Because anything’s possible.
I’ll take my MBA now…
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