Canada’s Vaccination Status, One Year In
Mark Lievonen gives an update on the Covid-19 Vaccine Task Force (500 words, 3 min)
“I think the [vaccine] rollout is actually going quite well,” said Mark Lievonen, Co-Chair of Canada’s Covid-19 Vaccine Task Force. “Canada got off to a somewhat slow start, but we were persistent, and [now] we’ve got vaccination rates among the highest in the world.”
One year since his last appearance on the NPC Podcast, Lievonen (photo below) returned in the first episode of Season 6 with an update.
“A year ago, I would not have imagined that we would have had the success with the vaccines that we have,” he said. “We were just starting the process and it was unheard-of to have vaccines developed this quickly and rolled out this smoothly.”
“I'm surprised to some extent that the pandemic is still with us as much as it is,” he said. “The cases are more than we would have thought given a successful vaccine strategy.”
Lievonen explained that the speed at which vaccines were developed is partly why booster shots are so essential. “We lost out on certain things that can only happen over time,” he said, such as in this case, “the early work that would have been done around dosing regimen.”
“Of course, we only know the duration of protection for as long as we’ve had the vaccines in existence,” he said. “Will something last six months, a year or two years or three years? I can only tell you when we get to six months, one year, two years or three years.”
“These really are at this point in time, three dose vaccine regimes, whether you call it a three dose primary series, whether you call it two doses and a booster,” he said. “Based on what we know right now, that third dose is every bit as essential as the first two.”
Looking back, Lievonen said that communication was the biggest challenge in the vaccine rollout. “This situation is so complex and changing and there are so many voices involved,” he said. “The federal government has a role, the provinces and territories have a role, and in many provinces, local health units have a role as well.”
“Everybody says we need appropriate public health measures. I totally agree. Try to get agreement on what that means,” he said. “People wanted perfection.”
Going forward, Lievonen said that one of his key messages will be pandemic preparedness. “My concern,” he said, “is we can have a major issue, a major initiative that consumes everybody. Then it gets dealt with—and presumably Covid-19 will be dealt with at some point—and it’s easy to go back to the same old, same old and not do anything.”
Lievonen is optimistic that investments through Canada’s Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy, adopted in mid-2021 in part on the advice of the Vaccine Task Force and the Joint Biomanufacturing Subcommittee which Lievonen chaired, will help Canada be ready.
“I strongly believe that there will be more pandemics in the future. More of these kinds of issues,” he said. “So I hope that we have the preparedness in place.”
THIS WEEK 03/29/22
Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced that Health Canada has granted Marketing Authorization for the expanded use of KALYDECO (ivacaftor) in pediatric patients with the R117H mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. Patients must be at least four months of age and weigh at least five kilograms to be prescribed KALYDECO.
Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced that the U.S. FDA has approved Xelstrym (dextroamphetamine), a once-daily amphetamine transdermal patch for the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in patients six years of age and older. Xelstrym is the first transdermal amphetamine patch for ADHD to be approved by the U.S. FDA.
Montreal’s McGill University has joined Moderna's mRNA Access program, which is designed to accelerate innovation and enable new vaccines and therapies for emerging and neglected infectious diseases through collaborative research. McGill is the first Canadian university to join this initiative, which is expanding internationally.
Pfizer announced that its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine candidate, PF-06928316 or RSVpreF, received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the U.S. FDA for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in patients 60 years of age or older.
Next from our NPC Webinar series! Join panelists Leandra Wells (GSK), Peter Brenders (Beigene), Jim Shea (CCPE) and Danny Goldman (Sanofi) for a conversation about new ways of working, the pandemic’s impact on career mobility, and the skill sets individuals and teams need to navigate today’s workplace.
The Spring webinar will be held April 6 starting at 11:00am ET. Don’t miss out!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Season Six of the NPC Podcast has concluded, an ongoing exploration of Pharma’s purpose, process, and people with a diverse list of guests across eight episodes.
Podcast co-hosts Mitch Shannon, Jim Shea and Mark McElwain spoke with guests for various perspectives on career development, understanding cancer patient journeys, the impact of the pandemic on work in Pharma, and lessons from the vaccine rollout. Did you miss an episode? Catch up now!
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 vocation and inspire others.
More than 100 honourees have been selected during the past 18 years. In the selection committee’s view, they stand for 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.
2013 Inductee
Mike Egli
Oakville, Ont.
Editor’s Note: Mike is currently the Country Manager at Aspen Pharmacare Canada Inc.
Mike Egli’s career in the pharmaceutical industry has spanned 30 years and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Takeda Canada Inc. continues to enjoy his career choice. A graduate in economics from the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ont., Egli was approached by a neighbour about a pharmaceutical sales opportunity. He went for an interview at Schering Canada and began working as a sales representative for the company in the summer of 1983.
At Schering for nine years, Mike was involved with the launch of Claritin and held a number of positions including Product Manager for Claritin, Group Product Manager, and Regional Sales Manager (Atlantic Canada).
“Every two years, I was challenged with another position,” recalls Egli.
Egli joined Roche Canada in the early 1990s and oversaw the marketing of the firm’s hospital products. He was also a key player in the integration of Genentech’s portfolio into Roche. In 1997, he was hired as Director of Sales and Marketing at Byk Canada Inc. and was tasked with building the firm from scratch.
“We had to build up the sales force, hire a complete marketing department, and get a research team in place,” says Egli, who co-lead the co-promotion of the proton pump inhibitor Pantoloc (pantoprazole) with Solvay Pharma Inc. “Working with another company on a co-promotion was a learning experience.”
In 2004, Egli was promoted to General Manager, Altana Netherlands, and moved his family overseas. “Working in Europe, you are dealing with different cultures, a different pharmaceutical market, and you get more exposure to the head office and markets in other countries that are nearby,” notes Egli.
Eli's plan was to be based in the Netherlands for three to four years, but that was extended to seven years when Nycomed purchased Altana and a smooth integration was another challenge facing Egli.
When Nycomed was acquired by Takeda in 2011, Egli seized the opportunity to return to Canada to head Takeda Canada Inc. The current objective is to build awareness of the Takeda brand.
“The goal is to put Takeda on the map in Canada,” says Egli. “It is the number one [pharmaceutical] company in Japan. We have a very strong pipeline, and our aim is to successfully commercialize the assets that we have in Canada. We are launching products every year over the next few years.”
Some of the therapeutic areas that are a focus for Takeda Canada include gastroenterology, respirology, oncology, and diabetes, notes Egli.
In his spare time, Egli, a resident of Oakville, Ont., plays hockey in the winter months and enjoys golfing in the summer months.
Egli says one secret to his success in the Pharma industry has been to surround himself with talented people.
NEXT WEEK
In the 04/05 edition of the NPC Healthbiz Weekly, Dr. Ted Witek of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at U of T in conversation with our NPC podcast hosts. It’s easy to get your no-charge subscription and have the issue sent to your phone or inbox each Tuesday at 6:00 a.m. sharp.
Stay safe, stay sure, and stay on your game. We’ll see you again next week.