Pf Magazine October 2019

POWER LIST WHO IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN PHARMA AND HEALTHCARE IN 2019?

OCTOBER 2019

Is social prescribing the future?

ABPI and sales representatives Digital transformation with NHSX PHARMAFIELD.CO.UK

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W

Hello.

ho has made it onto the Pf Power List for 2019? After the success of last year’s Pf Power List, this year we opened it up to industry to nominate people and organisations that have made an impact in pharma and healthcare.

From the nominations, it’s clear that there is a wide range of great work being undertaken across all areas of industry. From educating school children in medicines and the pharma industry, to opening new revenue streams for community pharmacies, leading a business out of ABPI suspension and driving artificial intelligence in life sciences, health and social care, the level of impact and influence is impressive.

Unfortunately, not every nominee could make the list, but thank you to everyone who participated, it was wonderful to read about developments across all facets of industry.

Turning to the wider magazine. Our ABPI column looks at complaints about sales representatives and ways in which pharmaceutical companies could mitigate the risk of receiving complaints. Although the number of complaints has decreased in recent years, keeping it on a downwards trend will reduce the impact to your business and industry’s reputation.

Claudia Rubin explores a new cross-party report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Access to Medicines and Medical Devices. The report sets out a series of recommendations aimed at feeding into the upcoming NICE methods review.

Earlier this year, the community pharmacy contractual framework was announced.

It details what pharmacies are expected to deliver from this month through to 2023/24.

Deborah Evans summarises the key points and how community pharmacy needs to move with the times.

In our interviews, I spoke with Nick Saunders who won a Pf Award at the first ever Pf Awards. Nick is now growing a new pharma company, with exciting opportunities and big ambitions. Nick says that his win directly impacted his career, so if you’re interested in a career boosting win, Pf Awards 2020 are now open for nominations.

Celebrating 20 years, they are the perfect opportunity to showcase your talent at the biggest and most prestigious industry awards.

HEAD OF CONTENT

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 SALES & 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

3 Waterloo Farm Courtyard Stotfold Road, Arlesey, Bedfordshire SG15 6XP United Kingdom www.pharmafield.co.uk www.e4h.co.uk ADVERTISING

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Contributors

@pharmafield

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@pharmajobsuk

Pf Magazine

RINA NEWTON 

AMANDA BARRELL 

Amanda is a freelance health and medical education journalist, editor and copywriter.

She has worked on projects for pharma, charities and agencies, and has written extensively for patients, healthcare professionals and the general public.

Dr Rina Newton is Managing Director of CompliMed experts on the ABPI Code.

CompliMed, supports any activity that results in better engagement with the ABPI Code, transparency and consistency in PMCPA case rulings and improvements in self-regulation.

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.

In this issue DEBORAH EVANS 

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

PAUL MIDGLEY 

Paul Midgley is Director of NHS Insight for Wilmington Healthcare’s Consulting Team. His interest is in NHS and joint industry projects around service integration, particularly in mental health, neurological and other long-term conditions. He co-chairs Regional Mental Health, Diabetes, Rheumatology, Dermatology and GI Networks across England.

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.

04 NEWS

INTERVIEW

28

Bringing you this month’s essential headlines

Jeremy Thorpe highlights passion, ambition and enthusiasm at Tillotts

COVER STORY

10

THERAPY AREA

Who is on the Pf Power List 2019?

Living with arthritis

POLITICS

14

INSIDE THE NHS

Developments in pricing, funding and access to medicines

Digital transformation with NHSX

16 ABPI

PF TALENT

Protect your sales representatives from ABPI complaints

Nick Saunders: from winner at the first Pf Awards to running a new pharma company

PHARMACY

18

PF AWARDS

Unpicking the new Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework

Leo Pharma’s Pf Awards 2019 winners have gone from Good to Excellent

FEATURE

22

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Is social prescribing the society-based cure-all?

Who’s moving where in the industry?

COFFEE BREAK

26

40

Raising awareness of bladder conditions in the UK

How to write the best CV in pharma

30 33

34

36

38 CAREERS

COMPETITION

Resolution package Following an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) into suspected anti- competitive arrangements regarding the supply of fludrocortisone acetate 0.1mg tablets, Aspen has offered a package to try to resolve the case. It includes: • Admission of illegality: Aspen admits it was party to an illegal, anti-competitive agreement, by way of settlement.

• Compensation to address CMA’s concerns: Aspen will commit to pay £8m to the NHS – without the Government having to launch court proceedings for damages.

This is intended to address the CMA’s concerns that, as a result of the impact of Aspen’s behaviour, the NHS paid a higher price for fludrocortisone.

• Restoring competition: Aspen will also commit to ensuring that, in future, there will be at least two suppliers of fludrocortisone in the UK. This aims to address the competition concerns identified by the CMA and provide the NHS with the opportunity to secure better value for money when purchasing this medicine.

• Fine: Aspen will pay a maximum fine of £2.1m, once the CMA has concluded its investigation, if it reaches a formal decision that the law has been broken. The CMA is continuing its investigation given other companies are involved.

BODY

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EXERCISE

HEALTH

PUBLIC HEALTH.

IT’S BETTER THAN CURE

he Cabinet Office and Department of Health and Social Care have published a Prevention Green Paper, ‘Advancing our health: Government’s plans on a range of prevention priorities, including obesity, smoking, and mental health, as well as its vision of health as ‘an asset to invest in throughout our lives, and not just a problem to fix when it goes wrong.’

It includes plans for a Composite Health Index to track the nation’s wellbeing, an ambition to end smoking by 2030 and a commitment to end the sale of energy drinks to children under 16. It also includes an option to extend the sugar levy, an intention to push forward on the childhood obesity plan, nutritional labelling and reducing salt.

Wider plans include recommended hours of sleep, mental health prevention, child oral health, embedding genomics in routine healthcare, increased availability of low alcohol or alcohol-free drinks and a new contractual framework for community pharmacy.

The report has been welcomed by The Royal Society for Public Health.

Pf View: Prevention is definitely better than cure making this Green Paper very welcome.

However, there’s a long way to go to improve public health across these areas.

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

LAST RESORT Finnish company Northern Antibiotics is working on a new antibiotic molecule, a derivative of polymyxin, which the company says has significant potential to become one of the few last-resort weapons against bacteria resistant to all antibiotics now in use.

The company, led by Professor Martti Vaara, is scouting for a commercial partner as the development requires additional funding. With the help of additional resources and a commercial partner, the Northern Antibiotics’ antibiotic molecule could be ready for hospital use in the mid-2020s.

BY APRIL

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QUICK DOSES

Early success SEXUAL HEALTH

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he first ever early clinical trial for a chlamydia vaccine has shown it to be safe and effective at provoking an immune response.

The latest findings, from a randomised controlled trial of 35 healthy women led by Imperial College London and the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, demonstrate promising early signs of what could be an effective vaccine against genital chlamydia.

The infection is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection worldwide and it can lead to infertility. The researchers highlight that the work is an ‘important first step’ but add that further trials are now needed to determine whether the immune response provoked by the vaccine will effectively protect against chlamydia infection.

PF IN NUMBERS.

all pharmacies must be a

Level 1 Healthy Living Pharmacy Evolution in community pharmacy, p18

European Commission approves JA N S S E N ’ S S TE L A R A ® (ustekinumab) for expanded use in the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis.

• N OVA RTI S ’ LU X T U R N A ®, a novel gene therapy treatment for a rare inherited eye disorder, has been recommended by the NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH AND CARE EXCELLENCE (NICE) for use on the NHS. • G E D E O N R I C HTE R ’s biosimilar for osteoporosis, TE R R O SA ® (teriparatide), is now available on the NHS for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women and in men at increased risk of fracture.

• N H S E N G L A N D has made R O C H E ’s Hemlibra® (emicizumab) available on the NHS for people with severe haemophilia A. • In draft guidance, N I C E has approved pembrolizumab (M S D ’s Keytruda®) for adults with squamous non-small-cell lung cancer. It will be available on the Cancer Drugs Fund.

• S COT TI S H M E D I C I N E S CO N S O RTI U M has also accepted Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) for restricted use in Scotland.

• N I C E has extended its recommendation for A S TR A Z E N E C A’s Lokelma in Hyperkalaemia in a positive Final Appraisal Document.

• A B BV I E receives U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of RINVOQ™ for rheumatoid arthritis.

• The S COT TI S H M E D I C I N E S CO N S O RTI U M has accepted B U V I DA L ® for restricted use in NHS Scotland for the treatment of opioid dependence.

• N I C E has approved A S TR A Z E N E C A and M S D ’s Lynparza (olaparib), a PARP inhibitor, for use earlier in the treatment pathway for ovarian cancer.

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BREXIT

On the brink The BMA has published a new report on the dangers of a ‘no deal’ Brexit and the NHS. The BMA has repeatedly warned that a no deal Brexit will have damaging consequences for patients, the health workforce and health services across the UK and Europe. From the supply of medicines and patient access to care, to Northern Ireland and the impact on the health workforce, the BMA says that no part of the health service will be left unscathed.

To make a bad situation even more challenging, the BMA says that the NHS faces being plunged into a no deal Brexit on the cusp of winter.

The NHS has always faced increased pressure on its resources across the winter period, but over the course of this year, that pressure has been relentless.

The UK could crash out of the EU at the end of this month but, alarmingly, there are unanswered questions about the Government’s no deal planning and the impact no deal could have on issues such as medical research, trade deals and the recognition of professional qualifications.

Given the risks that Brexit, and a no deal Brexit pose to the NHS and the nation’s health, the BMA believes every possible step must be taken to avoid no deal. It is vital the public has the final say on any Brexit proposed deal.

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CLINICAL TRIALS.

POSITIVE HIV RESULTS

iiV Healthcare has announced positive headline results from its global phase III ATLAS2M study of the investigational, long-acting, injectable, 2-drug regimen of ViiV Healthcare’s cabotegravir and Janssen’s rilpivirine for the treatment of HIV. The study was designed to demonstrate the non-inferior antiviral activity and safety of longacting cabotegravir and rilpivirine administered every eight weeks compared to every four weeks over a 48-week treatment period in adults living with HIV-1 infection whose viral load is suppressed and who are not resistant to cabotegravir or rilpivirine.

The study met its primary endpoint, showing that the long-acting regimen of cabotegravir and rilpivirine, injected every two months, was non-inferior to cabotegravir and rilpivirine administered every month at Week 48.

PHARMA BUSINESS

Coming together The GSK and Pfizer Joint Venture to combine their consumer healthcare businesses has completed. The Joint Venture brings together two complementary portfolios of consumer health brands, including GSK’s Sensodyne, Voltaren and Panadol and Pfizer’s Advil, Centrum and Caltrate.

Underpinned by science-based innovation, it is the global leader in OTC products and has number one or two market share positions in all key geographies, including the US and China. In the Joint Venture, GSK has a controlling equity interest of 68% and Pfizer has an equity interest of 32%.

The Joint Venture will focus on completing the integration of the two businesses, which is expected to realise annual cost savings of £0.5bn by 2022 for expected total cash costs of £0.9bn and non-cash charges of £0.3bn.

Up to 25% of the cost savings are intended to be reinvested in the business to support innovation and other growth opportunities.

SOCIAL PRESCRIBING

PATIENT KNOWS BEST Patients Know Best (PKB) and HealthUnlocked have signed a partnership agreement with the aim of improving social wellbeing for patients. The partnership will see HealthUnlocked’s eSocial Prescription capability integrated with PKB’s digital platform to make it easier for healthcare professionals to offer their patients more holistic, personalised care plans in the form of a social prescription that aims to complement clinical treatments.

For more on social prescribing, see ‘Social prescribing: The societybased cure-all?’ on page 22.

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ew research, published in Nature, has revealed how increasing brain stiffness as we age causes brain stem cell dysfunction, and demonstrates new ways to reverse the ageing process in older stem cells to a younger, healthier state.

The results have far-reaching implications for how we understand the ageing process, and how we might develop much-needed treatments for age-related brain diseases.

A multi-disciplinary research team, based at the Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, studied young and old rat brains to understand the impact of age-related brain stiffening on the function of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC). These brain stem cells are important for maintaining normal brain function, and for the regeneration of myelin – the fatty sheath that surrounds our nerves, which is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS). The effects of age on these cells contributes to MS, but their function also declines with age in healthy people.

To determine whether the loss of function in aged OPCs was reversible, the researchers transplanted older OPCs from aged rats into the soft, spongy brains of younger animals. Remarkably, the older brain cells were rejuvenated, and began to behave like the younger, more vigorous cells.

MEDICAL CANNABIS

21 pilot

RESEARCH

TURNING BACK THE CLOCK

PF IN NUMBERS

10 MILLION PEOPLE

The UK’s first national pilot study for medical cannabis, Project TWENTY21, has launched and is being supported by Cannuba.

Run by Drug Science, Project TWENTY21 aims to enrol 20,000 patients into the pilot before the end of 2021, using a real-world data patient registry to assess efficacy, safety, quality-adjusted life year, and patient reported outcomes in those prescribed medical cannabis.

The pilot will investigate specific uses of medicinal cannabis, focusing on times in which alternative treatment has failed in chronic pain, PTSD (with a focus on the veteran community), multiple sclerosis, Tourette’s syndrome, prison populations, as a harm reduction strategy, and cannabis use disorder and substance use disorder as a harm reduction strategy.

Project TWENTY21 will develop a body of evidence using a realworld data registry. This data will then be used to support applications to health authorities in the expectation that there will soon be a new regulatory system for medical cannabis in the UK. The pilot scheme is part of the ongoing work of the Drug Science Cannabis Working Group, which is looking to develop approaches to improving patient access to medical cannabis in the UK. Pf View: As medical cannabis is now available on prescription, it’s positive news that this pilot will investigate its use in a range of conditions to create a real-world data registry.

in the UK have arthritis Living with arthritis, p30

M AG A ZI N E | O CTO B ER 2019 | 7

PUBLIC HEALTH

Dependence dangers Public Health England has published the first-ever evidence review of dependence and withdrawal problems associated with five commonly prescribed classes of medicines in England.

The review assesses the scale and distribution of prescribed medicines – and makes recommendations for better monitoring, treatment and support for patients. It uses available prescriptions data, a literature review and reports of patients’ experiences.

A total of five classes of medicines were included in the review benzodiazepines (mainly prescribed for anxiety and insomnia), Z-drugs (insomnia), gabapentinoids (neuropathic pain), opioid pain medications (for chronic noncancer pain such as low back pain and injury-related and degenerative joint disease), and antidepressants (depression).

The main findings include: • one in four adults had been prescribed at least one of these classes of medicines in the year ending March 2018 • in March 2018, half of those receiving a prescription (of these classes of medicine) had been continuously prescribed for at least the previous 12 months.

Between 22% and 32% (depending on the medicine class) had received a prescription for at least the previous three years • long-term prescribing of opioid pain medicines and benzodiazepines is falling but still occurs frequently – which is not in line with guidelines or evidence on effectiveness.

WOMEN’S HEALTH

NEW LINKS?

N

ew analyses of the worldwide epidemiological evidence demonstrate a link between HRT and breast cancer incidence and find that some risk persists for many years.

An international collaboration, using data from more than 100,000 women with breast cancer from 58 epidemiological studies worldwide, has found that using HRT is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, and that some increased risk persists for more than a decade after use stops.

The findings were published in The Lancet. The Primary Care Women’s Health Forum (PCWHF), Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), and British Menopause Society (BMS) have all issued responses to the research. The PCWHF said: “It should be seen as another piece in the jigsaw rather than changing the picture.

“Women need accurate and balanced information to understand what it means for them. These breast cancer figures need to be seen in proportion and context.”

The RCOG and BMS issued a joint statement saying: “The overall findings are in keeping with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on treatment of menopausal symptoms which notes a small increased risk of breast cancer associated with HRT.” Professor Janice Rymer of RCOG went on to say: “Women and doctors should be reassured that the findings of this study do not add anything new in terms of the effects of HRT. Research shows that, for most women, HRT helps to manage menopausal symptoms and is safe.”

Pf View: The headlines around this research are clearly concerning.

However, I’m hopeful that the feedback from the eminent organisations included here will go some way to reassure women and encourage them to discuss their personal risks with their primary care clinician.

PF IN NUMBERS

£250m

has been announced for a National Artificial Intelligence Lab Digital transformation with NHSX, p33

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COMMUNITY PHARMACY

On-screen doc BIOSIMILARS

GETTING COMMERCIAL Sandoz, a Novartis division, has entered into a global commercialisation agreement with Polpharma Biologics for a proposed natalizumab biosimilar. The medicine is in Phase III clinical development for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Under the agreement, Polpharma Biologics, a European biopharmaceutical company with a fully integrated R&D and manufacturing footprint, will maintain responsibilities for development, manufacturing and supply of proposed biosimilar natalizumab. Sandoz will commercialise and distribute the medicine in all markets upon approval, through an exclusive global license. Other specific terms of the agreement are confidential.

ICYMI

Boots UK has partnered with LIVI to pilot a video GP service with the aim of making access to healthcare easier. It allows patients to see a LIVI GP by video consultation in a Boots store, at a time convenient to them, using a confidential pharmacy consultation room and instore tablet computer.

A Boots pharmacist will support the patient on arrival and offer follow-on services and counselling on medication after the appointment when required. The service means customers who don’t have smartphones can benefit from the convenience of using technology to see a GP, increasing equitable access to digital healthcare.

The service is initially piloting an NHS service in North West Surrey and a private service in Boots’ London Liverpool Street store.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

COLLABORATION IS THE KEY TO INNOVATION IN PHARMA

Enterprise Europe Network explains how collaboration is the key to innovation in pharma and how businesses should collaborate to grow.

PHARMA AND BIOSIMILARS IN THE MEDICINES SUPPLY CHAIN

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.

Establishing a firmer position for biosimilars in the medicines supply chain represents a huge opportunity for pharma, the NHS and, most importantly, patients. James Roach and Johnny Skillicorn-Aston explain more.

DATA-DRIVEN MARKETING IN PHARMA

Data-driven marketing in pharma, Pamela Walker and Joshua Hull explain why personalisation is the key to unlocking opportunity via pharma digital marketing.

 Want to read the full stories? Go to www.pharmafield.co.uk M AG A ZI N E | O CTO B ER 2019 | 9

POWER LIST WHO IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN PHARMA AND HEALTHCARE IN 2019?

WORDS BY

2

019 has brought a range of developments for the pharma industry, the NHS and the wider healthcare system. From the NHS Long Term Plan to ongoing

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Emma Morriss

Brexit planning, the industry has not stood still. But who is driving it forward, having an impact and delivering results? Pf Magazine asked the industry to nominate the Pf Power List 2019.

C OV ER S TO RY

POLITICS NOTABLE MENTIONS ON BREXIT

JULIE WOOD Chief Executive NHS Clinical Commissioners With more than 30 years in NHS service development and innovation in primary care and commissioning, Julie has been instrumental in establishing NHS Clinical Commissioners. She is a regular witness at the Health and Care Select Committee and Public Accounts Committee, making the case for clinical commissioners on issues including primary care and public health, the financial sustainability of the NHS and the NHS Long Term Plan. She also suggested legislative change for NHS England and Improvement’s proposals to facilitate collaborative working in the NHS. To ensure the NHS medicines budget is used efficiently and effectively, Julie worked closely with NHS England to hold public consultations and produce national guidance on items which should not be routinely prescribed in primary care. Evidence shows that spend on these items is becoming less varied across the country and patients are getting more effective treatment.

At a time when politics is divisive and pressure on the NHS is growing, her colleague Sophie Brown said: “Julie has an unparalleled ability to bring, at times divergent, partners together, unite them behind a common purpose, and drive forward change for the benefit of both the health system and patients.”

JAMES BURT Vice President, EMENA Accord Healthcare

“Through James’ vision, Accord Healthcare has made significant investments that represent a vote of confidence in UK science and manufacturing, counter to the challenges over Brexit,” explained Hayley Jayawardene when nominating James.

Accord Healthcare’s post-EU referendum investments include acquisition of a major pharmaceutical plant in North Devon, purchase of a facility in NewcastleUpon-Tyne and a distribution site in Oxfordshire, securing Accord Healthcare’s commitment to the UK.

INSPIRATIONAL LEADER TXEMA SANZ General Manager Astellas UK

Nominating Txema as Inspirational Leader, Rina Newton of Complimed said: “Txema became Astellas UK's General Manager during a very turbulent time for the organisation. Under PMCPA audit and heavy scrutiny, they had been suspended from ABPI membership for institutional compliance failures. This had a huge impact within the company: on culture, employee engagement, and paralysed decisionmaking. Across the industry there was marked external criticism of Astellas too.”

Through empathy, understanding and commitment, Txema gave employees a voice, driving engagement and showing his “desire to do the right thing, rather than force compliance or ticking the compliance box.”

Rina added: “It is not surprising that under his leadership, the organisation has achieved high compliance standards as part of their ‘business as usual’, is no longer suspended from the ABPI or under PMCPA audit. This is a stunning testament of an inspiring leader.”

M AG A ZI N E | O CTO B ER 2019 | 11

CHANGEMAKERS NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TEAM, ORIGIN CHANGEMAKERS DR ELISABETH BJÖRK MD, PhD, Senior Vice President & Head of Late-stage Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic (CVRM), BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca Nominating Elisabeth, Matthew Kent, Global Media Relations Director at AstraZeneca said: “How many people can say that they were instrumental in re-shaping the clinical future of a therapeutic area that could protect the lives of 130 million patients?”

In her role, Elisabeth is responsible for the overall development strategy and delivery across the company’s CVRM portfolio.

In 2018, AstraZeneca officially integrated Renal into its CVRM Therapy Area, recognising the clinical overlaps between these patient types and the company’s experience in investigating novel medicines in cardiovascular and metabolism.

Elisabeth has advocated for looking at the CVRM patient as one, and notably, ensuring that patients with or at-risk of chronic kidney disease are no longer left behind, despite decades of little innovation.

She has led the development of a firstin-class sodium-glucose cotransporters 2 inhibitor to treat patients with type-2 diabetes and secured its first major regulatory approval. She has also shaped the overall clinical strategy of the medicine to explore potential cardio-renal protective benefits in patients with and without type-2 diabetes. Elisabeth has also driven the clinical collaboration with a partner company to advance a firstin-class medicine for the treatment of anaemia caused by chronic kidney disease.

The medicine made history in industry by earning regulatory approval first in China, ahead of the US and EU, a first for a first-in-class medicine.

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Origin’s New Product Development Team (NPD) is driving innovation in child-resistant pharmaceutical packaging, developing commercial solutions for child-resistant compliant packaging for the UK, Europe and the USA. The team also focuses on overcoming the challenges of accommodating both older people friendly and child-resistant values in packaging design.

In nominating Origin, Amy Cutter of Screaming Frog said: “The NPD team is committed to preventing instances of accidental drug ingestions, working with the Child Safe Packaging Group to promote industry best practice and raise the profile of this issue among policymakers. Each year Origin contributes to avoiding over 40 million ingestions of tablets and liquids, through its insistence on effective and compliant child-resistant plastic container design.”

WOMEN

LEADING THE WAY

DR LOUBNA BOUARFA Chief Executive and Founder OKRA Technologies

Rasim Shah, Director and Chief Revenue Officer at OKRA Technologies nominated Dr Loubna Bouarfa to recognise her achievements in driving artificial intelligence (AI) in life sciences. Starting her entrepreneurship journey in 2007, she researched how AI could be used to predict surgical errors in real time. This was applied directly to the operating table – alerting surgeons to potential errors in order to prevent them – and is now the most cited research in the field.

In the last year, Loubna has led the company to become thought leaders on AI, and begun collaborations with Top 10 Pharma to allow industry to combine multiple, complex data sets and generate evidence-based insights in real time to drive medical and commercial outcomes. She has been appointed onto the European Union High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence advising on ethical, legal and societal issues and co-authored the recent European Commission Guidelines for Trustworthy AI. Loubna has also directed OKRA towards social care, working within foster care to improve children’s quality of life. Developing a placement stability predictor tool, OKRA can help social care workers identify the best family/carer matches for a child, as well as how and when intervention is required to avoid placement breakdowns. She also champions women in tech and STEM, constructing OKRA as a female-friendly workplace.

C OV ER S TO RY

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CHIESI LIMITED In May 2019, the Chiesi Group, including Chiesi Limited in the UK, was the first global pharmaceutical company to achieve B Corp certification.

B Corps® or Certified B Corporations® meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.

B Corps form a community of leaders and drive a global movement of people using business as a force for good: their economic activity,

in addition to generating profit, creates a measured and certified positive impact on people, society and the environment.

Jess Wilkinson of M&F Health said: “In order to achieve this accolade, Chiesi Limited underwent a rigorous, material measurement of its governance structure, impact on its workers, customers, community, and environment.” Some of the changes include: • Introducing a Social and Environmental Policy with quarterly audits.

• Introducing sustainability objectives in all manager job descriptions and the Head Office bonus scheme.

• Partnering with an energy efficiency consultancy to calculate their carbon footprint and steps to reduce it.

• Switching to 100% renewable energy and introducing other environmentally-friendly elements to the business.

• Contributing to community good causes and initiatives.

BEST PRACTICE

PCBU LEADERSHIP TEAM, SANOFI UK

DR ZUBAIR AHMED Chief Executive Medicspot

INNOVATION

Nominating Sanofi, Paul Frith of Rubica Change and Analytics said: “For the past year, the Sanofi PCBU Leadership Team has boldly embarked on a journey to revolutionise the Business Unit. The business was operating in a complex landscape, where traditional selling was no longer effective. The business also had to deliver on a new and demanding strategy with streamlined resources.

The team pursued Key Account Excellence (KAE), but not in the conventional sense. They mobilised everyone, leveraged the existing organisational set-up, encouraged cross-functional working, built competence and confidence across the business and empowered people to become self-sustaining and able to challenge the status quo. They are now delivering KAE with a £6m increase in operating income, volume growth in key geographies and market research.”

Dr Zubair Ahmed has taken a different approach to digital healthcare expanding the capabilities of what a healthcare professional can do remotely.

Medicspot’s connected diagnostics enable GPs, pharmacists and nurses to treat 75% more conditions than with video-only consultations.

At a time when independent community pharmacies are under increasing pressure, Medicspot is supporting over 200 independent

MENTORS MAKING A DIFFERENCE

MARION LAVERTY Office Manager, NHS Engagement and Northern Ireland ABPI

Marion promotes science in Northern Ireland schools using ABPI resources.

Her interactive lessons cover how medicines are developed, how to safely use medicines and the roles of those in the pharmaceutical industry.

Well-received by teachers and children, Kirsty Gelsthorpe of the ABPI said: “Marion sparks children’s interest in science at an early stage. Her efforts have meant that the ABPI has been invited to participate in the Annual Royal Dublin Society Primary Science Fair, the Enthuse Celebration Awards and the STEM Ambassador Awards.”

Under Marion’s leadership, ABPI Northern Ireland has recruited five STEM ambassadors to join the STEM Network promoting these subjects in schools.

Marion also plays an active role in the first ever Enthuse Partnership which promotes STEM in schools along with continuous professional development for teachers.

Marion is now working on the WHO Challenge ‘Medication without harm’ and supporting the NI response to this.

community pharmacies, providing them with an extra revenue stream and increased footfall. It’s making a positive difference to the health and wellbeing of over 10,000 patients in the UK. Lucas Wickens of Medicspot said: “Zubair is committed to using technology for good and driving digital healthcare forward to make communities happier and healthier.”

M AG A ZI N E | O CTO B ER 2019 | 13

NICE access to medicines Claudia Rubin explores a new publication which will the inform National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) methods review.

WORDS BY

Claudia Rubin

S

o many extraordinary things are taking place in British politics, that it is easy to overlook the regular activity happening out of the spotlight.

Even putting aside the egregious neglect of urgent crises – from social care to the global climate – due to Brexit, the Prime Minister’s outrageous lengthy suspension of Parliament hampers progress with much of its day-to-day business.

There are opportunities for stakeholders to contribute to the work taking place between now and next summer, not least to insist that the recommendations from the APPG, which reflect the views of a wide and deep range of stakeholders, are given proper consideration

PRICING, FUNDING AND ACCESS

It was pleasing therefore, that an important piece of work has been delivered by the crossparty group of MPs who came together a year ago to examine pricing, funding and wider access issues relating to the availability of medicines and medical technologies on the NHS in England. The first publication by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Access to Medicines and Medical Devices (APPG) led by Anne Marie Morris MP aims to inform the NICE methods review, the topics for which were approved by the NICE Board in mid-July.

The fact that the review is taking place at all is linked to commitments made in the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access, and it is these commitments that have strongly influenced the priorities of the review.

NICE, which of course marked its 20-year anniversary this year, has a formidable reputation for its robust appraisals. It can also justifiably claim to respond well to changing times, evolving its programmes and having its remit expanded often. Its core work remains its four health technology

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evaluation programmes and all of these will be considered within the review, with the expressed intention of ensuring that their methods remain robust and up-to-date and to examine what more NICE can do to ‘better support the uptake of new innovative products in a timely and efficient manner’.

AGREED TOPICS FOR REVIEW

NICE has grouped the agreed topics for the review into three categories, in order of priority: • Factors that will address the expectations outlined in the 2019 Voluntary Scheme.

• Scientific and methodological innovations affecting the types of products and types of evidence available for those products.

• Other general improvements to methods, including systematisation of committee’s value judgements to support consistent decision-making.

The two main elements of the first category reflect themes that will be very familiar to many within industry, who remain frustrated by the lack of flexibility, particularly in

the single technology appraisal process, for demonstrating a product’s benefit in terms outside the standard quality-adjusted life year framework.

Firstly, NICE has, as a priority, undertaken to look at other modifiers that can be considered in decision-making.

Many, such as unmet need, burden of illness and disease severity, have been familiar to this narrative for many years. The potential to explore additional factors such as how qualitative judgments can be made in a consistent manner by the committee on NHS policy priorities, wellbeing, experience of care, organisational efficiency, and curative potential, is also included, but unlikely to produce anything robust enough to satisfy NICE’s standards.

The APPG does find a case for the limited use of a modifier, in the case of a therapy meeting an unmet need in a severe condition.

A careful look at the second topic within the top category is also clearly needed, that of how to explore and quantify clinical uncertainty in a consistent manner.

POLITICS

Ashfield

An area that has always caused problems for NICE, it is only going to become more of an issue given the medicines landscape, with smaller patient populations and earlier regulatory approval. The recommendation from the APPG is for NICE to replicate a solution that seems to be working well for oncology medicines; introducing an interim conditional approval mechanism, which would work in a similar way to the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Having said that, the APPG is keen to point out that companies must also do their bit to mitigate clinical uncertainty. Given that NICE makes its data expectations clear, some companies could do more to generate data that is fit for a NICE submission.

The second category specifically reflects the need for NICE to keep up to date with advancing science. Reviewing the guidance on genomic technologies, products that address the growing threat from anti-microbial resistance and methods to assess digital technologies are all within the agreed scope. The digital health landscape, expanding daily as artificial intelligence software takes off, is in urgent need of a consistent framework upon which value can be assessed.

The review must also grapple with how to include real world evidence, in particular patient registries, and as it

does so, those involved in building those registries have a job to make them as credible – and their data as usable – as possible. Linked to this is the perceived weakness of NICE being unable sufficiently to take account of the patient experience.

This comes through clearly from the APPG’s research, which again thoughtfully turns to precedent for a solution; recommending that NICE introduces Patient and Clinician Engagement (PACE) style meetings used by the Scottish Medicines Consortium.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION

With the scope now agreed, and the governance arrangements finally, if still rather controversially, in place, work is underway to deliver a draft manual for public consultation in summer 2020.

There are opportunities for stakeholders to contribute to the work taking place between now and next summer, not least to insist that the recommendations from the APPG, which reflect the views of a wide and deep range of stakeholders, are given proper consideration.

In order to ensure that this happens, and that the review is conducted appropriately, we will turn as ever to our elected representatives. Now, if only we can find them…

Claudia Rubin is a Director at Decideum.

Go to www.decideum.com M AG A ZI N E | O CTO B ER 2019 | 15

MITIGATING RISK Rina Newton explores ABPI complaints against representatives and considers ways in which pharmaceutical companies could mitigate the risk of receiving complaints.

WORDS BY

T

he Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Code of Practice dedicates a whole clause to representatives and the PMCPA receives many complaints about representatives. These may relate to their conduct, materials and/or activities.

It is a myth that ‘no complaints’ is equal to ‘compliance’. The ABPI Code of Practice is enforced on a complaints basis, so if there are no complaints made against a company, that could mean that there are no compliance issues but, it could also mean that the environment (external and internal) is such that a potential complainant has not felt the need to instigate inter-company dialogue or lodge a complaint with the PMCPA. For pharmaceutical companies, the tip here is not to consider ways to defend a complaint, but rather consider ways in which the company could avoid getting a complaint in the first place.

DECLINING COMPLAINTS

Looking at the number of PMCPA cases published in the past three years which relate specifically to representatives, there has been a steep decline.

PMCPA cases published

14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 2017

2018 Cases published

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2019 so far

Rina Newton The reasons for this decline may could range from PMCPA backlog in publishing cases in a timely manner, or improved Code/ compliance knowledge and representative conduct, through to fewer representatives, less competitive environments and a general apathy to approach inter-company dialogue or lodge complaints.

HISTORIC COMPLAINTS ABOUT REPRESENTATIVES

Historically, complaints about representative conduct have provided uncomfortable reading: • asking a patient’s 14-year old daughter out in the car park • requesting a customer signs a personal shotgun application form • leaving behind promotional material after a personal visit with their sick daughter • becoming aggressive when talking about competitors • making disparaging comments about GPs in emails seen by GPs .

It should be noted though that not every complaint results in a breach. For example, when an AstraZeneca representative ‘invited her mum and dad to an evening meeting’, AstraZeneca were not found in breach as they could demonstrate that her mum was a practice manager and attended the meeting as a delegate in her own right and her dad was a retired GP, there to pick up his wife.

In addition, the number of complaints about calls and contacts (unclear briefings or unacceptable, vague definitions, the number of calls being too high, set contact targets etc.) has provided the PMCPA with a steady stream of complaints, with many complainants being internal employees or ex-employees.

Given that the definition of calls and contacts has not changed in the Code, it begs the question about why we still see complaints and breaches in this area and whether either option below should now be enforced: a. A BPI to provide clear guidance about how calls and contacts fit with more modern terminology around account planning and interactions, with a reflecting amend in the Code. b. A BPI to consider removing calls and contacts from the Code altogether (given this requirement does not stem from European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) Codes or UK medicines legislation) as Clause 15.4 already requires that representatives must not cause offence or inconvenience.

Similarly, complaints about representatives not taking or passing the requisite examination, seem to be a reliable source of breaches.

More recently complaints have related to the improper recall of promotional material by representatives , claims made by representatives with the usual issues cropping up (representative’s examination, calls and contacts, poor conduct).

ABPI

Specialists in Recruitment, Contract Sales Teams and Outsourcing

Market Access Managers

Key Account Managers

Primary Care Reps

MITIGATING THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS

It is clear to us that in mitigating the number of complaints received about representative materials, activities and conduct, pharmaceutical companies should bear in mind the following: • Keep it simple: briefing materials should be unambiguous with clear dos and don’ts.

• Be consistent: the requirements for calls and contacts should be consistently interpreted and adopted across the industry.

• Stay engaged: train using actual scenarios and base discussions on good examples.

• Have good oversight: regularly check exam status, Code knowledge, practices and understanding.

Reducing the number of complaints received about representatives will free up valuable time spent responding to such complaints, reduce red faces when cases are published and decrease the impact of damaged morale within the field.

Case AUTH/1755/9/05 Primary Care Trust Medical Director V Merck Sharp & Dohme | Case AUTH/2344/8/10 Anonymous v Sanofi-Aventis | Case AUTH/2074/12/07 - GP Practice v AstraZeneca | Case AUTH/2828/3/16 - Clinical Nurse Specialist v Vifor | Case AUTH/2195/12/08 General Practitioners V Otsuka | Case AUTH/3125/11/18 Takeda vs MSD | Case AUTH/3057/8/18 CCG employee vs Novo Nordisk | Case AUTH/3014/1/18 Anon vs GW Pharmaceuticals | Case AUTH/3113/11/18 Ex-employee vs Novartis | Case AUTH/2990/11/17 Voluntary Admission by AbbVie | Case AUTH/2969/8/17 Senior Practice Nurse vs AstraZeneca | Case AUTH/3061/8/18 Health professional vs Ferring

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M AG A ZI N E | O CTO B ER 2019 | 17

Evolution in community pharmacy What does the new community pharmacy contractual framework (CPCF) mean for pharmacy?

WORDS BY

T

he CPCF was announced in July with a five-year funding deal.

This funding is welcomed and provides some stability for contractors by knowing the global sum (£2.592bn per year) available.

However, with no planned increase to allow for growth in demand or inflation, and 20% lower than 2015/16, the new deal will not alleviate the cashflow and profitability issues faced by many contractors, making future investment challenging. Further still, the establishment allowance will be phased out, meaning pharmacies will no longer receive money for simply being open.

Alignment of the CPCF with the GP contract is pleasing, with community pharmacy’s contribution recognised within the NHS Long Term Plan and an indication of potential commissioning for clinical services as a full partner in local Primary Care Networks (PCNs). This gives the opportunity for additional revenue and for pharmacy to be formally recognised working alongside GPs and others. Indeed, the GP Contract Network Directed Enhanced Service will require GP practices to engage and include community pharmacy from April 2020.

EVOLUTION

Aside from integration into the PCNs, in many respects this is a contract in evolution. The basic structure remains, but most new services will take up to five years to be implemented.

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Deborah Evans

One of the first changes will be a new Community Pharmacist Consultation Service replacing NHS Urgent Medicine Supply Advanced Service with referrals from NHS 111 for minor illness and urgent medicine supply. This is intended to relieve urgent care pressures. In the future, this service is expected to take referrals from GPs, NHS 111 online, Urgent Treatment Centres and A&E. Pharmacy will definitely be the front door of the NHS for many patients.

From April 2020, all pharmacies will be required to be a Level 1 Healthy Living Pharmacy recognising the importance the sector plays in prevention, providing wellbeing and self-care advice and signposting people to relevant services.

This is where we are likely to see most development with a PCN Testbed Programme in detecting undiagnosed cardiovascular disease and referral to treatment, smoking cessation support following initiation in secondary care, a role in further immunisation and vaccination beyond flu, routine monitoring of patients on repeat medication, reducing antimicrobial resistance and early cancer diagnosis. These services will take time to test, evaluate, commission and deliver.

Finally, pharmacy continues to play an important role in medicines optimisation with continuation of the New Medicine Service, potentially extending to new

therapy areas. Pharmacy will maintain a critical role in patient safety with audits and training in a new Pharmacy Quality Scheme reflecting priorities within the GP contract. The Medicines Use Review Service is being phased out to reflect the Structured Medication Reviews that will be undertaken by clinical pharmacists working within the PCN. I am personally disappointed knowing the value these interventions make to patients, but it makes the connection between clinical and community pharmacists even more important.

Underpinning this contract is a belief from Government that there are still more pharmacies in some places than necessary, and that technology will drive efficiencies in dispensing. Pharmacies are currently struggling with knowing how to move their business model from predominantly supply to clinical, many having cut workforce numbers as funding was cut. Over time we will see the money assigned to dispensing reduce, although £800m of the contract sum remains in retained profit margin. How this is managed is currently out for consultation, however pharmacy will continue to work hard to procure medicines at as high a margin as they can.

PHARMACY

Aside from integration into the PCNs, in many respects this is a contract in evolution

TIME FOR CHANGE

The sector must change. Time has to be freed up for pharmacists to undertake more direct patient-facing activity, meaning that the skill mix and development of the team becomes crucial, with delegation essential.

Developing relationships within the PCN with GPs, clinical pharmacists, other pharmacies and providers will be critical.

Shifting the business model to one that is less reliant on dispensing and the NHS will be vital for survival.

I predict fewer pharmacies, more dispensing hubs, increased online provision of prescriptions and pharmacies developing their business to include more private services, expanding their healthcare product provision and working together, much like GP Federations. Pharmacies developing

their clinical provision, engaging with others and responding to the needs of their local populations will survive.

The pharmaceutical industry can play an important role in facilitating the change, responding to what pharmacy needs now and recognising the importance we play in transformation of the NHS. Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care said of the CPCF: “I am now delighted to set out this landmark 5-year settlement for the community pharmacy contractual framework which, from October 2019, will expand and transform the role of community pharmacies and embed them as the first port of call for minor illness and health advice in England.”

Deborah Evans FFRPS FRPharmS FRSPH is Managing Director of Pharmacy Complete.

Go to www.pharmacycomplete.org https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/ uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/819601/ cpcf-2019-to-2024.pdf | https://www.england.nhs.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2019/01/gp-contract-2019.pdf | https:// www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/ | https://www.england. nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/network-contractdes-specification-2019-20-v1.pdf | https://www.gov.uk/ government/consultations/community-pharmacy-drugreimbursement-reform

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Social prescribing The society-based cure-all?

Social prescribing has been hailed as the future of health and social care – but is it the answer to the NHS’ problems?

And, if so, are we ready to embrace it?

WORDS BY Amanda Barrell

S

ocial prescribing, touted as the bridge between health and social care, between mental and physical health, and the health service and the community, is a hot topic.

NHS England has described it as a key component of the NHS Long Term Plan and has committed to funding primary care to employ 1000 new social prescribing link workers by 2020/21 “with significantly more after that”.

Deborah Wyatt, Director of talkhealth (crt) Partnership, explained: “When the NHS was formed 70 odd years ago, it was to offer acute health services for free. That was all well and good but today we are living longer and have multiple health conditions. The NHS wasn’t set up for that.

“The burden on the system is enormous, and the model we have is not sustainable, either from a resourcing or financial viewpoint.

The idea behind social prescribing is that we, as a nation, start taking more responsibility for our own health.”

This new army of healthcare workers, NHS England says, will take a holistic approach to health and wellbeing, referring people to community groups, statutory services and even apps for problems as varied as obesity or financial concerns.

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

OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND

On the face of it, this may seem a threat to pharma and industry, but that couldn’t be further from the truth, said David Thorne, Director of NHS Insights and Interaction at Mtech Access.

“Social prescribing has had a massive boost with the NHS Long Term Plan, but I’ve been working around it for anything up to 20 years,” he said.

“In all that time, I’ve been saying that pharma doesn’t really understand the opportunity it presents. It’s not a threat, it should be synergistic. It’s pharma’s friend.”

It is an adjunct to, not a replacement for, medication, and should always be part of a larger treatment plan, he added.

Middle-aged men at risk of diabetes and cardiovascular problems, for example, could be prescribed a gym membership and cookery classes along with a statin and a hypertensive.

“When you put that all together, you have a motivated patient who is getting all the support and encouragement they need. They are engaged, they are taking their medicine and it’s working fantastically,” said David.

There are also reputational and data collection opportunities, said Deborah, whose organisation develops conditionspecific patient support and education programmes delivered via primary care.

F E AT U R E

“It’s about industry being visible and saying: ‘We make this product and we believe that it’s important to support the people who take it’. It’s made very clear to the patients we work with that the supporting company will have access to the raw, anonymised data that comes from the programme.

“It’s a way for pharma to really get under the skin and understand what impact different interventions have,” she said, adding that these insights can then be fed into strategic planning.

The problem, David said, rests with industry’s systems and processes often putting walls between pharmaceutical companies and social prescribing – walls that could prove detrimental to their longterm success.

“Pharma needs to wake up to the importance of this and respond on every level, including regulatory, training and messaging,” he said, adding that this new legion of link workers would soon become the first port of call for most patients.

“They are the key to self-management, compliance, patient information, engagement, the use of apps. Everything comes down to these people.”

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

The pharmaceutical industry is not the only sector ill-prepared for the roll out of social prescribing, said Sophie Randall, Director of Strategy and Partnership at the Patient Information Forum (PIF).

“If it’s done well, it could be a really good way to engage with hard-to-reach groups, and tackle health inequality,” she said.

“It’s a cornerstone of the NHS personalised care agenda and shared decision-making, but it’s quite ill-defined. What will a social prescription look like, how will people be signposted to these services and how will they navigate the system?”

There is currently a lack of clear pathways which could leave the most vulnerable unable to access such services, she added.

“I think the difficulty is that the most able people, those who can use digital media to find these things, will benefit, while others will find it a much more difficult system to navigate,” she said.

Speaking from the provider perspective, Deborah said that there certainly was an issue with getting programmes to the people who need them.

“The biggest barrier is getting the NHS to collaborate with third parties,” she said, adding that commissioning such services was currently done on a practice-by-practice basis.

M AG A ZI N E | O CTO B ER 2019 | 2 3

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NAVIGATING THE SYSTEM

“We have huge problems just getting to talk to the right people, just to say, ‘look, we’ve got these programmes, we don’t want any money from you, we just want you to offer them to the end-user’.

“There’s got to be a better way,” said Deborah, calling the whole process “exhausting and frustrating”.

She welcomed the funding of the new link workers but pointed out that it wouldn’t solve her problem.

“This just moves the responsibility from the practice manager to the link worker. It needs to be done higher up so that effective interventions can be rolled out from there,” she said.

PIF is concerned about what this lack of joined-up thinking could lead to if not tackled early on. Echoing Deborah’s frustrations, Sophie said: “The new social prescribing link workers will need to be familiar with the system, with their area’s particular health priorities and what’s available locally. That’s an exercise in itself.

“We also need to ensure community service providers are trained adequately and that there is a path back to the healthcare system when someone needs it, particularly in areas like mental health.”

EVIDENCE BASE

Y O U R W AY F U R T H E R IQV IA.COM/FURTHER

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

Another challenge to wider uptake is a lack of evidence that proves the initiatives are genuinely effective, said Stephen Jowett, IQVIA’s Director of Applied Insights, UK and Ireland.

“As with everything, whether that’s a new drug, a new pathway or a new technology, if there’s no robust evidence base, it becomes a challenge to accelerate early adoption. The sooner we overcome that, the sooner we’ll start to build momentum in terms of adoption,” he said.

Sophie and Deborah agreed, adding that without systematic measurement there was no way to understand which interventions were working or how to improve them.

“We need ways of checking the quality of what is being provided, or we could end up with huge variation in the type and quality of services available,” said Sophie.

Technology could hold the answer, according to IQVIA, which recently partnered with EMIS Health to launch EMISApp Library by AppScript. The platform allows GPs to recommend clinically validated digital therapeutics and refer patients into real world studies and, crucially, provides feedback loops.

“Thinking about how you can solicit that information from the people using these services in a more structured way is quite exciting,” added Stephen.

“There’s no reason we can’t do this in the same way that we build the real-world evidence base around the efficacy of, for example, a medicine. But to do that, you need some scale to prove the initial case, and that’s where courageous leadership in the NHS and social care system becomes so vital.”

PARADIGM SHIFTER?

Ultimately, everyone is agreed that social prescribing has the potential to shift the dial. With a more holistic approach, it could take the NHS from a reactive health service to a proactive wellness service, while reducing pressure on secondary care and general practice.

But quite how it will fit in with the already fragmented health service and its various stakeholders is unclear.

As with most paradigm shifting projects, social prescribing has some high logistical hurdles to clear before its benefits can be reaped.

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Wee need to talk Bladder Health UK is working with the public, healthcare professionals and industry to offer expert advice on bladder conditions. Susannah Fraser shares more about the charity’s work.

WORDS BY

Emma Morriss

W

hat is Bladder Health UK? Bladder Health UK is a national, patient-based charity giving support to sufferers of all forms of chronic bladder illness, together with their families and friends. We have a wealth of resources aimed at supporting not only patients but also healthcare professionals and researchers. At the head of our charity is our Advice Line offering confidential help and advice to those who sometimes have nowhere else to turn.

What are your aims? We aim for a future free from the pain, stigma and isolation of bladder illness by ensuring people with bladder health issues can expect a consistent level of healthcare, support and treatment.

We encourage research into new treatments and personal management strategies, and also work proactively with other like-minded organisation and charities to raise the profile of bladder illness issues. We are a trustworthy source of information and advice on the most up-to-date and available treatment options and we aim to give our members the confidence to make the right choices for them and their bladder health.

What do you do and how do you do it? We provide a pack of resources for members including a handbook on their condition, a diet booklet and a recipe book. We distribute

2 6 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

a membership magazine three times a year which is full of articles and information on living positively with bladder illness. We also have a wide range of factsheets on bladder illness and the various treatments available.

We lend a listening ear to sufferers in the form of our Advice Line, which is open weekdays and takes calls from members and non-members alike. It offers advice on treatments and emotional support when it is needed. The line is manned during the week by a recently retired urogynaecology nurse, and an expert patient. Once a fortnight we have a specialist bladder and bowel nurse on the line for those who would like some help with their bowel issues alongside their bladder.

We have a network of support groups throughout the UK where sufferers can speak to each other face-to-face and offer tips and support to one another. Twice a year, we aim to organise a workshop where members can come and learn about chronic bladder illness from practitioners and therapists who are skilled at treating those who suffer.

For people who prefer to have contact with others in a more anonymous way, we have message board forums on our website where sufferers can post and receive support from other sufferers. Our social media pages on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are buzzing with traffic and posts to interest both sufferer and healthcare professionals alike.

For healthcare professionals, we have recently begun to offer study days, where they can learn about bladder illness from practitioners and network with one another.

Do you conduct research? Where funding will allow, we support research projects into bladder illness which we hope will lead to better understanding and improved treatments for sufferers in the future.

In 2011, we offered a research grant into Interstitial Cystitis and funded a team of researchers at Newcastle University who investigated the link between antimicrobial peptides and bladder pain.

What support do you give the general public and healthcare professionals?

For sufferers we provide: • A confidential advice line.

• A network of support groups throughout the UK run by volunteers.

• Regional patient seminars.

• Over 80 factsheets together with handbooks and leaflets.

• Annual membership.

• An information pack for new members, including a recipe book, diet information and a handbook on their condition.

• A membership magazine containing articles on the latest treatments and research written by professionals.

• Active social media sites on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

• The largest bladder related online message board forums in Europe, also available for resource searches.

COFFEE BREAK

The majority of continence issues can be improved, if not completely resolved, with intervention

For healthcare professionals we provide: • A database search facility to invite hundreds of patients to take part in research projects/surveys.

• Support and funding for bladder research.

• Website information with links to other support groups.

• Patient support and help with group meetings throughout the UK. • A free information pack with leaflets and posters for urology clinics and hospital/ surgery notice boards.

• Support for their patients and families.

Do you work with the pharmaceutical industry? We regularly work with corporate partners who manufacture or distribute products for those who suffer from chronic bladder illness, to keep our members informed of the latest treatments and products available. We are also grateful for the financial sponsorship we receive from our corporate partners which allows us to provide our diverse range of services.

Tell us about the bladder campaign you recently ran with P&G? We were delighted to be invited to run a campaign with P&G on breaking down the taboo associated with continence issues, entitled ‘Wee Need to Talk’. We set up a call centre and encouraged women to call us to receive appropriate advice and information on continence issues and not to be embarrassed to speak to healthcare professionals and ask for this support. The majority of continence issues can be improved, if not completely resolved, with intervention and we welcome the opportunity to convey that message to sufferers.

What support would you like from industry? The pharmaceutical companies that we work with produce treatments for chronic bladder illness. It is important that we are aware of both existing and new medications, and we have established good working relationships with the relevant organisations. The relationships are based on a corporate sponsorship package that provides unrestricted funds essential for the continuity of the charity and the work we do.

We are a valuable two-way conduit between industry and the patients.

Susannah Fraser is Communication and Media Manager at Bladder Health UK. Go to www.bladderhealthuk.org M AG A ZI N E | O CTO B ER 2019 | 27

Passion, ambition and enthusiasm Jeremy Thorpe is Managing Director of Tillotts Pharma UK Ltd. In his seven years at the helm, he has seen continuous double-digit growth and prides himself on working in partnerships, nurturing talent and setting crazy goals.

W

hat’s your background? I started in pharma in December 1988. My first job was as a trainee medical representative with Servier Laboratories. Since then I have worked for big and small pharma, but I prefer smaller pharma where I can be involved in a breadth of challenges and products. For example, this morning, I’ve been looking at stock management to make sure our Brexit stockpile is adequate. Yesterday, I was working on materials approval and met with the sales managers.

What’s Tillotts’ history? Tillotts Pharma (Tillotts) can trace its roots back to a pharmacy in London in the early 1960s. As a pharmaceutical company, Tillotts left the UK in the 80s through acquisitions and re-emerged as a Swiss manufacturing company focusing on the gastrointestinal (GI) market, specifically on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In 2009, Tillotts was acquired by the Japanese company Zeria Pharmaceutical Co., but didn’t have a presence in the UK market. That started to change and in 2010, Tillotts Pharma UK was set up. In 2012, I joined as General Manager and took the company from a virtual one with no presence in the market to a fully operational pharmaceutical company.

We started with three employees including me and have gone from three people and no sales to 40 people, and this year we are confident that we will exceed £25 million in sales revenue.

Passionate about outstanding performance Passionate about improving the lives of patients Contact us on: UKinfo@tillotts.com Telephone: 01522 813500

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NU-00200 Date of preparation: July 2018

INTERVIEW

We wholly support and endorse the Pf Awards as a way of increasing standards in our industry

What are your areas of focus? We are a speciality pharmaceutical company working within GI health. We are passionate about GI health. That is one of the essential criteria when we’re recruiting, we look for people with a genuine passion for what they do. We have market-leading products and will be launching a new version of our mesalazine tablet at the end of this year.

How has the business grown under your management? I’m very proud that we’ve had seven consecutive years of double-digit growth and I am very confident that’s going to continue with the launch of new products from the head office pipeline and through selective acquisitions.

What are Tillotts’ headline achievements?

By positioning our products at the right price, we’ve managed to save the NHS in excess of £30 million. We’re very proud of this.

However, many of our headline achievements have nothing to do with our products.

We have invested in developing award-winning training courses, LOGIC Education, to support IBD nurses. The courses are developed in conjunction with IBD nurses and are run monthly and annually, as well as the Richard Driscoll Awards for IBD Nurse Excellence.

In 2020, we will be running 20 regional LOGIC IBD nurse education modules.

These are small group training programmes run over a weekend. One of our most popular education modules is on how to run a patient telephone service so patients can maintain their condition in the community, avoiding hospital admission.

Pharma shouldn’t be just about providing products. We should support the use of

our products with appropriate services to ultimately benefit the patient.

We also connect hospital clinicians and GPs to put faces to names, and to educate and expand GPs’ IBD knowledge. This has been very successful, particularly with Sophie and Angela, our representatives in Northern Ireland. As the vast majority of our patients are managed in primary care, helping to educate GPs, practice nurses and pharmacists means we can add value, making us partners in the care delivery.

What do you look for in talent? Our workforce has diverse backgrounds, but we always look for passion, enthusiasm, determination and a strength of character. We also have a strong graduate trainee programme.

One of the critical success factors for my regional account managers is when they are described by our customers as being part of their team. Katherine, one of our graduate trainees, has been described by two separate gastroenterologists as ‘a member of their team’ and ‘a fantastic resource’ that they can call on whenever they need support and help.

All graduate trainees also receive a development plan to expose them to different areas of the business. Margot joined as a marketing associate to train to be a brand manager, but after a secondment in the field she enjoyed it so much she moved across to be a regional account manager.

What does working for Tillotts mean?

We reward success. For our field force, we have a very progressive bonus structure, bonus for short term objectives and longterm strategies. More than 70% of our business

is female, and I’m sure our success and drive are down to our talented workforce. In order to retain our talent, we are flexible, staff can manage their holidays so that e.g. they don’t have to work in August, reducing the need for childcare. We also offer flexibility in returnto-work after maternity leave, allowing people to build up their hours as they wish.

What does success look like? We have a crazy goal: to be the preferred partner in GI health and have a market leading portfolio and reputation. Everything we do should work towards this. Achieving this will mean success.

Tell us about your connection with the Pf Awards We are participating in the Pf Awards 2020 because we have a passionate belief that to improve and succeed, everybody has to challenge themselves every day.

But there’s no point just challenging yourself, you’ve also got to challenge your colleagues and others in industry. The Pf Awards recognise quality and success, not only sales success, but success in building relationships, in account management for newcomers and experienced industry professionals. We wholly support and endorse the Pf Awards as a way of increasing standards in our industry. And thank Pf for being part of the process that enhances and increases standards across the whole industry.

Pf Awards also allows the industry the opportunity to hear from, and talk to, people from other companies. This is very important, enabling people to get to know more about the industry. Pf plays a critical role in this and along with Pf Magazine gives a broader perspective of the industry.

M AG A ZI N E | O CTO B ER 2019 | 2 9

ARTHRITIS: THE STATS

10 IN THE UK, AROUND

MILLION PEOPLE HAVE ARTHRITIS OSTEOARTHRITIS IS MORE PREVALENT IN PEOPLE AGED

LIVING WITH ARTHRITIS Affecting around 10 million people in the UK, arthritis can have a debilitating impact on those who live with the condition.

WORDS BY Emma Morriss

A

45 OR OVER RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AFFECTS MORE THAN

400,000 PEOPLE

rthritis causes pain, inflammation and stiffness in the body’s joints but is not considered a single condition, as there are numerous types.

Approximately 10 million people in the UK are thought to have some form of arthritis. Although it is commonly considered a condition affecting older people, it can affect people of any age, including children and teenagers.

10 GOUT SYMPTOMS CAN LAST UP TO

DAYS

WHAT CAUSES ARTHRITIS?

Although it can be difficult to pinpoint the causes of arthritis, or to predict if a person will experience a form of the condition, there are a number of factors that can increase the risk of developing a type of arthritis. These include: • Genetics: Osteoarthritis, for example, may run in families.

• Gender: Some types of arthritis are more prevalent in women.

• Age: Risk of developing arthritis can increase with age.

• Joint injury: Post-traumatic or secondary arthritis can occur after a joint is physically injured and doesn’t heal properly.

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

CHILDHOOD ARTHRITIS AFFECTS MORE THAN

12,000 CHILDREN.

THERAPY AREA

THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF ARTHRITIS, HOWEVER SOME ARE MORE PREVALENT THAN OTHERS. OSTEOARTHRITIS

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. It can cause small fragments of bone (osteophytes) to grow in the joints, fluid to build-up in the joint or can affect the joint capsule, leading to pain and stiffness.

Osteoarthritis: The Facts • 8.75 million people in the UK have seen a doctor about the condition.

• It commonly affects the knees, hands, hips and back.

• Women are more likely to experience osteoarthritis.

• It is more prevalent in people aged 45 or over.

• It may not cause pain in early stages.

• It can run in families.

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common form of autoimmune arthritis. As with other autoimmune conditions, the immune system attacks the body. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis, it attacks the joints and causes inflammation leading to the joint capsule becoming misshapen, unstable or difficult to move.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Facts • Rheumatoid arthritis affects more than 400,000 people in the UK. • It is more likely to affect women than men.

• It usually starts between the ages of 40 and 50.

• The main symptoms are joint pain, swelling or stiffness.

• It can affect any joint in the body but may be felt in the hands and feet first.

• Some people develop rheumatoid nodules; fleshy lumps that develop under the skin around joints.

Another autoimmune arthritis is psoriatic arthritis. As well as swelling and stiffness around the joints, psoriatic arthritis may cause psoriasis and fatigue.

CHILDHOOD ARTHRITIS

Arthritis can also affect children and in most cases, it is called juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). JIA is an autoimmune type of arthritis. There are four main types of JIA: oligo-articular, polyarticular, systemic onset and enthesitis-related arthritis.

Children may also experience psoriatic arthritis.

GOUT

Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis caused by increased levels of urate, uric acid, in the body. The uric acid build-up can cause crystals to form inside and around the joints. This leads to sudden, painful swelling in the joints.

Gout: The Facts • Gout typically affects the joints towards the ends of the limbs – toes, ankles or fingers.

• Joints can become red and hot.

• Skin may peel or look shiny.

• It mainly affects men over 30.

• It can affect women after the menopause.

• Symptoms can develop rapidly and last for up to 10 days.

Childhood Arthritis: The Facts • Childhood arthritis affects more than 12,000 children in the UK. • The exact cause is usually unknown.

• Symptoms can improve with age but for one in three, the arthritis may continue into adult life.

• Oligo-articular JIA is the most common childhood arthritis and usually affects the knees.

• Polyarticular JIA, or polyarthritis causes painful swelling in fingers, toes, wrists, ankles, hips, knees, neck and jaw.

• Enthesitis-related JIA often affects the legs and spine, causing inflammation where the tendons attach to the bone.

• Systemic onset JIA can come on with a fever, rash, enlarged glands, spleen, liver and occasionally the covering of the heart.

M AG A ZI N E | O CTO B ER 2019 | 31

THERAPY AREA

The right treatment for George To help mobility, wellbeing, reduce pain, stiffness and swelling, people with arthritis are encouraged to be physically active

OTHER TYPES OF ARTHRITIS

Enteropathic arthritis is linked to irritable bowel syndrome and is a form of chronic inflammatory arthritis. Around one in five people with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis will develop this form of arthritis.

Reactive arthritis can develop after an infection of the bowel or urogenital tract.

It can cause inflammation of the joints, eyes and urethra.

Spondyloarthritis is a collective term for conditions that cause pain and swelling around the joints of the spine. The most common form is ankylosing spondylitis which occurs when inflammation leads to calcium forming around the ligaments of the spine. This may lead to the vertebrae fusing together.

TREATMENT

There are a range of treatments for different types of arthritis including painkillers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, steroids, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or biological therapies.

DMARDs do not treat the pain associated with arthritis, but they do reduce symptoms over time by changing the underlying disease, and the effect it has on the joints.

Biological therapies, whilst being a type of DMARD, can target individual molecules in the body and work more quickly. Biological therapies target different proteins in the body and one group, anti-TNF drugs, target a protein called tumour necrosis factor (TNF) which is responsible for increasing inflammation.

AbbVie’s Humira (adalimumab) is an anti-TNF biological therapy for some types of arthritis including severe rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and moderate to severe JIA. In October 2018, its patent expired leading to a number of biosimilars entering the market.

Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Orencia (abatacept) is a biological therapy targeting the causes of inflammation and reduces immune system activity. It can be prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis, polyarticular JIA, or psoriatic arthritis but usually not until two DMARDs have been tried.

Biological therapies are rarely a first-line treatment and are usually prescribed if the individual hasn’t responded well to other treatments. Conventional DMARDs may be given in combination with biological therapies.

To help mobility, wellbeing, reduce pain, stiffness and swelling, people with arthritis are encouraged to be physically active. Individuals may also have access to physiotherapy, occupational therapy or podiatry, and be encouraged to consider nonmedicinal pain relievers, modifying their posture, and protecting their joints.

In severe cases of arthritis, surgery may be necessary.

Sources: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ankylosing-spondylitis/ | https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/arthritis/ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/psoriatic-arthritis/ | https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/ | https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/muscle-bone-and-joints/conditions/gout | https://www. versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/arthritis/ | https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/ conditions/osteoarthritis/ | https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/ | https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/drugs/ | https://www.versusarthritis.org/aboutarthritis/treatments/drugs/disease-modifying-anti-rheumatic-drugs-dmards/

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G

eorge Ivil, 21, is about to finish his final year at university studying politics. He was diagnosed with enthesitis-related arthritis when he was 15. The two to three years following his diagnosis were a whirlwind and he experienced feelings of depression and loneliness which made life at home and at school difficult.

“I felt so low; I didn’t want to see or talk to anyone. My condition became severe very quickly and affected my whole body.

I started treatment, and everything went downhill.

“The side effects made me very sick and I experienced extreme weight loss and bad acne, which knocked my confidence.

I was in a lot of pain and under lots of stress physically and emotionally. I felt I had lost all my independence.

“Things improved when I changed medication. I was referred to a different hospital where I was put on Humira; this was a turning point for me.

“I had reached a point where I wanted to drop out of school. I couldn’t even watch football because it was too painful and exhausting to travel there. My head of sixth form gave me a confidence boost and talking to him really helped push me in the right direction. He reminded me that I could achieve so much. Now I want to share my story with other young people going through a similar thing.

“I think I still struggle coming to terms with having arthritis sometimes.

It can upset me when people ask about it, because I don’t want them to make any kind of judgement based on my condition. And sometimes I try to do too much despite it.

“But I think it’s so important that people understand more about the impact of this condition. I want to share my story with other young people going through a similar thing. I open up about my condition more now. My family and my girlfriend are very supportive, and my friends will often ask how I am, but not make a big deal out of it. I know they’re here for me, but it’s nice feeling like I’m not being treated differently because of my condition.”

NHS

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WITH NHSX Paul Midgley takes a look at NHSX, the NHS’ new joint organisation for digital, data and technology.

WORDS BY

Paul Midgley

N

HSX, which is designed to drive digital transformation within NHS health and social care, enabling patients and staff to benefit from the latest digital systems and technology, was officially launched in July.

NHSX, which unites teams from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England (NHSE) and NHS Improvement, will help to deliver key aspects of the NHS Long Term Plan.

These include population health strategies which will necessitate the collection and analysis of in-depth population data, to help the NHS better understand local health and social care needs, and plan and budget accordingly.

PATIENT DATA SHARING

Sharing NHS patient data with industry to help improve care has been the subject of much controversy in recent years. However, in July, it was announced that NHSX had assumed new controls in this area.

The details were revealed in guidance from DHSC, which said that NHSX would become ‘a national centre for expertise’ to provide advice to the NHS on sharing patient data. The guidance also reiterated the DHSC’s ban on trusts striking their own exclusive deals.

DIGITAL INITIATIVES

Other areas that NHSX will be involved in include supporting the uptake of digital initiatives such as Local Health and Care Records, which will be informed by the work of the five Local Health and Care Record Exemplars that were announced by NHS England last year.

NHSX will support organisations such as the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) and the Academic Health Science Networks on innovation too. Its work in this regard is expected to include the collection and analysis of patient data on the use of innovative new medical technology and drugs.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock MP, has also recently announced a new £250m fund for a National Artificial Intelligence Lab to be led by NHSX and the AAC. NHSX is also working with NHSE on the procurement of interoperable IT systems, which are essential for delivering integrated care. In August, NHSX and NHSE published a list of accredited suppliers of electronic patient record solutions, designed ‘to give purchasers in the NHS more confidence in their route to digitisation’.

Although NHSX is a new initiative and its work has only just begun, it is already instigating significant changes to help the NHS realise its digital transformation goals, particularly with regards to data.

IMPORTANT FOR PHARMA

From what we have seen so far, it will become increasingly important for pharma to understand data on local population needs and to demonstrate how it can improve outcomes for specific cohorts of patients.

This tailored, data-driven approach will be crucial in supporting the NHS in delivering integrated and proactive healthcare strategies.

Paul Midgley is part of Wilmington Healthcare’s Consulting Team.

For information on Wilmington Healthcare.

Go to www.wilmingtonhealthcare.com

NHS digital transformation: A tailored, data-driven approach to deliver measured improvement in outcomes.

Interested in supporting your NHS customer in delivering integrated healthcare?

Contact us: E: info@wilmingtonhealthcare.com W: www.wilmingtonhealthcare.com T: 01268 495600

M AG A ZI N E | O CTO B ER 2019 | 3 3

EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES Nick Saunders won the Hospital Representative Pf Award at the first Pf Awards in 2000. It directly impacted his career and he is now heading up the UK arm of Theramex, growing a new, sizeable pharmaceutical company specialising in women’s health.

WORDS BY Emma Morriss

W

hat’s your career background?

I studied Genetics at university and was keen to go into an industry where genetic knowledge could have a strong impact. A university tutor introduced me to the pharmaceutical industry, and I started my career at Procter & Gamble.

There I received some really good training, advice and since then I have developed my career through various pharma companies and roles. I moved from P&G to Warner Chilcott, then through acquisition to Actavis, a large generic company, and then onto Allergan where I ended up running the UK business for Medical Botox. From there, I took up a new challenge with Theramex.

What does Theramex do? Theramex is a newly-created pharmaceutical company.

I head up the UK business, where I am Commercial Director, my role spans multiple responsibilities, for example pricing and regulatory, which is a great new challenge. Theramex is creating a company that is focused on a woman’s health on their journey of life – so very unique. The key areas we work in are contraception, fertility, menopause and osteoporosis. We only came into existence last year, after acquiring

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

a large part of business from Teva Pharmaceuticals and have been building it further since then – which is fantastic as you don’t get many opportunities to create something from scratch. Globally, we have over 350 employees, we operate in over 50 companies and have over 20 products.

To create that in a very short space of time is a real achievement. Each day is interesting, motivating and exciting.

How has your career led to you this point?

I started my career in the field, which was great grounding. I had a territory manager role and then hospital representative before moving into key opinion leader (KOL) management. These were all very close to the customer. I spent the first seven or eight years doing customer facing roles before moving into marketing, marketing management and heading up business units in a variety of therapeutic areas working with colleagues across Europe.

What was it like to be a Pf Awards Winner?

I have my trophy in front of me. I won the Hospital Representative of the Year Pf Award at the first-ever Pf Awards.

I remember the Pf Awards Assessment Day clearly, being interviewed by the panel of independet judges. We had to do some detailing, and planning – it was quite a fun day.

P F TA L E N T

Winning the Pf Award definitely impacted on my career. It gave me external validation as well as giving wider functions in the company confidence in me

Winning the Pf Award definitely impacted on my career. It gave me external validation as well as giving wider functions of the company confidence in me. After my win, I quite quickly moved from Hospital Representative into KOL management which is where I wanted to go in my career.

The Pf Award win helped to open that door.

To be a Pf Award Winner is also very useful in interview, internally and externally. To have that recognition from industry really makes a difference.

What exciting projects have you got coming up? Everything is exciting at Theramex because we are creating something new and that has a definite potential impact on women’s lives. When I joined about 12 months ago, we had no UK organisation, it was me. We now have a team with a salesforce, marketing and matrix managing. We work with our global head office, which is based in the UK, to call on resources throughout the company. It’s genuinely exciting. It’s the most exciting thing I’ve done in my career and is a great opportunity that you don’t often get.

We’ve just launched a new product for the treatment of vulvar and vaginal atrophy in post-menopausal women having moderate to severe symptoms. It’s going really well, it’s great working in women’s health, it’s a very satisfying disease area to work in. Women’s health can be deprioritised in our healthcare system which it shouldn’t be and brings out the feminist in me.

What’s the best career advice you were given? Working for P&G, when we looked at making decisions, we talked about being

in touch with the customer, and we really made that live. That is something I carry with me in every single thing I do: the customer and patient are at the heart of every decision I make. I’ve managed many teams of marketeers and one of my mantras is that they get out in front of the customer and have to be close to the customer to be able to do their job. It can sometimes challenge my colleagues, because if our decision isn’t in touch with what the customer needs then we need to go away and do more work to make sure that it is. Strategies need to be in touch with what the customer needs, it can be disruptive, but it is crucial to deliver the results we need.

What motivates you in your role? In my current role, in addition to everything I’ve already said, I find challenging the status quo very motivational. Because we have a blank sheet of paper at Theramex, we’re not doing what pharma has always done. We’re finding new ways of doing things. For example, we have lots of virtual elements to our company, including the way we work with experts externally.

What does the future hold for you and your career? It’s very hard to think beyond what I’m doing now. We have a small business in the UK, which is worth a couple of million pounds, but we want to really grow that to be a great deal more. From a new business development point of view, we have the ambition to do that: lead the company and a great team of people on that journey to positively impact on the health of women throughout their lives. Nick Saunders is Commercial Operations (UK) and Brand Director at Theramex. Go to www.theramex.com The Pf Awards 2020 are open for nominations.

Go to www.pfawards.co.uk

M AG A ZI N E | O CTO B ER 2019 | 35

FROM GOOD TO EXCELLENT Pf Awards 2019 Cross-Functional Team Award winners, Katrina Lyons and Sue Foster, share their perspective on life at LEO Pharma.

C

ongratulations on your Pf Awards win.

How did you feel when your names were called out?

Overwhelmed, shocked, delighted!

We were both looking up at the board at the names of the other finalists in our category and we felt proud to be a finalist. To see our names announced felt incredible!

What made you enter the Pf Awards 2019 and how did LEO Pharma support you?

Katrina: I have worked at LEO Pharma for 11 years and wanted to get a different perspective on my work. I entered the Pf Awards as it gives you a chance to be judged for the genuine difference you have made to patients.

Sue: Katrina and I had the full support of our LEO Pharma colleagues in entering the Pf Awards. We had received internal recognition for our success, but we knew we were doing something different and we wanted to take that forward to the Pf Awards.

Tell me about your work and what do you think made you stand out? Both: When LEO Pharma launched its first dermatology biologic we were determined to take ‘good’ to ‘excellent’, and we recognised that to do this we had to take a different approach. In the account we presented we had to make changes to how the drug was delivered and this became everyone’s priority across the business: Procurement, Market Access, Supply Chain, Marketing, Medical, and our Regional Business Manager were all behind us to ensure that treatment for patients was not delayed. The accountability was with us to do this but as a team, we changed a process within 24 hours, something that had never been done in this region before.

LEO Pharma’s different approach to the biologic arena made a huge difference and we had flexibility which allowed us to be agile and responsive to overcome challenges. The patient getting the drug without delay was our number one priority.

One of the things that made us stand out is our working relationship. We knew to grow we had to be open to taking each

We pioneer We pioneer by looking beyond today to constantly improve and extend what’s possible for the benefit of people living with skin conditions Want to know more about LEO Pharma?

Visit www.leo-pharma.co.uk LEO Pharma, Horizon, Honey Lane, Hurley, Berks, SL6 6 RJ © LEO LEO Pharma UK June 2019 ALL LEO TRADEMARKS MENTIONED BELONG TO THE LEO GROUP UK/MAT-26113

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

other’s feedback. We would sit in on each other’s calls then consider how we could turn a good call into an excellent one by coaching each other to get even better.

Sometimes it’s easy to think you are good at your job and that you don’t need help.

We have both been in the industry for a long time but we wholeheartedly embraced feedback from one another to make sure we pulled in the right direction to ensure patients had access. Although we had a fantastic year, we still reflected on what we could have done to make it even better.

During our presentation to the judges, we said that our initial approach to the account was wrong. However, good communication and transparency meant we were able to change our approach to the account.

What does the Pf Award win mean to you? Both: It’s very easy to just look at sales and where you rank internally and, of course, this makes you proud, but sales don’t always tell you the full picture. Winning this Pf Award shows we have done a great job delivering for patients and our customers.

WINNING THIS PF AWARD SHOWS WE HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB DELIVERING FOR PATIENTS AND OUR CUSTOMERS

INTERVIEW BY Emma Morriss

► From L to R: Pierre van Weperen, Katrina Lyons, Sue Foster and Pf Awards 2019 host, Hugh Dennis

What do you hope this will do for your career? Katrina: Entering the Pf Awards wasn’t about winning something that could be added to our CV. It was about getting the recognition for finding a new way of working that delivered the best results for people living with severe psoriasis and achieving that success is intangible.

Sue: Winning the Pf Award has given us a real confidence boost and recognition that our way of working delivers results for patients. We are part of the prestigious Pf Award Winners Club and national top performers in our respective fields and it feels great!

What do you like best about the pharma industry and LEO Pharma?

Katrina: What I like most about LEO Pharma is that you aren’t a number on a payroll.

People genuinely care about you and your development and do everything they can to support you to help more people access the most appropriate medicine and support for their conditions.

Sue: Within the pharmaceutical industry, we are fortunate to have access to great resources and investment into our personal development, something I haven’t seen in other industries. LEO Pharma has a dedicated team to support learning and development and a lot of the skills we learn through the business can be taken and applied to the personal arena as well.

Katrina and Sue were Pf Award Winners 2019. To watch their winners’ interviews and find out how to enter Pf Awards 2020 go to www.pfawards.co.uk M AG A ZI N E | O C TO B ER 201 9 | 37

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

Hannah Alderton

HEALTHCARE

AGENCY

Lord Kakkar

Roger Kilburn

Lord Ajay Kakkar, a leading clinical academic and crossbench member of the House of Lords, has been appointed Chair of The King’s Fund.

Lord Kakkar has over 30 years’ experience as a clinician and an academic and is currently Chairman of UCL Partners academic health science partnership.

Arcinova, a multi-service contract development and manufacturing organisation, has appointed Roger Kilburn as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Prior to his most recent position as CEO of IBioIC, Roger worked for Johnson Matthey and ICI in business leader positions.

HEALTHCARE

Dr June Raine PHARMA

Dr Søren Bregenholt Macrophage Pharma Limited has appointed Dr Søren Bregenholt as Chief Executive Officer. Dr Michael Moore, Macrophage Pharma’s Chairman, said: “Søren’s outstanding track record from executive positions in both biotech and pharma, as well as his extensive expertise and insight in immunology, will be invaluable as we further develop and commercialise our proprietary Esterase Sensitive Motif ™ platform.”

3 8 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

Dr June Raine is interim Chief Executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Dr Raine has held different licensing and post-licensing roles and been Director of MHRA’s Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines division since 2006.

Her extensive experience includes chairing the European Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee on behalf of the European Medicines Agency for six years.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

PHARMA

Marianne De Backer Bayer has appointed Marianne De Backer PhD as the new Head of Business Development and Licensing of its Pharmaceuticals Division. Dr De Backer will lead Bayer’s external pharmaceutical growth strategy and activities globally in all key areas of pharmaceutical innovation and alliance management. She joins Bayer from Johnson & Johnson where she spearheaded Business Development activities across different therapeutic areas and geographies.

Distinctly different.

PHARMA

Andy Holgate Alveo Solutions has appointed Andy Holgate as Director of Business Development.

Andy will be spearheading the client communication of Alveo Solutions’ mission to improve the quality of interactions with customers.

PHARMA

Dr Anthony Grosso

HEALTHCARE

Zameer Choudrey Zameer Choudrey, Chief Executive of the Bestway Group, Well Pharmacy’s parent company, has been appointed to the House of Lords. The appointment is in recognition of his contributions to Britain’s domestic and foreign trade.

Dr Anthony Grosso is the new Head of Scientific Affairs at Accord Healthcare Europe. Dr Grosso will be responsible for overseeing Accord’s strategy for sustained patient access to innovative, added- value, cost-effective and critical medicines. He has previously held senior public and commercial roles at UCL Hospitals and Medical Director and Vice President level positions within medical affairs.

We specialise in Pharmaceutical and Healthcare careers.

Please get in touch to find out what we can do for you.

0131 553 6644 chasepeople.com connect@chasepeople.com

M AG A ZI N E | O CTO B ER 2019 | 39

CAREERS

HOW TO WRITE THE BEST PHARMA CV When it’s time to move on, writing the best pharma CV is the first step in getting noticed. WORDS BY Amy Schofield

TOP TIPS FOR CV SUCCESS

Be accurate and concise (max 3 pages in a clear well-presented font)

Follow a clear flow

Show your past achievements and how they are relevant to the job you are applying for

I

n a competitive recruitment market such as pharmaceutical sales, sending out any old CV just won’t cut it. This is your calling card, which must showcase the best of you, your talents and achievements, and fast. Recruiters reportedly take just seconds to decide if a candidate’s CV is worth reading past the first few lines, so you need to create a document that will make hiring managers sit up and take notice.

“A standout CV is clear and concise with logical and continuous career progression, with any employment gaps explained, and contains impressive achievements under each role,” says Hannah Hall, Pharma Sales Recruitment Consultant at Carrot Pharma.

“As a recruitment consultant looking at numerous CVs every day, bullet points of achievements under each role with key achievements highlighted in bold stands out the most to me.”

A concise and honest personal opening statement that grabs the attention of the reader for all the right reasons is essential. Daniel Everitt, Recruitment Partner at Star, says: “To reflect aspirations, an opening statement which is well articulated and relevant for the role applied for is a good idea; but be realistic that it matches experience and qualifications gained so far.”

It’s likely that the recruiter will have many applications to consider, so it’s vital to not just list what you’ve done. You need to demonstrate to the recruiter exactly what impact your work has had, and what specific benefits you will bring to the new role.

“To make your CV really stand out; ensure you include relevant measurable achievements and responsibilities in similar roles to which you are applying,” advises Sam Scarfe, Recruitment Consultant at Evolve. “Don’t overcomplicate things and try to list these as bullet points to make it easily digestible. Having a recent successes section towards the top of your CV will allow you to sell yourself early on when being reviewed by a recruiter or recruiting manager.”

Hannah advises highlighting your career goals by specifically aligning them to the job you’re applying for: “Show your career aspirations through your key achievements under each role; for example if you are an aspirational manager you can highlight any coaching, training or leadership experience you’ve had in your previous roles,” she says. “It’s important that a CV is well written, clear and strikes the right balance between being detailed enough to capture relevant qualifications and experience, while at the same time concise enough to stand out and draw the viewer’s attention,” adds Daniel. “Achievements should be bullet-pointed, ideally backed up by a tangible outcome.

For example, a sales-based achievement listing sales figures achieved or a clear outcome of a project.”

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Don’t overcomplicate it!

4 0 | P H A R M A FI EL D.CO.U K

“It’s essential to easily explain your track record and give a clear insight into your career history.

It’s best to avoid providing more general information that does not highlight what really matters to a recruiting manager,” adds Sam. “Providing specific and relevant information will better your chances and will avoid complicating the key facts.”

Daniel advises keeping it to the point, and remember to check and double check the document for any errors: “Definite no-nos include waffle (be clear and concise), spelling mistakes, or fonts or margins that are out of sync.” Go to www.carrotpharma.co.uk, www.evolvecouk.com and www.starmedical.co.uk

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