XYWAV Launch Team
Jazz Pharmaceuticals
Agency Partners: Scout Marketing, Healix, Hoverstate, and MEI
Jazz Members:
Mary Baker, VP, Market Access Marketing & Payer Field Team
Michael Romanowicz, VP, Pricing, Contracting & Reimbursement
Michele Taylor, VP, Channel & Contract Operations
Pete Hodlofski, Dir., Sleep Training and Development
Dave Hirsch, VP Sales, Sleep Business Unit
Patrick Frawley, Dir., Global Strategic Market Insights, Competitive Intelligence
Eric Schupp, Exec. Dir., Head of Patient and Access Services
John Quake, Assoc. Dir., Project Management
Kristin Bhavnani, Head of Global Corporate Communications
Jill Lin, Sr. Dir., Advanced Analytics & Forecasting
Nuria Llamas, Dir., Supply Chain
David Nulty, Sr. Dir., Manufacturing Product Lead
Sherice Mills, Sr. Dir., Benefit Risk Management
Marisa Whalen, Assoc. Dir, Medical Affairs, Neuroscience
Aarti Bijlani, VP, Sleep Marketing Lead
Jeff Janofsky, Exec. Dir, Oxybate Marketing
Todd Smith, Director, Commercial Development, Neuroscience
Matt Kurth, HCP Director, Oxybate Marketing
Gregg Arbittier, Assoc. Director, Oxybate Marketing
Caroline Wilhelm, Product Manager, Oxybate Marketing
Christina Trotter, Sr. Product Manager, Oxybate Marketing
Molly Taylor, Sr. Product Manager, Oxybate Marketing
Photo above: top row, left to right: Aarti Bijlani, Caroline Wilhelm, Christina Trotter, and Gregg Arbittier. Bottom row: Jeff Janofsky, Matt Kurth, Molly Taylor, and Todd Smith.
Don’t Sleep on This Strategy
Even though XYWAVTM (calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium oxybates) oral solution launched in the middle of a pandemic, the biggest question the team had to address was not, “how do we adapt to our new virtual environment?” but “how do we launch and market a product when our biggest competitor is ourselves?”
For nearly two decades, Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ XYREM® (sodium oxybate) oral solution has been viewed by healthcare providers as a standard of care for patients suffering from narcolepsy with sudden onset of weak or paralyzed muscles (cataplexy) or excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). After almost 10 years of research and development, Jazz has brought XYWAV to market, which offers HCPs and patients an alternative treatment option with 92% less sodium.
With launch set for November 2020, the team decided early in the year to switch to a virtual launch fueled by digital assets. For example, the team developed myWAV, a 24/7 online tool and app that provides patients with support throughout their journey. The team knew from their experiences with XYREM that patient retention is key within the first 180 days of starting treatment. In part, that is because this type of therapy requires patients to make lifestyle modifications such as not drinking alcohol and establishing a disciplined bedtime routine to realize the full benefits of the medication. myWAV delivers step-by-step guidance to help patients get their first delivery of medicine, as well as ongoing support that meets patients where they are in their journey.
So far, the team’s efforts are paying off. In the first five months of launch, more HCPs and patients have chosen to transition from XYREM to XYWAV than the organization expected, and more new patients are choosing to start on XYWAV. The work has only just begun in the team’s mind though, as they continue to remain focused on helping every patient with narcolepsy meet their therapeutic goals.
