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that actually add value and actually change patient care and actually deserve to be added to medical practice,” he says. This focus on ‘added-value products’ ensures companies focus their R&D effort ‘towards things that are going to make a difference,’ Stein adds.
a life science company. You have academic institutions that are very strong and that can form highly trained workforces,” Stein says. That workforce, Stein adds, has helped drive Norgine through a culture that is dedicated to learning and developing.
But perhaps the major advantage for manufacturers is the immediate access they gain to the EU marketplace once they receive reimbursement. While this benefits patients through the access they get to medicines, the United States’ system of private healthcare still leads to patients being unable to afford medicines, even though they’re still technically available.
When questioned on the potential of workers being left behind by the introduction of new technologies, Stein has absolute admiration for the way Norgine’s workforce have upskilled.
But while the EU certainly holds many benefits for both pharmaceutical manufacturers and patients, the conversation is quickly derailed by Brexit and the uncertainty it presents. For Norgine, its priority has been in ensuring patients will always be able to access its medicines, Stein iterates. “Continuity of supply has been first and foremost in our thinking. We’ve been preparing for it [Brexit] since 2016. Unfortunately it’s costing a lot of money, it’s costing a lot of time but I think we are in a position that we will be able to make sure our patients continue to receive our products in any scenario.” Not wanting to get caught up in the complexities of Brexit we move on to talk about Norgine’s base in Wales and the country’s perhaps under-recognised contribution to pharma. “I think it’s one of the things that deserves more attention. Wales is actually a fantastic place to locate
“The shop floor employee of 20, 30 years ago would not be able to cope with the technology they’re using today and almost universally people have embraced it because it is essential for the future of the site.” Moving on, Norgine sees itself focusing on two avenues of growth which will help bolster its European base and also bring medicines over from the US into the European market. So for the UK and in particular Wales, Norgine’s success is bolstering the Welsh life sciences industry and bringing attention to an area which in Stein’s view, deserves more recognition.
The shop floor employee of 20, 30 years ago would not be able to cope with the technology they’re using today and almost universally people have embraced it because it is essential for the future of the site.
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