Building a life sci business during Covid-19
Without a playbook, Christine Lennon of Incyte Biosciences Canada has relied on those around her to help get the new affiliate off the ground during a global pandemic (600 words, 4 min. read)
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In April, while many were in the process of closing offices and moving to work-from-home setups due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Christine Lennon joined Incyte Biosciences as its Canadian general manager tasked with opening the company’s first affiliate in Canada.
Incyte is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on finding solutions for unmet medical needs through the discovery, development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics.
Though Lennon has over 25 years of experience in Pharma on her resume, including her role as president and CEO of Epigene Therapeutics, Lennon was entering unfamiliar territory when it came to the launch of Incyte.
“I have never built a company, started a company or a department during a pandemic,” said Lennon (photo below) on a recent episode of the “NPC Podcast,” a program for Pharma executives hosted by Peter Brenders, founder and president of Kontollo Health. (Listen to the episode here.)
“The touch-points of onboarding, your headquarters, meeting physicians, going to conferences, meeting members of patient associations, even interviewing your candidates face to face—that's not in the cards right now,” Lennon continued.
“We are doing what we can do to try to be as efficient as possible to still be bringing life-saving medicines to Canadian patients, [but] everything is different.”
In addition to building the company’s Canadian affiliate from an advisory board to discussions with regulators, Lennon has also had to deal with getting medicine to patients and introducing new products to a Canadian market.
While juggling multiple tasks during the pandemic, Lennon has also developed strategies for dealing with the challenging times.
“It is still a wonderful opportunity to be given this opportunity and challenge to build the business in Canada. It's doing things a little differently and we are all in the same boat of having to manage. Thank God for technology, I am not sure where we would be without it,” Lennon explained.
“To some extent, some things are a bit slower because we can't bump into somebody in the hallway or hope to meet them that way. I have not been able to get back to my company's headquarters, which are based in the U.S. It is different, not going to say otherwise. We are all trying to do the best we can. If we focus on being as expedient as possible, to be able to get medicines to the patients that need them, regardless of what disease area they are in, regardless of what country they are in. If we keep people focused on that, which is what I've been trying to do, we are able to move things forward.”
Though Lennon has faced issues while launching the company’s Montreal operation, she hasn’t had to look far for help over the past five months.
Incyte had more than 1,500 employees worldwide in offices in the U.S., Japan and the European Union prior to its Canadian launch.
Relying on her own good judgment as well as people’s goodwill has been essential for Lennon during the pandemic.
“People have been both internally very generous with their time and help,” Lennon said. “I think the notion that we are all in this together is a fact. I would also like to point out that my colleagues in Canada like [Brenders], and others have been warm and helpful and trying to put me in touch with other people who have also started businesses in Canada.
“People have been super generous with their time.”
The takeaway: Lennon’s message for others launching a business during a pandemic is to continue to listen and be able to adapt. Additionally, she recommends using your network to your advantage. “Where there’s a will, largely there is a way,” Lennon said.
Further reading: Pharma isn’t the only industry where launching a startup during the global pandemic has come with a new set of challenges. BNN Bloomberg spoke with Canadian-born entrepreneur Jared Gutstadt about his latest venture, Audio Up, a new podcast platform launched during Covid-19. Story here.
YOUR HEALTHBIZ WEEK 09/22/20
Illumina Inc. announced on Monday that it is buying cancer screening startup Grail Inc. in a cash-and-stock deal worth $8 billion, buying out investors such as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Grail is currently developing a liquid biopsy, a blood test to diagnose cancers in early stages when the disease is easier to treat.
Eli Lilly announced interim trial data showed its experimental antibody treatment reduced the need for hospitalization and emergency room visits for patients with moderate Covid-19 symptoms. The mid-stage study tested three different doses of LY-COV555, an antibody treatment designed to recognize and lock onto the novel coronavirus and prevent the infection from spreading.
According to British drugmaker, AstraZeneca, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended the approval of Lynparza for patients with a form of prostate cancer as well as a first-line maintenance treatment for a form of advanced ovarian cancer. Monday’s recommendation for approval from the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use comes after Lynparza won EU approval for treating a form of pancreatic cancer.
Pfizer says participants given the company’s experimental Covid-19 vaccine or a placebo in an ongoing late-stage study were showing mostly mild-to-moderate side effects. In a presentation to investors the company said the side effects included fatigue, headache chills and muscle pain. Additionally, some participants in the trial experienced fevers.
A saliva-based Covid-19 test is likely to be available this fall, according private and public health officials. While many methods are currently under consideration, a test designed by Kanata, Ont.-based DNA Genotek appears to be the front-runner for a national roll out, according to The Canadian Press. The saliva-based approach was designed in conjunction with researchers The Ottawa Hospital, the University of Ottawa and the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg. The device is awaiting Health Canada approval for use beyond research purposes.
14th ANNUAL NATIONAL PHARMA CONGRESS UPDATE
Chronicle Companies is honoured to host the 14th Annual National Pharmaceutical Congress, a virtual series of weekly webinars. As Canada's largest stage for leaders in the pharmaceutical industry, the Congress presents industry reflections, ideas, and innovations. The Congress has been attended by more than 200 delegates every year and is an opportunity to learn and reflect with the industry's most prominent thought leaders and visionaries. Organized in cooperation with Pangaea Consultants. (Hot tip: NPC Healthbiz Weekly readers get an additional 20% discount on registration fees by using the code NPC20. Just $319 plus HST for the three-day series. Bursariesmay be available for students, retirees and transitioning executives. Contact us for details.)
This scheduled agenda
Wednesday 10/21 11:00 am to 1:00 pm EST
Session 1: Career Advice in the Post-Covid Life Science
Sponsored by ImpresSession 2: Industry Role and Partnerships: Have They Changed Through Covid-19
Sponsored by Digital Partners
Wednesday 10/28 11:00 am to 1:00 pm EST
Session 1: Future External Deployments, Structures and Skill Sets
Sponsored by Shoppers Specialty RxSession 2: Patient Centricity: What Does It Mean in Action?Sponsored by McKesson Canada
Wednesday 11/04 11:00 am to 1:00 pm EST
Session 1: How Do We Launch Products Post Covid-19
Sponsored by Bayshore HealthcareSession 2: Inclusion and Diversity in a Virtual and Real-Life World
Sponsored by Ashfield Healthcare Canada
This scheduled speakers
Pamela Fralick, Innovative Medicines Canada
Andrew Casey, BIOTECanada
Jason Field, Life Sciences Ontario
Ronnie Miller, Hoffmann-La Roche
Brian Bloom, Bloom Burton
Jayne Paterson, GSK
Danielle Portnik, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals
Marissa Poole, Sanofi Genzyme
Eileen McMahon, Torys
Paul Petrelli, Jazz Pharmaceuticals
Jim Hall, Covis Pharma
Carol Stiff, Santen Pharmaceuticals
Zal Press, CADTH
Brian Canestraro, Intercept Pharmaceuticals
Sylvie Pilon, Emergent Biosolutions
Peter Brenders, Kontollo Health
David Renwick, Emergent Biosolutions
others to be announced; see updated list at pharmacongress.info
Profits from the 2020 National Pharmaceutical Congress support Sandi’s Fund for Camp Liberté. More than $50,000 has been raised for Canadian health charities through the National Pharmaceutical Congress.
Watch a “greatest hits” encore presentation from a past NPC event
CANADIAN HEALTHCARE MARKETING HALL OF FAME
The Canadian Healthcare Marketing Hall of Fame awards were established in 2002, to honour healthcare marketers who have contributed to our avocation and are an inspiration to others.
More than 100 honourees have been selected during the past 18 years. They stand for, in the view of the selection committee, a representative cross-section of the qualities that make our business unique and fulfilling. Each week, NPC Healthbiz Weekly will acknowledge one past Hall of Fame Honouree.
2015 Inductee
Sylvain Chrétien
Pediapharm Inc.
Verdun, Que.
Editor’s note: Sylvain Chrétien is now the President of Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc.
In order to be successful, a person must work hard to achieve their goals and be passionate about what they do, says Sylvain Chrétien, who has been president and CEO of Pediapharm since 2008. Chrétien, a native of Drummondville, Que., received a Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology from Université Laval in 1986. In May 2003, Chrétien completed his Executive MBA in pharmaceutical/biotechnology at Université du Québec à Montréal.
In 1989, Chrétien started his career at Nordic Laboratories as a sales representative covering general practice physicians. Within three years, Chrétien was promoted to become a specialist representative and District Sales Advisor. He was also named the Eastern Canada sales representative of the year.
“Years later, in 1994, I was recruited by Pfizer Canada and put in charge of marketing a product called Norvasc. During my four years spent working at Pfizer, Norvasc sales went from $18 million to $95 million,” Chrétien said.
“Since I consider myself an entrepreneur, I left Pfizer in 1998 and joined Biorthex Inc., as a Vice-President in sales and marketing, where I was responsible for setting up the sales and marketing operations of the company for the worldwide launch of a product called SpineCor, [an orthopedic device for scoliosis].”
Prior to leaving Biorthex Inc., SpineCor was sold in 12 countries and seven employees were reporting to Chrétien; including four from the US operations.
Chrétien said that as time passed he decided to pursue his dream of starting Pediapharm. Over the years Pediapharm has continued to grow and it now has 22 employees.
Founding Pediapharm has allowed him to combine his passion for science, health, business and children, which has been extremely rewarding, he said.
“If you want to grow and develop as a successful entrepreneur, you have to learn quickly from the lessons learned. If you give up when things are not going in the right direction, you will never move forward,” he said.
“Another key to success is surrounding yourself with great people, and paying attention to what they can bring in order to move your business to the next level.”
Chrétien has also served as the president of the Pharmaceutical Marketing Club of Quebec (PMCQ) in 1998 to 1999 and as an executive member of Bio-Quebec, an association of biotechnology firms in Quebec, from 2000 to 2002.
NEXT WEEK
The 09/29 edition of NPC Healthbiz Weekly will feature Lee Ferriera of Ferring Pharmaceuticals on how Covid-19 has changed the Pharma industry. Subscribe and have the issue sent to your phone or inbox each Tuesday at 6:00 am sharp.
Stay safe and stay on your game. We’ll see you again next Tuesday.