Atley
Pharmaceuticals, a drug sales
company reinventing itself as a
value-added reseller, is enjoying
unprecedented growth.
by
Peter Galuszka
“Don’t
let me see you yawn in this room. If I see
you yawn, you’ll be on the next plane
home. People who are committed to their
profession, focused on accomplishing their
goals and enthusiastic about meeting
customers need to have the energy to
succeed every day. You don’t see a
running back yawn while bursting through a
defensive line. You don’t see an Atley
salesperson yawn when speaking with a
customer!”
John
Henry Attkisson maintains a stern demeanor
as he raps out his no-nonsense
orientation. Fourteen conservatively
dressed men and women pay rapt attention
during the Atley Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
sales training program. At one point, a
cell telephone rings in a woman's purse.
The trainee looks terrified but keeps her
cool as she quickly shuts it off.
Attkisson
ignores the cell phone as he lays
out what it takes to sell for Atley.
Personal appearance is critical. No
facial hair. Dark suits and white
shirts for men. No low-cut blouses
or mini-skirts for women. “We sell
pharmaceuticals and nothing else,”
he says with conviction. "Be
courteous and professional, and
become the most respected drug
salesperson in your territory.
Attitude separates mediocrity from
excellence.”
Atley
H.Q.
Positive
attitude and high standards are the
essence of Atley Pharmaceuticals, a fast-
growing drug company operating out of a
building in the woods north of Ashland.
Atley sells a line of affordable drugs --
Atuss, QDall and Sudal -- that relieve
symptoms related to cough, colds,
allergies and pain, providing benefits,
such as special time-release mechanisms,
that the big pharmaceutical firms don't
match.
The
company's niche is investing in
drug-delivery technologies that optimize
the effect of molecules already accepted
in the medical marketplace. For instance,
Atley formulates its QDALL allergy and
cold medicine so it needs to be taken only
once a day. The drug delivers an
antihistamine and a decongestant during
the day but only the antihistamine at
night, allowing the cold sufferer to stay
on the job and get a good night’s rest.
Metal-filled
nano-particles developed at VCU improve
medical imaging, target brain tumor cells
for radiation therapy.
RICHMOND--Researchers
working with a man-made, metal-filled
nanoparticle are developing the material for
use as a diagnostic and therapeutic agent
that may boost the sensitivity of MRI
techniques and improve the diagnosis and
treatment of brain tumors.
Panos
Fatouros, Ph.D., a professor in the
Department of Radiology at Virginia
Commonwealth University, hasbeen
awarded a five-year, $3.7 million grant
from the National Institutes of Health’s
National Cancer Institute to lead a team
of scientists from VCU and Virginia Tech.
In a cooperative effort, they will work to
further develop, produce and test
nanoparticles that can identify brain
tumor cells and selectively target them
for radiation therapy.
Harry
Dorn, Ph.D., and Harry Gibson, Ph.D., both
chemistry professors at Virginia Tech,
along with other colleagues created a
nanoparticle called a functional
metallofullerene (fMF), also known as a
“buckyball,” that will serve as the
basis for the proposed research. It is
envisioned that this research will
generate a multi-functional platform that
will integrate diagnostic and therapeutic
functions.
“The
metal-filled nanoparticles developed by
our colleagues at Virginia Tech, and the
advances in imaging, molecular biology and
drug delivery at VCU, have opened the
possibility for combined targeted
diagnosis and therapy of tumors and their
infiltrative aspects,” said Fatouros. In
effect, one can look at these
nanoparticles as targeted drug delivery
vehicles.
(University News Service, October 18,
2005) More.
A
New Era in Intensive Care
VCU
starts construction on $192 million,
state-of- the-art intensive care
facility with no counterpart in
Virginia.
RICHMOND--Former
patients and Virginia Commonwealth
University officials have earth for
a new critical care hospital,
launching a new era in how seriously
ill and injured patients will
receive treatment in Central
Virginia.
The
15-level, $192 million, 367,000
square-foot building, due to open in
fall 2008, will greatly enhance the
VCU Medical Center’s
intensive-care capability. Spacious
treatment areas and innovative
medical technologies will make the
hospital unique among academic
medical centers.
“This
facility will be unlike anything yet
seen in the commonwealth,” said
Dr. Sheldon Retchin, CEO of the VCU
Health System and vice president for
VCU Health Sciences. “The new
hospital will be equipped with novel
technologies and is being designed
to respond to the critical care
needs of the region.” (University
News Service, Nov. 15, 2005)More.
Hydrocephalus
Won't
Get the Best of Us
VCU
leads an international team developing
treatment guidelines for NPH,
a debilitating neurological disorder
affecting 375,000 people in the
United States.
RICHMOND--An
international team of medical experts led
by a Virginia Commonwealth University
researcher has established the first
clinical guidelines to help improve the
diagnosis and treatment of people with
normal pressure hydrocephalus, a
debilitating condition in the brain that
often goes undiagnosed or is misdiagnosed
as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.
The
international advisory panel led by
Anthony Marmarou, Ph.D., professor
of neurosurgery and director of
research in the Virginia
Commonwealth University School of
Medicine's Department of
Neurosurgery, developed the
guidelines for normal pressure
hydrocephaly, NPH, which appeared as
a supplement to the September
edition of Neurosurgery, the
official, peer-reviewed journal of
the Congress of Neurological
Surgeons.
(University News Service,
September 20, 2005) More.
News
Business
Insmed
Wins FDA Approval. The Food and Drug
Administration has granted Insmed
Incorporated oprhan- drug approval for the
use of IPLEX in the treatment of growth
failure in children with severe primary
ICT-1 deficiency. IPLEX is the first
pharmaceutical compound that a Richmond
firm has taken through the entire drug
discovery and FDA approval process. (Dec.
12, 2005)More.
ECR
Expands Sales Group. ECR Pharma-
ceuticals has expanded its field sales
group with the addition of new
territories. This expan- sion is the
result of its new products, introduc- ed
in early 2005, and will help support the
launch of other new products. Jack
Boswell, ECR Director, Sales, noted,
"We look for- ward to taking advan-
tage of this market position and toward
continuing the growth of the field sales
group." (October 2005) More.
CBI
Partners with Intertek ASG.
Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc. and
U.K.-based Intertek, ASG have launched a
global marketing agreement to focus on
clients in the life science industry with
an international focus. Said Chairman
Richard J. Freer: "This is one of
those true win-win relationships where
each company stands to benefit enormously
from the added technology offerings and
extended global reach.” (December 5,
2005) More.
Research
VCU Creates
Receptor to Track Drug Activity.
VCU
chemists created a molecular receptor with
a dye, which can precisely track drug
activity in cells. This receptor will help
to design and test both antibiotics and
therapeutics for genetic diseases.
Researchers also improved upon the current
membrane leakage assay, which will assist
in developing safer drugs. (September
29, 2005)More.
VCU
Finds Red-Blood- Cell-Regulating Protein.
VCU researchers have found that the protein,
KLF2, is necessary for forming red blood
cells by turning on the embryonic global
gene. This finding will help treat
sickle-cell-anemia patients. (October 3,
2005) More.
New
Agent Inhibits Leukemia Cell Survival.
VCU Massey Cancer Center researchers have
discovered that the inhibitor, BAY 43-9006,
which disrupts tumor cells, also reduces
MC-1 levels. MC-1 levels are believed to
protect leukemic cells. (October 21,
2005) More.
$1
Million for VCU Massey Cancer Center.
Rep. Eric Cantor, along with Ohio Rep. David
Hobson, is helping to secure $1 million
towards the expansion of the VCU Massey
Cancer Center. The expansion will increase
research and recruit scientists in order to
find a cancer cure after the proposal is
passed through the Senate. (November 11,
2005) More.
