2. Merck first monitored the movement of Vidastat.

It doubled Zocor's frequency of coverage,

sampling, and detailing to top doctors. Merck focused more on Zocor's promotions to its target
doctors, covering mostly top hospital specialists and known users of simvastatin. But if i were
the product manager for Zocor, I would have lowered the price of the product just after the
patent expired. Why? First, the objective for Zocor to accrue more profit before patent
expiration was reached, because it was not only promoted in Asia but all over the world and
even secured more than 35% of Philippines' anti-cholesterol market even if the price is a little
bit expensive for a typical Filipino. Second, it is expected that upon the expiration of the patent,
a lot of generic simvastatin in different brands will be produced by different countries. As a
market leader for simvastatin, lowering the price of Zocor will secure more customers even if a
lot of competitors will come out. Being a market leader is a huge advantage for them, for Zocor
is tested and proven to effectively reduce the risk f heart attacks and strokes among patients by
removing cholesterol.
Unilab's core strategy is to produce copycat or ''me too'' products. When an innovator product
is nearing patent expiration, this s when Unilab comes up with its own version of the said
product. Upon expiration, the company is ready to register its ''me too'' product. The
company's mantra is ''We offer affordable, trusted, quality healthcare'': affordable because its
products are 30% to 50% lower than the innovator companies; trusted because the company's
established brands have been patronized by consumers for more than sixty years already; and
quality because all of its products pass through strict quality guidelines and procedures. In short,
Unilab is a very strong competitor when the patent of a product expires.
Merck should have established deeper roots on Zocor's consumers before the expiration of its
patent. They should have studied their competitors and even their own product to know what
should be developed and improved. Some of its consumers are price sensitive, and many of its
patients who have to take simvastatin for three months to attain a normal cholesterol level
cannot complete their prescriptions because of the high price of Zocor. Upon the entry of
Vidastat in the market, whose effects are similar to those of Zocor and at a lower price,
consumers went after Vidastat. If Zocor lowered its price before Vidastat entered, its
consumers should have opted for them, because they were testedand proven compared to the
newly developed Vidastat.