Trading off profits for sales

After taking its Picovir treatment for the common cold all the way into registration, ViroPharma Inc. has decided to slice off some of its profit potential as a way to build and finance its own sales organization.

Indeed, by giving up a majority of Picovir's profits from its first indication, VPHM argues that its deal last week with Aventis S.A. will end up adding value by providing a large sales force to detail the product to general physicians across the U.S., while giving VPHM an opportunity to build its own sales force...