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Biopure Case Essay

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Biopure Corporation: Case Write-Up Problem Definition In February 1998 Biopure Corporation faced a difficult decision regarding the launch of its newly developed “blood substitute” products. Biopure had developed “Hemopure”, a blood substitute for humans, and an ancillary product “Oxyglobin” for the veterinary market1. Hemopure was still in the process of gaining Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval , while Oxyglobin had already been approved and was ready to be launched1. FDA approval was estimated to be two years away2, but this could change as the approval process is inherently complex and uncertain. The main problem Biopure faced was whether to launch Oxyglobin now, or wait until Hemopure was approved and launch both products …show more content…

When considering the marketing mix we must look at the various products in the portfolio of Biopure. There is a dilemma because one of Biopure’s products is approved and the other is not. The impact of deciding to launch Oxyglobin initially and having to wait to release Hemopure has an impact on the overall financial situation of the company as well as its competitive position within the market. The other challenge that Biopure had is to decide how to price Oxyglobin should they release it to the market. If Biopure adopts competition-based pricing111 as suggested by some of the sales team, the price sensitive nature of the veterinary market means that a price of $80-$100 per unit is considered to be optimal4. Despite this, research shows that Biopure can adopt a customer-based approach, or value based pricing111. In critical cases, vets are willing to pay up to $150 per unit 80% of the time and pet owners are willing to pay up to $300/unit 75% of the time12. This research suggests a higher price point might be more

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