Pf Magazine February 2019

Rise of the biosimilars “Biosimilars are here to stay but what does the future look like?”

Page 10

FEBRUARY 2019

NHS Long Term Plan Controlling the price of medicines The future of cancer PHARMAFIELD.CO.UK

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HEAD OF CONTENT

2

Hello.

019 started with a bang as the NHS Long Term Plan was published.

Hailed as the blueprint to make the NHS fit for the future, it focuses on technology, early detection and prevention. It comes with a commitment that investment in primary, community and mental health care will grow faster than the overall NHS budget.

This month, we cover the headlines and key statistics from the Plan, the initial political response and its focus on cancer. It’s a key document for the future of healthcare and worth the read.

Our cover story this month is the rise of biosimilars. Following the high-profile patent expiry of adalimumab in October, new commissioning frameworks and guidance have been launched. Biosimilars have cemented their place in the healthcare market and have the potential to save the NHS significant amounts of money.

Towards the end of 2018, the Government published the 2019 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access. It builds on the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme and is an agreement between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry on getting the best value and most effective medicines into use more quickly. Jim Furniss sets out the key points.

Also inside this issue of Pf, you will find an interview with Chris Molloy exploring the Medicines Discovery Catapult, expertise on how to use traditional and digital channels to engage healthcare professionals, developments with electronic prescribing, advice on taking control of your career and much more.

I hope you enjoy the magazine. Don’t forget to take a look at www.pharmafield.co.uk where we have exclusive content, new video and animation content, daily news updates and more. If you’d like to be involved in the magazine, please drop us a line at hello@pharmafield.co.uk And finally, don’t forget to look out for next month’s Special Edition which focuses on partnership working.

Emma Morriss emma.morriss@pharmafield.co.uk SPECIAL EDITIONS EDITOR

Amy Schofield amy@pharmafield.co.uk CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Emma Warfield emma@pharmafield.co.uk GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Olivia Cummins olivia@pharmafield.co.uk COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

Hazel Lodge hazel@pharmafield.co.uk DIGITAL MARKETING EXECUTIVE

Emma Hedges emma.hedges@pharmafield.co.uk NEWS DESK

Hannah Alderton newsdesk@pharmafield.co.uk FINANCIAL CONTROLLER

Fiona Beard finance@e4h.co.uk Pf AWARDS

Melanie Hamer melanie@e4h.co.uk PUBLISHER

Karl Hamer karl@e4h.co.uk HEAD OFFICE

Spirella Building, Bridge Road Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire SG6 4ET United Kingdom

@pharmafield @pharmajobsuk

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M AG A ZI N E | FEB R UA RY 2019 | 1

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Contributors

@pharmafield

LYNDA BAILEY Lynda Bailey was a pioneer in West Midlands Police with her menopause initiative and programme and still remains a volunteer to ensure this valuable work continues. She is keen to continue providing this high level of service in educating others around the impact of menopause in the workplace which is why

2 | PH A R M A FI EL D.CO. U K

@pharmajobsuk

Pf Magazine

she is now one of the co-founders of Talking Menopause.

a member of the European Commission Pharmaceutical Pricing Transparency Committee, he has subsequently spent 20 years in consultancy in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.

SARAH DAVIES

Sarah Davies feels passionate about making a difference to people’s lives and has been working as Business Manager to Dr Louise Newson since the launch of www. menopausedoctor.co.uk. This led her to set up Talking Menopause to educate and support men and women across all levels on the impact of menopause at work.

DEBORAH EVANS

Deborah Evans FRPharmS FFRPS FRSPH is Managing Director of Pharmacy Complete, a training and consultancy company working with pharmacy and the industry.

JIM FURNISS

CHRIS MOLLOY

Jim Furniss is Director of Jim Furniss Consulting Ltd. He is an independent consultant specialising in market access. Formerly Head of the UK Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme and

Chris has over 25 years of international Executive and Board experience in the pharma, biotech, tech and talent sectors of medicines discovery.

He also acts in private and public sector advisory roles.

In this issue CLAUDIA RUBIN

Claudia is a Director at Decideum, one of the UK’s leading consultancies in healthcare policy and market access. She has over 10 years’ experience in healthcare advocacy and communications, supporting global pharmaceutical companies and small patient groups with integrated public affairs strategies.

AMY SCHOFIELD

Amy is Special Editions Editor at Pharmafield. She is an experienced journalist and editor of both digital and print content across healthcare, technology and careers.

DMITRY SCHOUROV

Dmitry Schourov is Strategy and Commercial Operations Director at Pfizer Russia. He is responsible for full strategic support of the business and all operational support including digital, training, business analytics, sales and marketing support, customer engagement programmes, events and other areas.

04 NEWS

THERAPY AREA

Bringing you this month’s essential headlines

The future of cancer

COVER STORY

10

PHARMACY

The rise of biosimilars and their impact on pharma and healthcare

Deborah Evans on advancing electronic prescribing

POLITICS

14

MARKETING

The immediate political response to the NHS Long Term Plan

Uniting traditional and digital marketing channels

COFFEE BREAK

16

WELLBEING

Enabling access to healthcare around the world

Lynda Bailey and Sarah Davies discuss managing the menopause at work

20 FEATURE

PF TALENT

The new voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access

MSD’s Melanie Barker loves her job because…

INSIDE PHARMA

22

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Exploring the Medicines Discovery Catapult with Chris Molloy

Who’s moving where in the industry?

“The most effective component of price control has always been the controls on price increases” Jim Furniss, page 20

24

27

28

30 32

34

36 CAREERS

Amy Schofield explores how to take control of your career

E

very three seconds someone in the UK could be having a potentially lifethreatening asthma attack, according to research from Asthma UK. The new analysis, based on the lived experience of more than 10,000 people with asthma, reveals that the total number of asthma attacks happening every year in the UK could be more than 10 million – much higher than other research suggests.

Asthma UK, which has launched new asthma attack advice for the 5.4 million people with the respiratory condition, suggests that many asthma attacks could be avoided if those with the condition understood the warning signs that an asthma attack was about to strike – and sought help.

The charity’s research revealed that on average, adults and children with asthma reported having two asthma attacks every year – a much higher number than existing figures suggest. Asthma UK says its findings suggest the need for more research into people’s experience of asthma attacks to ensure that health advice and services are meeting the needs of people with the condition.

Every asthma attack is potentially life-threatening, and three people die from one every day in the UK.

COLLABORATION

Dream big data Novartis has announced a five-year collaboration with the University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute (BDI) to establish a research alliance that will improve drug development by making it more efficient and targeted.

Using artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced analytics, the partners expect to transform how ultra large and multiple datasets are analysed, combined and interpreted to identify early predictors of patient responses to treatments for inflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and psoriasis.

The alliance will make use of anonymised data from approximately five million patients from the UK and international partner organisations, together with anonymised data captured from relevant Novartis clinical trials. Using the BDI’s latest statistical machine learning technology and experience in data analysis, combined with Novartis’ wealth of clinical expertise and clinical trial data, the alliance expects to predict how patients will respond to existing and new medicines.

Furthermore, through the development of an innovative IT environment and AI technology, the alliance will work to identify patterns in data, often across multiple data sources and types (imaging, genomics, clinical and biological), which cannot be detected by humans alone.

Novartis and the BDI will also identify unprecedented insights into the characteristics of specific, complex diseases to understand what drives disease progression, and understand any commonalities between diseases.

ASTHMA.

INCREASED ATTACKS

Pf View: These figures are startling; more public awareness of asthma is certainly required to help avoid attacks.

Pf IN NUMBERS

95% 93%

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of prescriptions will be electronic when Phase 4 of the Electronic Prescription Service is rolled out

of GP practices in England now use the Electronic Prescription Service

P f N E WS : B R IN G IN G YOU TH I S M O NTH ' S E SS ENTI A L H E A D LIN E S CLINICAL TRIALS

Chemo by mouth Researchers are to investigate Athenex’s innovative experimental drug Oraxol, the first oral formulation of the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel, in combination with other cancer treatments.

It is as part of a new partnership between Athenex, Cancer Research UK’s Combinations Alliance and the NIHR Clinical Research Network Industry Alliance. The clinical trials managed by this partnership will be academically sponsored, run through the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres and delivered with additional support and oversight from Cancer Research UK and NIHR Clinical Research Network.

Paclitaxel is very effective at blocking the growth of cancer and is widely used for a range of cancer types, but currently it can only be given intravenously through a drip.

Oral delivery of paclitaxel is made possible by Athenex’s novel orally administered gastrointestinal tract P-glycoprotein pump inhibitor, HM30181A. It works by blocking the action of a protein on the surface of the gastrointestinal tract, increasing the amount of chemotherapy that reaches circulation in the bloodstream, to levels where it can have a therapeutic effect on a patient’s tumour.

B

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS.

COMING TOGETHER

ristol-Myers Squibb and Celgene Corporation have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Bristol-Myers Squibb will acquire Celgene in a cash and stock transaction with an equity value of approximately $74 billion.

The transaction will create a leading focused speciality biopharmaceutical company to address the needs of patients with cancer, inflammatory and immunologic disease and cardiovascular disease through high-value innovative medicines and leading scientific capabilities. With complementary areas of focus, the combined company will operate with global reach and scale, maintaining the speed and agility that is core to each company’s strategic approach.

MALARIA

It’s spitting ERADA Technology Alliance Ltd has announced the imminent launch of a ground-breaking diagnostic saliva test for malaria.

The saliva-based diagnostic tool, to be marketed by ERADA as a Saliva-based Malaria Asymptomatic and Asexual Rapid Test (SMAART) for subclinical infection, could transform malaria detection worldwide.

ERADA’s SMAART-1 easy-to-use saliva test leads to early detection, treatment and prevention of the disease as well as reducing further transmission of malaria. The innovative solution is easy-to-use and includes a simple device for standardised collection of saliva that can be implemented in the community by healthcare professionals, teachers and parents.

This is in contrast to invasive blood tests, which must be administered by trained clinicians.

ERADA’s SMAART saliva test detects a unique biomarker from female parasites circulating in an infected human who is asymptomatic but is carrying the parasite and likely to come down with malaria within a week.

COLLABORATION

CHECKMATE Bristol-Myers Squibb and Boston Medical Center have announced a multi-year joint research study to identify and analyse potential sensitivity and resistance markers in patients treated with standardof-care checkpoint inhibitors.

The comprehensive, multidimensional study will place an emphasis on uncovering mechanisms associated with lack of response to ImmunoOncology (I-O) therapies, with the ultimate goal of identifying prognostic and potentially predictive I-O biomarkers in a variety of cancers.

M AG A ZI N E | FEB R UA RY 2019 | 5

G MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS.

MASSIVE MERGER

laxoSmithKline plc (GSK) has reached agreement with Pfizer Inc to combine their consumer health businesses into a new world-leading Joint Venture, with combined sales of approximately £9.8 billion ($12.7 billion). GSK will have a majority controlling equity interest of 68% and Pfizer will have an equity interest of 32% in the Joint Venture.

The proposed all-equity transaction represents a compelling opportunity to build on the recent buyout of Novartis’

stake in GSK Consumer Healthcare, to create a new world-leading consumer healthcare business and to deliver further significant shareholder value.

The proposed transaction also supports GSK’s key priority of strengthening its pharmaceuticals business over the next few years by increasing cashflows and providing an effective pathway through the separation of GSK Consumer Healthcare to build further support for investment in its R&D pipeline.

NHS

In it for the long term The long-awaited NHS Long Term Plan was published on 7 January.

Hailed as the blueprint to make the NHS fit for the future, it includes technology, early detection and prevention to stop an estimated 85,000 premature deaths each year.

Boost out of hospital care • Dissolve the divide between primary and community health • Urgent community response and recovery support • Primary care networks of GP practices and community teams • Supporting people to age well

A strong start in life for children and young people • Maternity and neo-natal • Children and young people’s mental health services • Learning disability and autism • Children and young people with cancer • Redesigning other health services for children and young people

Better care for major health conditions • Cancer • Cardiovascular disease • Stroke care • Diabetes • Respiratory disease • Adult mental health services • Short waits for planned care • Research and innovation to drive future outcomes improvement

Reduce pressure on emergency hospital services • Pre-hospital urgent care • Same Day Emergency Care • Cutting discharge delays

Personalised care when needed

Supporting and growing the workforce

Digitally-enabled primary and outpatient care

Digitally-enabled care to go mainstream

Give people control over their own health

Integrated Care Systems everywhere

Focus on prevention and health inequalities

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A

CANCER

Cancer challenge Cancer Research UK is funding three major new international research initiatives on the microbiome, chronic inflammation and why some cancers are specific to certain tissues and not others.

Multidisciplinary teams of scientists from across North America, the UK and Europe, and Israel will come together to explore these research challenges, which are currently some of the biggest in cancer research.

Collectively, the teams have been awarded almost £60 million.

The five-year research programmes will investigate how the microbiome could be manipulated to treat bowel cancer; find new ways to tackle cancers linked to chronic inflammation; and develop a deeper understanding of why cancers develop in some tissues but not in others.

These initiatives represent the bold approach Cancer Research UK is taking in bringing together the very best researchers from around the globe to unite their talent, pool resources and crack some of the biggest questions in cancer research.

For the first time, several major US institutions will be leading these projects as part of the Grand Challenge competition. They are the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston; and the University of California, San Francisco. They form part of a growing community of Cancer Research UK funded international researchers.

Grand Challenge is open to scientists based anywhere in the world and from any discipline to bring innovative, international and collaborative approaches to research.

HEALTHCARE.

PROMISING PERFUSION

procedure assessed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been hailed as an “exciting development” in increasing the number of livers viable for transplant.

A perfusion machine can keep the donated livers viable for transplant for longer. The machine reduces the rate of tissue deterioration that occurs after the liver has been removed from the donor and extends how long the liver can be stored before transplantation.

Variations of the technique can also allow the liver to be flushed with blood at body temperature and supplied with oxygen, medications and nutrients allowing its viability and function to be assessed.

It is hoped machine perfusion could increase the number of organs viable for transplant, saving more lives and reducing liver transplant waiting lists.

Liver transplantation is a highly-successful treatment for endstage liver disease, which kills 11,000 people a year in England.

Deaths from liver disease have soared by 25% in a decade and continue to rise, while the average age of death from liver disease (currently 50 to 59 years) continues to decrease.

NICE has issued final guidance which recommends the procedure – ex-vivo machine perfusion for extracorporeal preservation of livers viable for transplant – is used under special arrangements as more data is gathered into its efficacy.

NICE’s independent advisory committee did not identify any major safety concerns.

Surgeons undertaking the procedure must inform patients about the uncertainty of the procedure’s efficacy, comply with the relevant regulatory and legal requirements of the Human Tissue Authority and should enter details about all patients having this procedure into the NHS Blood and Transplant UK transplant registry.

NHS England and commissioners will decide whether they fund the procedure. However, research is already taking place.

Pf IN NUMBERS

>800

4 Feb

cancer cases diagnosed each day

is World Cancer Day

Cervical cancer screening

AT 21 YEAR LOW

M AG A ZI N E | FEB R UA RY 2019 | 7

QUICK DOSES S E Q I R U S receives NICE approval for quadrivalent influenza vaccine FLUCELVAX® TETRA.

• A S TR A Z E N E C A and M S D ’s Lynparza approved by FDA for advanced epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer.

• The European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorisation for Dengvaxia®, SA N O F I ’s dengue vaccine.

• EC approves M S D ’s KEYTRUDA® as adjuvant treatment of adults with stage III melanoma and lymph node involvement who have undergone complete resection. NICE also approved Keytruda for untreated advanced lung cancer.

• N OVA RTI S receives EC approval for self-administration of Xolair ® across all indications.

• N I C E recommends multiparametric MRI as a first line investigation for people with suspected clinically localised prostate cancer.

• B R I S TO L - M Y E R S S Q U I B B ’s early stage skin cancer immunotherapy Opdivo® approved in England.

• V E RTE X announces European Commission approval for KALYDECO® to treat patients with cystic fibrosis aged 12 to <24 months with certain mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene.

• EC has granted approval for the use of M U N D I P H A R M A’s Pelmeg® as a treatment for chemotherapy induced neutropenia.

• NICE recommends P I E R R E FA B R E ’s BRAFTOVI® in combination with MEKTOVI® for adults with unresectable or metastatic melanoma with a BRAF V600 mutation.

WELL SPOKEN

“

Political leadership, energy and strict accountability will be paramount to ensuring that the NHS Long Term Plan is adopted and implemented with the right steps and goals in mind

”

Claudia Rubin on the NHS Long Term Plan, page 14

HEALTHCARE

Taken to heart An innovative procedure to repair a heart valve has been approved for use in the NHS for patients with too great a risk from open heart surgery.

In draft recommendations, NICE has given the go-ahead for the procedure to be made more available across the NHS in England.

Data on the outcomes of every procedure must also be collected in the National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research database and carefully analysed.

If the draft recommendations are implemented, percutaneous mitral valve leaflet repair for mitral regurgitation will only be allowed to take place at specialist centres with access to both cardiac and vascular surgical support in case emergency treatment of complications is needed. Only clinicians with specialist training and supervision by an experienced mentor for at least the first 20 procedures will be allowed to carry out the procedure.

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CLINICAL TRIAL

BREATH TEST Researchers have launched a clinical trial to develop a breath test, analysing molecules that could indicate the presence of cancer at an early stage.

The Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre is running the PAN Cancer trial for Early Detection of Cancer in Breath in collaboration with Owlstone Medical to test their Breath Biopsy ® technology.

Breath samples from people will be collected in the clinical trial to see if odorous molecules called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be detected.

ICYMI

P f N E WS : B R IN G IN G YOU TH I S M O NTH ' S E SS ENTI A L H E A D LIN E S

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

 SHARING EXPERIENCE O F E X PA N D I N G AC C E S S TO M E D I C I N E S

MORE THAN JUST PRINT. Each month we publish daily news and exclusive articles on www.pharmafield.co.uk.

Here’s a look at some of the exclusive content you may have missed.

I N N OVAT I O N I N F LU VAC C I N AT I O N

2018 was a challenging year for pharma companies. While our industry continues to discover and develop treatments that improve lives throughout the world, trust with the public is near an all-time low. One reason for this is clear: for all the progress we’ve made, billions of people worldwide still lack access to essential medicines. Patrice Matchaba explores Novartis’ experience of expanding access to medicines.

Have you had your flu jab this year?

Despite the controversy surrounding the efficacy of the flu vaccine, almost 12 million people were given the vaccine in the UK during the 2017/2018 flu season. In light of the news that this flu season brings a brand new ‘adjuvanted’ vaccine for those aged 65 and over, Rachel Bell takes a look at the patent landscape surrounding innovation in flu therapeutics and vaccines.

B E YO N D P H A R M A : TH E R O L E O F M E DT E C H I N A N T I M I C R O B I A L R E S I S TA N C E

THE ROLE OF THE CLOUD IN T R A N S FO R M I N G E N G AG E M E N T FO R P R E C I S I O N M E D I C I N E

Paul Chapman, Chartered (UK) and European Patent Attorney, discusses the role of medtech in antimicrobial resistance.

What role does technology play in transforming engagement to deliver precision information for precision medicine? Malia Lewin explores.

 Want to know the full story? Find it and the latest news at www.pharmafield.co.uk

N

DIGITAL .

FULL SPEED AHEAD

ew standards have been created by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) setting out the requirements needed to develop digital health technologies for the NHS and speed uptake of products like healthcare apps and wearable devices.

The standards will help developers and investors understand what evidence is required to introduce their product for use in the NHS. Split into two, the standards address clinical and economic impact and what evidence is needed to develop a case for use in the NHS. They also equip commissioners, so they know what information to ask for from technology developers and understand what to expect in return. This will enable the health and care system to identify which products show promise, which ones need further development and which ones are unsuitable.

Pf View: Following the focus on digital health and care in the NHS Long Term Plan, these standards should help new technologies come to market quicker.

M AG A ZI N E | FEB R UA RY 2019 | 9

2018 was a significant year for biosimilars.

Octoberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s patent expiry of adalimumab, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top selling prescription medicine, saw a raft of biosimilars launch, and the NHS issue new guidance for commissioners on switching to biosimilars if they are cheaper than the originator.

WORDS BY

Emma Morriss

Rise of the biosimilars 10 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

C OV ER S TO RY

BIOSIMILARS EXPLAINED

Biosimilar medicines, equivalent biological products which have no meaningful differences from the original or reference product in terms of quality, safety or efficacy, are playing an important role in providing choice for clinicians and increasing access for patients by driving down cost to the NHS. Warwick Smith, Director General of the British Biosimilars Association (BBA) explains: “Biological medicines are protein-based and made or derived from living organisms. Unlike traditional chemical equivalents they can be tailormade, so they bind to specific targets in the body and treat serious or chronic diseases. A biosimilar medicine is manufactured to be highly similar to an existing licensed ‘reference’ biological medicine after expiry of its patent.

“Biological medicines have dominated global lists of the best-selling prescription drugs. Very successful treatments for rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune diseases have led the way and, as the industry moves forward, other disease areas such as oncology are increasingly coming to the fore in new biosimilar medicines.”

Even before adalimumab’s high-profile patent expiry, spending on biosimilars was rising. Sang-Jin Pak, Chief Operating Officer of Samsung Bioepis, says: “Biological medicines accounted for six of the world’s best-selling drugs in 2017, and their share of healthcare spending has been rising sharply.

“This gives biosimilars a role in helping to make healthcare systems more sustainable.”

COMMISSIONING BIOSIMILARS

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE UK BIOSIMILARS MARKET?

Smith observes that the UK has grown into a market leader in biosimilars relatively quickly. “It was only a few years ago that the UK was struggling to keep pace when it came to adoption of biosimilar medicines. A lack of clinical awareness was a significant factor in lower comparative uptake to other European countries.

However, in a relatively short space of time the UK has gone from lagging to leading and collaboration has been an important aspect in the turnaround.”

Paul Clark, Director of Biosimilars at Napp Pharmaceuticals Ltd, agrees that the rise of biosimilars has been rapid in the UK market, saying that this has a lot to do with them providing other, more sustainable, possibilities: “We have come a long way since the first introduction of a biosimilar to the UK. Biosimilars provide important alternative treatment options that have been proven to provide the same level of efficacy as their originators, reassuring both healthcare professionals and patients that the use of biosimilars is not just a cost-cutting exercise, but a way of delivering effective outcomes to patients at a sustainable cost.”

ADOPTION OF BIOSIMILARS

Adoption of biosimilars is picking up pace as more come to market. Clark continues: “The NHS has made huge leaps in terms of the adoption of biosimilars and the cost-saving potential is widely recognised and implemented. As we see more entrants into the UK biosimilars market, strong competition, coupled with leadership from within the NHS, will help to continue to drive down the costs of these medicines.”

Smith adds that savings could be significant: “There have been a number of drivers for this uptake including their cost effectiveness against originators. For example, the expiry of the adalimumab patent in October 2018 is expected to make the single biggest contribution to the NHS’ objective of saving £200 million to £300 million per year by 2021 through the uptake of biosimilar medicines,” he says. UK healthcare budgets are stretched by ageing populations, and technology investment and advances mean that diseases can be detected earlier and treated later. “Affordability and value are key elements of widening patient access. So, as biological medicines have played a more significant role in providing life-saving and life-enhancing treatments, greater uptake of biosimilar medicines is critical, and this is an area where the UK will see increasing benefits over the next few years.”

To support adoption of biosimilars, new commissioning guidance and approaches are being developed.

“We are seeing a change in approach from commissioners both in terms of more directive guidance around uptake expectations, and in how the NHS sets out procurement to encourage active market participation from multiple manufacturers,” says Clark.

NHS England’s guidance for commissioners on biosimilars, to support their uptake across the NHS, includes a focus on cost-effectiveness. “[The guidance] suggests that it should be normal for new patients to be treated with biosimilars – if they are less costly than the originator, which they normally are – and that clinicians should consider switching existing patients from the originator to a biosimilar,” Smith explains. “This kind of guidance and sharing of best practice has been key to driving further uptake across the regions of the UK. The NHS is also about to publish the second iteration of its ‘What is a biosimilar?’ document aimed at increasing clinical and patient awareness.”

Uptake also relies on collaboration, highlighting the importance of good relationships between commissioners and medical professionals. “Collaboration between stakeholders is really important and we have seen the most effective uptake in the UK where commissioners and medical professionals work together to implement biosimilars and share the resulting savings across their respective institutions,” Smith says.

M AG A ZI N E | FEB R UA RY 2019 | 11

FACING THE CHALLENGES

However, there are likely to be challenges as more biosimilars head to market, as Clark explains: “There are potential commissioning challenges when we look ahead to certain biosimilar opportunities that will hit the UK market over the next few years. Several products that never gained full access because of value considerations will now potentially be available at lower cost.

“Commissioners along with health technology assessment bodies may have to reassess how the UK currently uses these medicines.”

In addition, there’s still a level of restriction in the UK and beyond. “Unfortunately, the use of many biosimilars has been restricted compared to other countries, including within Europe. This means that many patients are still unable to access cost-saving biosimilars,” says Clark.

A key example is in rheumatoid arthritis, where patients with less severe disease activity are potentially missing out on medicines that may improve their quality of life.

“There remains an ongoing challenge, particularly in the biosimilars marketplace, to strike the right balance between affordability for the NHS and incentivising innovation in this space. Our hope is that by evolving and expanding the biosimilars offering and patient access to these medicines that we find an equilibrium to support sustainability,” Clark adds.

This is echoed by Angela McFarlane, Market Development Director UK and Ireland at IQVIA. She explains that the biosimilar market needs sustainability and ‘race to the bottom’ pricing will not create competition in the market.

Using adalimumab as an example, McFarlane explains: “NHS England

recognises sustainability has become an issue. As part of its procurement process, it accepted bids from five manufacturers and put in place a national framework agreement for the supply of adalimumab in the NHS. “Previous frameworks for biosimilars have included all brands on an unranked framework. Consequently, trusts have tended to switch to the lowest-cost biologic for financial reasons, but other companies have struggled to gain market share.

“This new approach means that no one supplier of adalimumab could be awarded the whole market and it provided a strong incentive for suppliers to offer their best price at the point of tender. This meant competitive suppliers gained a greater share of the market.” She is clear that biosimilar uptake needs to be based on PREP – Pricing, Regulatory, Engagement and Policy (see opposite).

UK BIOSIMILAR UPTAKE POST LAUNCH  Rituximab  Infliximab  Etanercept  Trastuzumab 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% M2

M6

M8

M10

M = Month

M12

M14

M16

M18

M20

M22

M24

M26

M28

M30

M32

M34

M36

M38

M40

M42

Sources: IQVIA HPA, August 2018 and IQVIA

Reference: Advancing Biosimilar Sustainability in Europe: A Multi-Stakeholder Assessment https://www.iqvia.com/institute/reports/advancing-biosimilar-sustainability-in-europe

1 2 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

C OV ER S TO RY

PREP BREAKDOWN REGULATORY EMA vs FDA; RX by Brand BREXIT?

RE

PO

TO LA

LI

U

C

Y

G

POLICY Leadership at national level, implemented through local buy-in

RY

PREP

G Biosimilars have evoked a variety of responses in the industry with different organisations taking their own routes and facing their own challenges. Clark explains: “Every company’s approach to the rise of biosimilars will be dependent on their own portfolio and priorities for the future.

For some this has spurred on the development of biosimilars, for others it has been challenging to see patents expire and lead to their loss of market share.

“For Napp, biosimilars have been an important part of our business for many years. We believe biosimilars provide value beyond price, helping the NHS deliver high-quality, sustainable healthcare.”

Smith adds: “NHS England has brought together the full range of stakeholders to understand why biosimilar medicines should be routinely adopted, and why switching from the originator is a perfectly natural thing to do, that is underpinned by the regulatory science and now increasing real world evidence.”

WHAT’S THE FUTURE FOR BIOSIMILARS?

It’s clear that biosimilars are here to stay but what does the future look like? Demand will increase as Jean-Yves Brault, Country

AG

IN WHAT DO BIOSIMILARS MEAN FOR THE INDUSTRY?

G

IC PRICING Sustainability in race to bottom negotiations?

EN

PR

EM

EN

T

Pricing Regulatory Engagement Policy

In a relatively short space of time the UK has gone from lagging to leading and collaboration has been an important aspect in the turnaround

ENGAGEMENT Patient and clinician education, insight and belief

Manager at Mylan UK, explains: “Biologics have already brought a step change with their innovations improving patient outcomes.

Matching the quality, safety and efficacy of the originator products, biosimilars have the potential to support not just the health of the nation, but with thanks to price reductions, the long-term health of the NHS. Since 2006, the European Union’s largest five economies have already seen a level of savings through biosimilars that could fund more than 40,000 nurses annually in those countries.

This is just the beginning. Biosimilars are here to stay.”

Smith says that competition is key to sustainable success: “Via competition, biosimilars will continue to create savings which allow stretched budgets to be more efficiently spent and crucially increase patient access to these vital treatments.

“It is particularly important that the rapid introduction and take-up of the opportunities from new biosimilar medicines is maintained and consistent across the NHS. To help achieve that, biosimilars have featured as a priority on the NHS’s Regional Medicines Optimisation Committees (RMOCs).

The main purpose of the four RMOCs of NHS England is working together as a single system to avoid unnecessary variations in the best use of medicines.”

2019 AND BEYOND

According to Smith, 2018 was a “critical and successful year” in terms of the development and maturity of biosimilars market in the UK, but maintaining the momentum is crucial. “It is important that…the learnings and real-world experience are taken forward as more patents expire and new disease areas come on stream.

“There are challenges from factors such as Brexit and what future regulation looks like, but the UK is now in a position where it is delivering on the promise of biosimilars which is great for patients and payors alike.”

M AG A ZI N E | FEB R UA RY 2019 | 13

Politics and the NHS Long Term Plan

Claudia Rubin looks at the immediate political response to the NHS Long Term Plan which launched in January.

14 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

P

olitics always moves at an incredible pace as big political stories of the day are quickly forgotten, superseded by entirely separate developments or crises. This was certainly true of the ‘game-changing’ 10-year NHS plan presented with much fanfare to the media on the first proper working day of the New Year.

Mrs May was surely delighted to spend a few hours in Liverpool’s famous children’s hospital, for once setting the domestic agenda beyond Brexit and delivering the long-awaited healthcare tome.

Following in the footsteps of those that came before it, the NHS Long Term Plan is intended to build upon priorities previously laid out

by NHS England’s Five Year Forward View of 2014. Whether the Plan will be seen through to completion over its 10-year time horizon, (given that it is funded only to the halfway line) remains to be seen, but with no end of challenges set to impede its progress, it calls for work of some fervour and dedication from those of us invested in its success.

Which is why it is worth taking a quick look at how it landed politically and assess what involvement in it we might expect from our elected representatives.

POLITICS

ACCESS TO MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES

Whether the Plan will be seen through to completion over its 10-year time horizon, (given that it is funded only to the halfway line) remains to be seen

COMMONS DEBATE

On the day of the Plan’s launch (7 January 2019), over an hour was spent debating the publication of it on the floor of the House of Commons. 53 separate MPs asked Matt Hancock MP, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for clarifications on the Plan. Nearly all the usual suspects, hard-hitting MPs with a health interest, contributed. Therefore, given how quickly they would have had to digest its contents, and given that parliamentary time is in such short supply for anything other than Brexit debate, the indication is that politicians do sense the acute need to hold the Government to account for the NHS’s precarious predicament.

HOUSE OF LORDS

However, and somewhat surprisingly, less weight was given to it in the Lords on the day, when only 10 Peers questioned Baroness Manzoor, who had temporarily taken the helm from resigning Minister Lord O’Shaughnessy.

Perhaps it was this, and not a reflection of a cavalier attitude towards this defining policy, that led to a rather poor showing in the Lords. Indeed, it was only three days later in fact that the rumours of the simultaneous raising to the Peerage and appointment to the Government of Nicola Blackwood was confirmed. The new Baroness Blackwood is undoubtedly well-qualified to fill the big shoes vacated by Lord O’Shaughnessy, and her inbox will already be spilling over with meeting requests from industry.

As the new minister with responsibility for the life sciences sector, Baroness Blackwood will be expecting to field questions on the Plan’s impact on industry and access to new technologies. She will have to get up to speed quickly as to how this document, together with other shortly expected developments – a new workforce plan, a new NHS Commercial Framework and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence methodologies review (and that’s just for starters), will impact access to medical technologies.

Firing off almost the first written parliamentary question after the Plan was launched, Labour MP Nick ThomasSymonds captured what many of us were wondering: “To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is an objective of the new NHS Long Term Plan to ensure that the most innovative drugs will be accessible to patients more quickly than they currently are.”

ENCOURAGING SIGNS

The political sphere in the immediate weeks following the Plan’s release continues to be dominated by Brexit.

Careering as we are towards a cliff edge tends to do that, understandably. But as we look for signs of political oversight of the commitments made within the Plan, we see some encouraging signs.

In mid-January, the Health and Social Care Committee held two evidence sessions exploring the Plan; the first session with witnesses from leading thinktanks about the implications and practicality of the Plan. At the second session, principle health leaders, including the Secretary of State, and chief executives of NHS England, NHS Improvement and Health Education England were grilled by committee members.

Though these straight-out-of-the-gate hearings are of some value, we would hope to see Sarah Wollaston MP using the power of her committee to bring these witnesses and others back for regular updates on the Plan’s progress. This would afford plenty of opportunity for industry and patient groups to use these channels to direct their concerns about the Plan to those whom are ultimately responsible for its implementation.

WORDS BY

Claudia Rubin

Political leadership, energy and strict accountability will be paramount to ensuring that the NHS Long Term Plan is adopted and implemented with the right steps and goals in mind

TIME TO DELIVER

Political leadership, energy and strict accountability will be paramount to ensuring that the NHS Long Term Plan is adopted and implemented with the right steps and goals in mind. Clearly, the Government will remain entirely distracted by Brexit for several months yet and much work is to be done to ensure this Plan does indeed deliver an NHS for the long term. Claudia is a Director at Decideum. Go to www.decideum.com M AG A ZI N E | FEB R UA RY 2019 | 15

Q&A

Flying doctors Lucy Jones, Director of Programmes at Doctors of the World UK, supports access to healthcare for excluded people around the world.

She joined the charity to ensure no-one lives without access to healthcare.

INTERVIEW BY

elcome, Lucy. Tell me a little about yourself. I am the Director of Programmes at Doctors of the World UK. Since joining in 2013, I have managed our national programmes, policy and advocacy work. I joined because I feel passionately that no-one should have to live without access to healthcare because of who they are or where they live. We all have a duty to protect the most vulnerable.

I worked in the NHS for eight years where I managed large hospital departments and commissioned community services. I have a BSc in Politics and Sociology and an MSc in Healthcare Leadership and Management.

What is Doctors of the World?

Doctors of the World is an independent humanitarian movement working at home and abroad to empower excluded people to access healthcare. We are one of 16 branches working around the globe. In 2018, the Doctors of the World network provided care in 79 countries

16 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

Emma Morriss

Our vision is of a world without barriers to health, where healthcare is recognised as a fundamental right

with over 300 programmes in North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

What is the history of the organisation? In 1979, after disagreement over how best to help the Vietnamese boat refugees, a group of 15 doctors led by Bernard Kouchner split

from Médecins Sans Frontières. The following year, Doctors of the World was formally established ‘to go where others will not, to testify to the intolerable, and to volunteer’.

In 1998, Doctors of the World UK became a registered charity in England and Wales supporting projects in the Middle East,

COFFEE BREAK

Europe and Africa, and in 2006 set up a clinic in Bethnal Green, London to provide information and medical assistance to people excluded from NHS healthcare.

What are your objectives?

Our vision is of a world without barriers to health, where healthcare is recognised as a fundamental right. We have four key objectives: to strengthen health systems, so that they can provide quality and equitable healthcare; to ensure vulnerable people can receive the healthcare they need during emergencies and ensure that health systems are rebuilt; to achieve healthcare policy and practice that treats excluded people equally; and to create a nationwide movement of activists standing up for the right to health.

What areas do you work in?

We work wherever there is war, natural disasters, famine, poverty, or exclusion, with four priority areas: conflict and crisis, harm reduction, refugees and migrants, sexual and reproductive health.

In the Middle East, our work is closely connected to the conflicts that are disrupting the region and displacing populations. We assist victims on the frontlines, refugees and displaced persons.

In around 20 countries across the African continent, we provide access to medical care for vulnerable populations.

Besides sexual and reproductive health programmes, much of our work is on harm reduction related to drug use and also HIV prevention.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, we focus nationally and regionally on sexual and reproductive health. In Asia, our programmes mostly address women and children,

particularly providing support to pregnant women. However, we also respond to crises affecting the continent, such as in Pakistan where we assist displaced tribal populations. In Europe, we work with migrants, women and homeless people.

us for help. We are working with the NHS to create a network of ‘Safe Surgeries’. These GP practices offer equitable care to those that need it and commit to remove barriers to access. This has been a great success with nearly 100 practices signed up.

Why are you needed? In the UK, we estimate there are more than 50,000 people who need our support to access healthcare.

We need to expand across the UK to get healthcare access to marginalised communities, who have wrongfully been refused or are too frightened to try to access healthcare.

Internationally, we support people to access healthcare in conflict zones, refugee camps, and rural communities.

We fight for people who are otherwise invisible.

…and around the world? Doctors of the World works both long and short term, through emergency programmes, support to local healthcare systems, witnessing and advocacy.

We’ve provided essential healthcare to Syrian refugees in the Middle East. After the Ebola crisis gripped West Africa in 2014, we helped run a treatment centre in Sierra Leone. Doctors of the World UK has also worked extensively with refugees in France and Greece, running both static and mobile clinics.

We have been working in Nepal on community-based health programmes to restore local health services. In Russia, we have provided HIV and sexually transmitted infection services to Moscow’s sex workers. Doctors of the World is also working in Greece to provide mental health support to refugees, migrants and the Greek population, strengthening the local healthcare system.

What work do you do in the UK? In our Bethnal Green clinic, volunteer doctors, nurses, and caseworkers offer basic healthcare and practical support to register with GP practices. The people we see are very vulnerable, the majority are destitute, and many are living in poverty. Some have been trafficked and work in exploitative situations. Most don’t know they can access healthcare, and those who have tried have been turned away. We provide medical care, information and practical support to excluded people to help them get into the health system.

We have a mobile clinic where we can provide on-site medical consultations to people who can’t access the NHS or travel to our clinic. The van visits partner organisations that work with vulnerable migrants and homeless people.

We want to improve the system so people don’t need to come to

Doctors of the World works both long and short term, through emergency programmes, support to local healthcare systems, witnessing and advocacy

What does the future hold?

We have ambitious plans to reach more people in 2019.

As the only organisation doing this work in the UK, we are looking to expand our programmes, opening clinics in Birmingham and Manchester. Overseas, we will also deploy our first Global Clinic, an innovative clinic design currently on display at the Wellcome Collection.

Exciting times ahead. Go to www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk

M AG A ZI N E | FEB R UA RY 2019 | 17

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F E AT U R E

A DIFFERENT REGIME

P

rice control for medicines in the UK has a long history. The Voluntary Price Regulation Scheme was first introduced in the 1950s and mutated over the years into the PPRS. The original principles were to provide a ‘light touch’ form of regulation, to allow freedom of pricing for new products, and to focus on the control of the profits that pharmaceutical companies made from their sales to the NHS, rather than the prices of individual medicines.

While these principles can still be seen, at least in vestigial form, in the new ‘2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access’, the changes embodied in the new scheme, building on those in the 2014 PPRS, have produced a very different kind of regime.

FROM PROFIT CONTROL TO AFFORDABILITY

How has the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) evolved since its inception in the 1950s, and what does its latest iteration mean for pharma?

WORDS BY

2 0 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

Jim Furniss

It would be hard to describe the new Voluntary Scheme as light touch. What in the 1950s was just a couple of pages has now become nearly 200 pages, including annexes.

The regular information requirements for company submissions, on a quarterly basis, are now extensive and could not unreasonably be described as intrusive.

However, one positive from the new scheme is that the Annual Financial Returns (AFRs), which have been a feature of the scheme for over half a century, are no longer routinely required. While the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) may request them from individual companies and assess them to check against ‘excessive’ profits on a return on capital or return on sales basis, it seems unlikely that this will be used often.

Despite the bold claim that ‘the Voluntary Scheme remains a portfolio-wide profit control scheme’ it has in fact become an ‘affordability’ scheme.

By far the most important element of the Voluntary Scheme is the ‘affordability mechanism’ by which scheme members make a ‘financial contribution’ to DHSC for sales of branded NHS medicines above the agreed growth rate. In essence, scheme members will make a payment to DHSC of a percentage of their sales of branded medicines. That percentage is derived from the difference between the ‘allowed growth rate’ and the ‘forecast growth rate’. For 2019, the percentage payment will be 9.6%.

Thus, although prices remain unchanged, the net cost to the NHS and the net revenue to companies will be nearly 10% below what the prices might imply. In the final quarter of each year there will be a review and reconciliation, and the percentage payment for the following year will be determined. Given the upward pressures on the drugs bill, the financial pressures on the NHS, and the direct involvement of NHS England in the process, it seems unlikely that percentage payments will go down during the duration of the scheme.

FREEDOM OF PRICING

Freedom of pricing for new products remains in principle but is heavily qualified. Firstly, freedom of pricing applies only to new active substances, as defined by the relevant licensing authority. Secondly, all new products will be subject to assessment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). This formalises the practice that has already been established for oncology products, as part of the Cancer Drugs Fund process, and extends it to all other products.

In effect this acknowledges what was becoming normal practice. Already by 2015 most new products which theoretically qualified for freedom of pricing were forced to supply the NHS at less than the list price, either through confidential discounts following a NICE assessment or through tendering, for example for HIV products.

More importantly, companies are asked to confirm their intention to price new products at a level consistent with securing a positive NICE appraisal.

This can be done by proposing a list price which achieves that or by proposing a confidential discount or other commercial arrangement agreed with NHS England. The advantage for companies is that they remain free to set a list price which can be consistent with, and referenced by, other countries in Europe and elsewhere, while selling to the NHS at a lower, but confidential, price. This works if the authorities in other markets are content to reference the list price, but already some, such as Germany, are asking companies to give them the net price in the UK rather than the list price. And while

Key points

1.

The Scheme, like the predecessor PPRS schemes, remains voluntary (although the alternative Statutory Scheme is very similar) Despite protestations to the contrary it is no longer a portfolio profit control scheme, but has become an affordability mechanism with companies making payments to cover increased usage of medicines Freedom of pricing may continue to apply to list prices, but the real NHS prices will be determined, non-transparently, by NICE and NHS England P rice increases will be rarer than ever.

2.

3.

4.

there is a section of the scheme which refers to transparency, it only addresses transparency between the four parts of the UK. Otherwise the pricing provisions remain fundamentally non-transparent, and freedom of pricing is a myth.

PRICE CONTROL

The most effective component of price control has always been the controls on price increases. Over recent years, price increases for ‘scheme products’ have been rare, although it is hard to be precise since the DHSC has apparently stopped producing annual reports on the PPRS. The new scheme removes the one ‘safety valve’ of price modulation, where a company could increase the price of one product while simultaneously reducing the price of another to the corresponding value; and introduces a disincentive for applying for a price increase. Companies wishing to do so will need to support that with a full Annual Financial Return for the current and future years showing that they are unprofitable. So, price increases will continue to be rare to non-existent.

Jim Furniss is Director of Jim Furniss Consulting Ltd. Go to www.jimfurniss.co.uk

M AG A ZI N E | FEB R UA RY 2019 | 21

INSIDE PHARMA

INTERVIEW BY

Emma Morriss

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND?

WHAT IS MDC AIMING TO ACHIEVE?

I have over 30 years’ experience in and around drug discovery, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, informatics, executive search and medicines discovery. My background has made it clear to me that to advance medicines discovery research and development, it takes the application of new technologies, smart people to work with those technologies and it has to be a team sport.

In the two years I’ve been at MDC, it has grown from two people to more than 70.

We have developed a credible plan, had great engagement from the sector, received funding from the UK Government and are now delivering, whilst still growing and evolving our offering.

We’re based in the North West, and benefit from the North West’s experienced talent as well as the devolved healthcare of Greater Manchester which offers the sector, through us, unique access to academic and clinical research.

We aim to help industrialise and drive the adoption of new, enabling technologies and approaches for the discovery of new medicines. This requires an understanding of the barriers to medicines discovery, the needs of the industry, an experienced workforce who know how to help drive change, industrialise and apply new technologies and the infrastructure to enable smaller companies to collaborate with each other and us to adopt those technologies.

We are a translational centre, and a national workshop, for the industry to use, test technology for the next generation of medicines discovery, and to access the huge amount of infrastructure that the UK has, but which is often poorly accessible.

Q&A

WHAT’S YOUR VISION FOR MDC AND MEDICINES DISCOVERY?

Our vision is to ensure that what we do helps put the patient at the heart of discovery.

Medicines discovery in the future needs research models that are more patientdriven, informatics that pull on patient, genetic and laboratory data. It also needs to enable medical research charities with patient insights to become drug discoverers, by accessing ethically gathered and reviewed patient data and samples. All these things put the patient at the heart of discovery.

Catapulting the UK’s drug discovery Chris Molloy is the Chief Executive Officer of the Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC). He joined the organisation two years ago as only the second member of staff.

Now, he leads a team of 75 with 20,000sq ft of office and laboratory space. Chris is focused on addressing the high impact ‘somebody really needs to…’ challenges in medicines discovery and ensuring that the patient is put at the heart of the activity.

22 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

WHAT CAPABILITIES DOES MDC HAVE?

We have a number of tools in our laboratories as well as informatics and brokerage platforms for the community to access elements of the infrastructure which involve patients, academia and the NHS. All parties have assets which are vital to modern medicines discovery.

At our headquarters in Alderley Park, we have 20,000sq ft of office and laboratory space. We have lab-based tools and technologies, complex cell culture expertise and bioanalytics. We have specialists in Informatics who provide data for artificial intelligence trials, tests and industrialisation.

We offer brokerage platforms, providing access to consented patient samples and data as well as bringing together public and private sector research assets and UK expertise that are transformational.

We have also created medicines discovery syndicates to help medical research charities become discoverers.

Medicines discovery in the future needs research models that are more patient-driven and informatics that pull on patient, genetic and laboratory data

WHAT BREAKTHROUGHS ARE YOU HELPING TO ACCELERATE?

The answers needed to improve medicines discovery are in the patient, not just in publications. We therefore need access to patient derived samples, data, models and insights from the start. If industry is to become more predictive and productive, we must involve the patient from the start.

We are working with industry to help the sector achieve and we are working collaboratively in a team sport with industry to make an impact.

MDC chooses areas that really need focus, applying our skills with a willingness to collaborate in order to overcome barriers and benefit everyone from industry to the patient. We rise to the challenge.

WHAT’S YOUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF PHARMA AND HEALTHCARE?

The concept of targeted and precision medicine is becoming more mainstream.

Ultimately, it’s about effective diagnostics that predict and measure disease, and more targeted interventions at the earliest stage. MDC is helping to provide patientcentred medicines by stratifying patients

and disease models by their biological signatures, and providing the tools to enable industry to discover the drugs for particular disease subtypes.

HOW IMPORTANT ARE COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIPS TO ACHIEVING THIS?

Collaboration and partnerships are critical to this. From the concept of a new medicine to its proof of concept in phase 2, drug discovery requires more than 100 disciplines – this is a team sport. Collaboration is crucial to biotechnology and it is becoming as increasingly important to larger pharmaceutical companies who now see multiparty collaboration as critical to their business.

Most industry players now collaborate in ‘team-science’ projects to undertake R&D. This reflects the fact that we are now a globally connected world, the growing mass of biology that we need to curate, concentrate and use in medicines discovery, as well as the fact that the large pharmaceutical company model has changed and is evolving to become more flexible, applying a multi-party approach to be more successful.

The challenges facing the community are broad and needs are widespread. However, we are focused on critical, high impact areas.

These include the industrialisation of new AI methods for drug metabolism, new tools and methods of bioanalytics, expanding the use of acoustic mass spectrometry, proving new methods of microbubble drug delivery and industrialising patient-centred cellular models of disease.

The people who come to work with us do so because they believe in what we’re trying to achieve, they are committed to addressing the challenges the industry is facing and helping the wider community.

Community engagement is strong, but the challenge is prioritising what to address, what are the highest impact ‘somebody really needs to…’ challenges that we can best address.

WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE?

Our aim is to help address those crosscutting ‘somebody really needs to…’ challenges. We really need to hear about the barriers to success and market failures.

Medicines discovery is really hard, with a nearly 80% failure rate. We need new tools and technologies to become more productive and predictable. Chris Molloy is the Chief Executive Officer of the Medicines Discovery Catapult. Go to www. md.catapult.org.uk M AG A ZI N E | FEB R UA RY 2019 | 2 3

WORDS BY

Emma Morriss

CANCER: THE FACTS ACCORDING TO THE OFFICE FOR NATIONAL STATISTICS,

303,135

CANCER DIAGNOSES WERE REGISTERED IN 2016 (EXCLUDING NON-MELANOMA SKIN CANCERS).

THE FUTURE OF CANCER 4 February is World Cancer Day. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a commonly discussed disease with well-publicised media campaigns around causes and symptoms, but it still affects more than 300,000 people in England each year. What are the latest developments in cancer treatments and what does the future hold?

2 4 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

THIS EQUATES TO THE DIAGNOSIS OF

828

NEW CASES EVERY DAY. OF THOSE DIAGNOSES,

breast, prostate, lung and colorectal cancers ACCOUNT FOR OVER

HALF

OF THE CANCER REGISTRATIONS IN ENGLAND FOR ALL AGES COMBINED. LATEST FIGURES FROM CANCER RESEARCH UK STATE THAT

1 in 2

PEOPLE IN THE UK WHO WERE BORN AFTER 1960 WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER IN THEIR LIFETIME.

FEMALES

HAVE THE HIGHEST LIFETIME RISK OF BREAST, LUNG AND BOWEL CANCERS.

MALES

HAVE THE HIGHEST LIFETIME RISK OF PROSTATE, LUNG AND BOWEL CANCERS.

THERAPY AREA

CANCER DRUGS FUND

NHS England is introducing new diagnostic tests to increase uptake of screening, aid early detection and prevent cancers

DIAGNOSIS AND SCREENING

CANCER VACCINES

Although diagnosis can take time and symptoms can present themselves differently in individuals, once a GP arranges for a referral, the aim is to get the patient seen as quickly as possible.

In England, urgent referrals mean someone should see a specialist within two weeks.

NHS England is introducing new diagnostic tests to increase uptake of screening, aid early detection and prevent cancers. It has already introduced a new bowel cancer screening test.

The faecal immunochemical test for haemoglobin (FIT) replaces the faecal occult blood test and NHS England hopes it’ll increase uptake of bowel cancer screening by around 7%. The recent NHS Long Term Plan also announced that the starting age for the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme will be lowered from 60 to 50.

The latest cervical screening rates were recently published by NHS Digital and show that current rates are at a 21-year low.

Screening uptake is 71.4% in England and 76.1% in Wales, concerning statistics at a time when cervical cancer rates are increasing. However, a new cervical cancer screening programme will be introduced this year. See overleaf for information on cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Vaccines are a type of immunotherapy, and although still at an early stage, researchers are looking at vaccines as a possible treatment for cancer. Therefore, vaccines are currently mainly available as part of clinical trials. More research is needed before it will be known how well these treatments work, and which cancers could be prevented with their use.

Although there are no specific vaccines for cancer on the market, there have been developments in vaccines against viruses that can cause cancer – for example the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine which protects against the types of HPV (16 and 18) that cause most cervical cancers. The vaccine also helps to protect women from rarer HPV-related cancers, such as anal cancer, genital cancers, and cancers of the head and neck.

In July 2018, the Department of Health and Social Care accepted the recommendation by the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation to extend the HPV vaccination programme to boys in England. The HPV vaccine can protect boys from an early age from other cancers that can affect men – such as cancer of the anus, penis, head and neck – which are also linked to infection with HPV types 16 and 18.

RECENT NICE APPROVALS VIA THE CDF

• Novartis’ Tafinlar ® (dabrafenib) + Mekinist® (trametinib), the first BRAF-targeted therapy for adjuvant treatment of most aggressive form of skin cancer. The drugs received appraisal

by NICE and were made immediately available through the CDF whilst Novartis awaited the NICE Technology Appraisal.

• In December 2018, patients were given access to Yescarta, manufactured by Kite, a Gilead company, via the CDF while more data is collected.

The CAR T-cell therapy is recommended for adults with some types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

To advance treatments for cancer, the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) is available for funding cancer drugs in England.

Designed to fast-track access to cancer drugs, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) states that it: • Provides patients with faster access to the most promising new cancer treatments • Helps to ensure more value for money for taxpayers • Offers pharmaceutical companies (who price their products responsibly) a fasttrack route to NHS funding.

Being part of the CDF means that the NICE appraisal process for newly-referred drugs can start earlier, to enable draft guidance to be published by NICE before the drugs receive approval and final guidance to be received within 90 days of that date.

NHS England says that ‘patients also benefit from new cancer drugs at least four months earlier under the reformed CDF than was previously the case. All cancer treatments recommended by NICE, whether for routine commissioning or the CDF, are now available to patients as soon as positive draft guidance is published by NICE’.

• Bristol-Myers Squibb announced in November 2018 that NICE had issued a Final Appraisal Document recommending the reimbursement within the CDF of the immunotherapy Opdivo® (nivolumab) as adjuvant treatment after surgery for melanoma patients in England. The recommendation made nivolumab available immediately to NHS patients in England via the CDF. It was recommended for use on the CDF to allow longer-term data to be collected.

• MSD’s KEYTRUDA was also made available on the CDF as an option for some people with melanoma.

M AG A ZI N E | FEB R UA RY 2019 | 2 5

THERAPY AREA

CANCER IN THE NHS LONG TERM PLAN

The NHS Long Term Plan was published in early January and cancer features highly. It focuses on prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow up. The plan includes: • A focus on prevention to help reduce the risk of cancer • Offering all children with cancer whole genome sequencing to enable more comprehensive and precise diagnosis, and access to more personalised treatments • A commitment that from September 2019, all boys aged 12 and 13 will be offered vaccination against HPV-related diseases • Raising greater awareness of cancer symptoms, lowering the threshold for GP referral, accelerating access to diagnosis and treatment and maximising the number of cancers identified through screening • Modernising the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme • Reviewing the current cancer screening programmes and diagnostic capacity • Implementing a new timed diagnostic pathway for specific cancers • Overhauling diagnostic services for patients with suspected cancer • Investing in new equipment which can deliver faster and safer tests • Speeding up the path from innovation to business-as-usual, by spreading proven new techniques and technologies and reducing variation • Ensuring safer and more precise treatments including advanced radiotherapy techniques and immunotherapies will continue to support improvements in survival rates • Extending the use of molecular diagnostics and, over the next 10 years, routinely offer genomic testing to all people with cancer for whom it would be of clinical benefit, and expand participation in research.

SOURCES: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/ cancer-statistics/risk#heading-Zero https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/ statistical/cervical-screening-programme/england---2017-18 https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/ fundingacrosspipeline_twit_pic.png?itok=xr5dvEEQ https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-ingeneral/treatment/immunotherapy/types/vaccines-to-treatcancer | https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/hpvhuman-papillomavirus-vaccine/ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/hpv-humanpapillomavirus-vaccine/#hpv-vaccination-for-men-and-boys *NHS Long Term Plan https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2019/01/nhs-long-term-plan.pdf

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NHS LONG TERM PLAN CANCER MILESTONES* From 2019, start to roll out new Rapid Diagnostic Centres across the country

In 2020, a new faster diagnosis standard for cancer will begin to be introduced so that patients receive a definitive diagnosis or ruling out of cancer within 28 days

2019

2020

2021

By 2022 the lung health check model will be extended

By 2021, where appropriate, every person diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including needs assessment, a care plan and health and wellbeing information and support

2022

2023

By 2028, the NHS will diagnose 75% of cancers at stage 1 or 2

By 2020, HPV primary screening for cervical cancer will be in place across England

By 2023, stratified, follow-up pathways for people who are worried their cancer may have recurred. These will be in place for all clinically appropriate cancers

2028

With plans, policy and research all coming together to increase cancer survival rates, the future focus really is on tackling cancer.

PHARMACY

Advancing electronic prescribing

WORDS BY

Deborah Evans

T

he Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) sends electronic prescriptions from GP surgeries to pharmacies and currently accounts for around 64% of all prescriptions issued in England.

Eventually, EPS will remove the need for most paper prescriptions and this is becoming a reality as Phase 4, currently being piloted, is the point at which electronic rather than paper prescriptions become the norm. Phase 4 will be rolled out to all GP practices in England, making EPS the default method for prescribing, dispensing and reimbursement, increasing the proportion of prescriptions sent electronically to around 95%.

Phase 4 allows prescriptions for patients without an EPS nomination (where a patient has previously nominated a pharmacy to receive their electronic prescription) to be signed, sent and processed electronically. These patients will be given a token (which looks like a paper copy of their prescription) to present at a community pharmacy to obtain their medication. This token has a unique barcode which can be scanned at any pharmacy in England to download the prescription from the NHS Spine and retrieve the medication details. Although the current GP pilot sites are in specific areas, patients can choose to take their token to any pharmacy in England. Eventually, the token will also be digital making the whole system virtually paperless.

Added to this, the NHS Long Term Plan, published in January stated that: ‘All providers will be expected to implement electronic prescribing systems to reduce errors by up to 30%’.

BENEFITS OF EPS

Until Phase 4, EPS has been most advantageous for patients who receive regular medication and who tend to get their prescriptions dispensed at the same (nominated) pharmacy, most of the time. Existing nominations can continue and offer benefits of continuity of care for those on long term treatment.

For community pharmacy, there are advantages to extending EPS as currently we are managing two systems (paper and digital) and moving to a mainly digital process will provide operational efficiencies.

OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS

However, like all change, it presents potential threats and opportunities as it reduces the importance of physical location of a pharmacy. Another sign that pharmacy must become less reliant on the traditional supply of medicines alone. The future of community pharmacy is in clinical services. Deborah Evans FRPharmS FFRPS FRSPH is Managing Director of Pharmacy Complete, a training and consultancy company.

Eventually, EPS will remove the need for most paper prescriptions and this is becoming a reality

WIDER BENEFITS OF EPS: Wider benefits of EPS to the pharmacy, prescribers, NHS and patients will be fully realised once rollout is complete. These include: Improved patient experience; prescriptions can be ordered online or through the new NHS App and the medicine picked up from the pharmacy, delivered to the patient’s home or place of work • Patients spend less time waiting in GP practices and pharmacies • Pharmacies prepare prescriptions in advance, ensuring stock is available • Less time is spent on administration which means more time for patient care • Decreased waste and increased savings • Less paper to send to NHS Prescription Services • Fewer reimbursement queries due to electronic prescription endorsement • Notes added to electronic prescriptions allow messages from prescribers to be passed on to patients • GPs spend less time dealing with prescription queries and signing prescriptions • Improved prescription accuracy reduces the risk of patients receiving the wrong medication • Eventually, fuller integration of digital systems across different areas of healthcare.

M AG A ZI N E | FEB R UA RY 2019 | 27

Uniting TRADITIONAL & DIGITAL marketing INTERVIEW BY

Emma Morriss

Dmitry Schourov is Strategy and Commercial Operations Director at Pfizer Russia, responsible for full strategic support of the business and all operational support including digital, training, business analytics, sales and marketing support, customer engagement programmes, events and other areas.

He shares his expertise on how to unite traditional and digital channels for a stronger presence.

2 8 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

In omni-channel marketing, you deliver a message to segmented customers and the message is customised for optional delivery through each available channel

Has there been a shift towards digital marketing channels recently? The shift towards digital is quite recent; in pharmaceuticals we can speak about it happening for several years, however it will take several more years for it to develop. In order to do so, it requires significant investments in technology and also some mind-shift.

Do healthcare professionals trust digital as much as traditional channels? How can you build on that to ensure digital is not just considered spam? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great question.

Actually, we see that the level of trust in digital among healthcare professionals is growing. To a significant extent, it is a consequence of the overall growing of the digital sphere. I would say that how healthcare professionals consider your messages is very much dependent on how the company builds its communication strategy.

How can you combine traditional and digital marketing? What does it take to keep messaging and customer contact consistent across the two? You need to remember that face-to-face communications are still critical for healthcare professionals, as well as for any other person in the world. Therefore, each channel does a different job, and combining digital and face-to-face approaches requires significant investment from the company in infrastructure development.

MARKETING

What’s the benefit? The benefit is that you can build unique communication directed towards each of your customers. In an ideal world, every customer will receive communication through the channels that are the most specific for him or her, as well as the messaging itself being tailored towards the client. You should be able to address each and every need of a healthcare professional through multiple channels.

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to pharmaceutical professionals looking to use a multichannel approach?

First of all, you need to remember that it’s a significant change for any company. You need to invest in the infrastructure and to build the right channel, i.e. direct emails or webinars, in close cooperation with marketing. You also need to work a lot on data integration and combine data for faceto-face and digital to make it less apparent and to get more customer views. To do this, you need to have a system behind it to collect permissions, have a customer relationship management system (CRM), enable automated targeting and apply data maps.

In traditional promotion, all customers are offered the same content, meaning it isn’t tailored to the individual audience and offers no evolution of customer profiles. In omnichannel marketing, you deliver a message to segmented customers and the message is customised for optional delivery through

each available channel. In this concept, content is king. You need to make the content interactive and personalised, considering channel specifics. In order to do this, you need to be able to segment your customer with your content and update content on a daily basis. Your key performance indicators (KPIs) should also be based on your content.

And finally, data is queen. Using data, you really change the approach to how you promote your product, and how you communicate with your customers. You need to be able to measure campaign effectiveness by setting up the right KPIs. You need to take decisions based on the data you receive by using experiments such as A/B testing, and you should be able to integrate data and understand what your competitors are doing in this area. As you can see, there are

a lot of things to do, but it pays off. With precision targeting, automation of processes, personalised content, and campaign reporting data, you are able to build unique communication with each of your customers and offer a unique customer experience.

What else should be considered?

To be successful in channel integration, you need to ensure your marketing is ‘thinking digital’, you’re able to orchestrate channels, your infrastructure is ready, and your compliance and data privacy regulation are followed. Then you will be sure that healthcare professionals will get all the available information, and the patient will receive the required support.

Dmitry Schourov is Strategy and Commercial Operations Director at Pfizer Russia.

You should be able to address each and every need of a healthcare professional through multiple channels

M AG A ZI N E | FEB R UA RY 201 9 | 2 9

MANAGING THE MENOPAUSE AT WORK

A

Every woman will go through the menopause, so why is it rarely discussed openly in a work environment?

WORDS BY

3 0 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

Lynda Bailey and Sarah Davies

significant cultural shift is required in the workplace to openly discuss menopause.

Currently, women are afraid to speak up about their own symptoms and ask for help when they so desperately need it.

It is a serious issue considering every woman will go through the menopause.

The average age range for menopause in the UK is 45 to 55-years-old, and depending on demographics, this can represent a large percentage of a workforce.

Menopause symptoms are wide-ranging from hot flushes and memory/concentration challenges to brain fog and severe anxiety with mental health issues. Every womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s menopause experience is different, lasting for different periods of time.

The menopause is a life event, not an illness. Around 80% of women going through the menopause in the UK have symptoms and 25% of these have severe symptoms. Over 75% of women do not realise their symptoms are due to the menopause. This can be a challenge for them, their colleagues and employers.

There are increasing numbers of menopausal women in work. Two-thirds of women going through the menopause say they have no support at work meaning they choose to introduce their own reasonable adjustments such as avoiding

WELLBEING promotion, taking a lesser role, reducing hours, and 10% even leave work altogether.

Results of recent Talking Menopause client surveys showed women were embarrassed and ashamed, saying they feel weak and have been mocked and made a joke of when discussing menopause at work.

ENGAGING IN THE MENOPAUSE AT WORK

Given this lack of awareness of menopause and support for women, it’s important to consider how menopause aware your organisation is. Consider: • Is your organisation engaged in the menopause and are women given the confidence to be open about their menopausal challenges?

• A re the health, safety and wellbeing of menopausal employees effectively managed?

• How can women be supported on their menopausal journey to ensure productively levels are managed and optimised for individuals, their colleagues and the organisation?

These are good questions to ask human resources if you think more could be done.

POSITIVE MENOPAUSE DISCUSSIONS

Menopause needs normalising, acknowledging and accepting across all levels of an organisation. It should not be treated in isolation.

A recent survey undertaken by West Midlands Police found that over 80% of women going through the menopause admitted to their symptoms having affected them at work and over 85% agreed managers would benefit from menopausal training.

Women often tell us they are uncomfortable talking to managers about menopause, how employers do not understand it and the impact and challenges it can bring. However, by having these conversations a positive and inclusive working culture can be developed.

MANAGING MENOPAUSE AT WORK

When menopause is managed well, for example by an employer providing simple reasonable adjustments such as the provision of a desk fan or flexible working arrangements, it can prove beneficial for both parties, including reducing associated issues such as absenteeism, and improving productivity.

Menopause needs normalising, acknowledging and accepting across all levels of an organisation

Raising awareness through workshops and conferences also helps to give women the confidence to speak up and ask for help as well as get a clear understanding of their symptoms and impact by facilitating menopause conversations.

Human resources, occupational health and employee assistance programmes are all important areas which can actively support individuals and positively impact menopause. General awareness wellbeing programmes have also proven to be a good way of introducing menopause to a wider audience.

Menopause should be visible in any diversity and inclusion programmes and health and safety assessments.

It is recommended that organisations conduct a review of practices and procedures on current support for menopausal women. For example, existing women’s networks, informal and support or interest groups can be positive places to initiate menopause discussions.

Our client survey identified the following key questions, which can be useful and insightful in helping organisations baseline their response to menopause: • Do you discuss menopause at work?

• Where do you go to get support?

How confident are you in talking about menopause at work?

At Talking Menopause, we focus on engaging and leading positive menopause discussions and support across all levels of the workplace through tailored, interactive programmes aligned with your organisation’s culture.

Are you ready to start the menopause discussion today? Visit our website: talkingmenopause.co.uk

So, where can an organisation start? Firstly, by understanding that menopause is more than hot flushes, and secondly, simply by talking openly about it, making it visible, normalising it. How about asking ‘Why are we NOT talking about menopause?’

Talking Menopause focuses on engaging and leading positive menopause discussions and support across all levels of the workplace through tailored, interactive programmes aligned to the organisation’s culture.

Go to www.talkingmenopause.co.uk M AG A ZI N E | FEB R UA RY 2019 | 31

P F TA L E N T

I love my job because…

Melanie Barker, Immunology Marketing, MSD, joint winner of the CrossFunctional Pf Award 2018

32 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

INTERVIEW BY

Amy Schofield

…I love belonging to an exciting and innovative organisation with people who are inspiring and supportive…

Knowing the impact that our medicines have on patients’ lives feels very rewarding. I love that I get to think about how we communicate with healthcare professionals in a digital age to ensure that the real benefits and value of our medicines are highlighted and that patients are supported on their life long chronic disease journey.

Knowing the impact that our medicines have on patients’ lives feels very rewarding

…there isn’t such a thing as a typical day.

Working in marketing I get to shape the strategy of tomorrow while delivering on the plans of today.

MSD are passionate about the importance of a work life balance which means I can focus on what I do instead of where I do it, which is really important for me in managing my family commitments.

…my job really matters to me.

Being a working mum of twins, one of whom has disabilities, means that being able to focus on changing the lives of patients really resonates with me, helping them control their disease so it doesn’t control their life. It’s the simple things, hearing how patients can now enjoy family time, taking a trip they dreamed of or being able to study at university because their disease is under control which feels like such a gift.

w …having seen the challenges that living with long term conditions can have on patients’ lives and that of their families, ensuring that no patient is denied access to our medicines and the impact that this can have on patient lives, is something I am really passionate about.

Ensuring that as many patients as possible can receive this gift really motivates me.

…having been a member of the winning Account Team previously, in 2018 being asked to co-ordinate a Pf Award application for the Cross-Functional Team Award for the MSD HCV Cross Functional Team felt like a huge honour and a privilege, as well as a huge responsibility.

The enormous success that the HCV Cross Functional Team delivered in 2017 through working collaboratively with trust and respect has been an inspiration to me. The sheer volume of expertise and skills within the team was incredible and the passion and culture really united us in our vision to deliver a future free of Hepatitis C for UK patients – a true career highlight.

…it’s not a surprise to me that MSD has been certified as one of the top employers in the UK in 2018.

I have been blessed to have been supported at MSD with my personal development; there are lots of opportunities to broaden your skill base with courses that benefit not only your professional life but your personal wellbeing too.

I have been lucky enough to have a coach who amongst others has been instrumental in supporting me to make career choices and move from a field-based role last December into a marketing role which I am thoroughly enjoying. I am continually learning with the support of processes, tools and a culture which empowers me to shape my development and hopefully reach my potential.

Being a working mum of twins, one of whom has disabilities, means that being able to focus on changing the lives of patients really resonates with me, helping them control their disease so it doesn’t control their life

…a big family girl at heart, spending time with my children, parents and wider friends and family is something I really value.

I love the outdoors and am trying to ‘hang up my rugby boots’ for the fourth year in a row. I like to travel and see the world and have enjoyed trips to Rome, Tuscany and Portugal. I finished my Master’s degree in Marketing in June so I am looking for my next challenge.

I don’t mind trying out a different type of wine or two either.

…MSD has amazing people and medicines which benefit patients.

I am excited about the way in which digital marketing is integrating with field forces to enhance customer engagement and experience.

I am excited about the possibilities that this offers our customers and patients and with MSD’s passion and drive to make this happen I feel in a great place.

MSD’s‘What gets me out of bed in the morning?’ campaign can be found at www.msd-uk.com @MSDintheUK Melanie’s winner’s interview at the Pf Awards 2018 is available online.

Go to www.pfawards.co.uk/winnersinterviews-2018/

WHY WE INVENT We are not inventing for invention’s sake – we are on a quest to cure – and to have an impact on countless people’s lives worldwide.

MSD is inventing because the world still needs cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, HIV, and so many other causes of widespread suffering in people and animals.

We are taking on the world’s most challenging diseases to help people go on, unburdened, to experience, create and live their best lives.

WHY WE INVENT

To explore our commitment to invention, visit www.msd-UK.com and connect with us on Twitter @MSDintheUK.

AT MSD, WE ARE INVENTING FOR LIFE. Copyright © 2018 Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. Kenilworth, NJ, USA. All rights reserved.

Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited.

Registered Office: Hertford Road, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, EN11 9BU. Registered in England No. 820771.

We are not inventing for invention’s sake – we are on a quest to cure – and to have an impact on countless people’s CORP-1249206-0001. lives worldwide.

Date of preparation: June 2018.

MSD is inventing because the world still needs cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, HIV, and so many other causes of widespread suffering in people and animals.

We are taking on the world’s most challenging diseases to help people go on, unburdened, to experience, create and live their best lives.

MSD. Inventing for Life.

To explore our commitment to invention, visit www.msd-UK.com and connect with us on Twitter @MSDintheUK and on LinkedIn and YouTube at MSD in the UK. Copyright © 2018 Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. Kenilworth, NJ, USA. All rights reserved.

Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited. Registered Office: Hertford Road, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, EN11 9BU. Registered in England No. 820771.

GB-NON-00303 Date of preparation: December 2018

M AG A ZI N E | FEB R UA RY 2019 | 3 3

P F TA L E N T

Movers &Shakers WHO’S GOING WHERE AND WHY THEY’RE GOING THERE. WORDS BY

Hannah Alderton

PHARMA

José Baselga Dr José Baselga has been appointed as Head of R&D for Oncology at AstraZeneca, he will be responsible for Oncology R&D from discovery through to late-stage development.

PHARMA

Ben Osborn

PHARMA

AGENCY

Pat Smallcombe

Vonnie Alexander

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has appointed Pat Smallcombe to the position of Company Group Chairman, Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA). Smallcombe, who has been with J&J since 2006, will have overall leadership for the EMEA Consumer business driving growth and market share for brands such as JOHNSON’S® Baby.

3 4 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

Synergy Vision has appointed Vonnie Alexander as Non-Executive Director. Alexander has 20 years’ experience in marketing services.

Pfizer has named Ben Osborn as Managing Director of Pfizer in the UK as Erik Nordkamp moves into another role.

Osborn has been with Pfizer since 1998 and has led the marketing organisation within Pfizer’s Innovative Medicines business since 2015. He was also Head of Pfizer Oncology in the UK and has been a Co-Chair of the ABPI’s cancer group.

PHARMA

Susanne Schaffert Susanne Schaffert, Ph.D., who was the President of Advanced Accelerator Applications has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of Novartis Oncology. Schaffert’s tenure of 20 years at Novartis includes six years within Oncology. She was involved in the GSK Oncology integration and served on the Board of Directors of the Consumer Health joint venture between Novartis and GSK until early 2018.

AGENCY

Bill Fleming Bill Fleming has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors at OBN replacing Sally Waterman.

Fleming has served on OBN’s Board as a Non-Executive Director since April 2017.

PHARMA PHARMA

Bahija Jallal Immunocore, a T cell receptor biotechnology company, has appointed Bahija Jallal as its new Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Board. With more than 25 years’ international leadership experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Jallal joins from AstraZeneca, where she was President of MedImmune, its global biologics research and development arm.

William Anderson William (Bill) Anderson is the new Chief Executive of Roche Pharmaceuticals.

In 2006, he led the Immunology Business Unit in Genentech and then took responsibility for Oncology Sales and Marketing.

In 2013, he was appointed Head of Global Product Strategy before assuming the role of CEO of Genentech in 2017.

He holds Master of Science degrees in Management and Chemical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

M AG A ZI N E | FEB R UA RY 2019 | 35

CAREERS

HOW TO

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR CAREER It’s the time of year when you might be thinking about moving on in your career. Find out how to make the move a successful one with advice from pharma recruitment experts. WORDS BY Amy Schofield

T

here are many reasons for wanting to move on, and when considering the next step in your career, it’s important to be very clear about what you want. Huw Nicholas, Executive Solutions Lead, CHASE, advises speaking to others, personally and professionally, to help you to decide: “Start by reflecting on how you’d like to move forward.

Speak to those who you trust and who know you the best,” he suggests. “Sometimes we forget to stop to appreciate what we have. Spend time thinking about it – be honest with yourself. Also speak to someone who does recruitment for a living. You will find that talking this through with a variety of people will be a massive help, and it may even lead you to a place where you decide that you’re actually okay where you are.”

Danny Dorward, Recruitment Business Unit Manager – Medical Devices at Star, says that understanding your motivations for wanting to move on is key: “It’s usually dissatisfaction in your existing role that prompts these thoughts. Do you feel undervalued? Underpaid? Unhappy with company culture, or are you bored? Identifying the rationale for a move is the key ingredient to understanding what your next step looks like, and subsequently finding the perfect new job.”

If you’ve thoroughly thought about it and talked it through with those you trust, it’s time to do your research by calling in your contacts: “Once applying, do your due diligence. Do you know anyone at the company?” says Danny.

Working with the experts will maximise your chances of finding the perfect fit. “If you decide that pastures new are for you, speak with a trusted recruiter and work with them to craft a plan to find something new and fresh,” says Huw. “Whatever your situation, there will be something for you to seriously consider.”

3 6 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

PLAN YOUR NEXT CAREER MOVE

Brendan Haywood, Recruitment Consultant at Evolve, has these top tips for success:

Spend the time on getting your CV right It’s the first thing that a hiring manager will see, and if it’s not as strong as it can be, it may be the only part of you they get to see! To ensure your CV shows the best of you, include: • A personal profile tailored to the role you’re applying for • Your recent achievements, which must be specific and measurable • Your complete career history, including reasons for leaving previous employers.

Start the interview preparations now Ensure your brag file is up-to-date, get your STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) answers pre-prepared now, and add to that as you go.

Utilise your social network Make sure your LinkedIn is active and fully up-to-date; a lot of agency and internal recruiters will use this as their first port of call for sourcing candidates, so utilise LinkedIn as a service and get yourself out there.

Work with a supportive recruitment agency The search for the perfect role can be tedious and lengthy, so working with a knowledgeable, supportive and specialist recruiter within your sector is of huge benefit to make the process a little bit simpler.

“

Identifying the rationale for a move is the key ingredient to understanding what your next step looks like

”

Don’t forget to take a look at www.pharmajobs.co.uk where you’ll find the leading roles in healthcare, pharma, primary and secondary care.

Go to www.chasepeople.com; www.evolveselection.co.uk; www.starmedical.co.uk

Ashfield SALES TEAMS

FIELD SERVICE TEAMS

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TRAINING

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PATIENT SOLUTIONS

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