Supporting and sustaining the relationship between government and industry
Ronnie Miller thinks the pandemic has brought us closer (360 words, 2.5 min)
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought government agencies and the pharmaceutical industry into closer collaboration that has been of benefit to both. Going forward, this relationship needs to be maintained and strengthened and should not be allowed to wane, said Ronnie Miller, President and CEO of Roche Canada.
“The industry is willing to invest in multiple avenues in Canada, including manufacturing, clinical trials, and innovations such as precision medicine and artificial intelligence, and to build those into the healthcare system,” said Miller (photo below) at the 15th Annual National Pharmaceutical Congress. “To do this, we need cooperative interaction with government to create an ecosystem that is prepared to update those innovations.”
“Prior to the pandemic, the industry had an arm’s length relationship with government,” said Miller. “There has historically been a lack of dialogue between industry and government over many years. Much of this shifted during the pandemic, and there was a realization of the importance of a strong partnership between industry and government.”
Miller pointed out that the life sciences industry took a leadership role in providing diagnostics, therapies, and vaccines, and government became more open to engaging with industry and having constructive dialogue. Industry and government saw a shift from a transactional to a more collaborative relationship and began having discussions on broader health system societal implications.
“We hope to sustain and support long lasting partnerships beyond Covid-19,” Miller said. “The industry can provide unique expertise and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, precision medicine, digital health, and health data. We are open to collaborating with government and forming long-term partnerships to drive the future of health in Canada.”
Miller added that pharmaceutical businesses need to encourage government to broaden their focus to other disease areas, including cancer and neurological disease, to support innovation in clinical practice and build Canada’s capabilities.
“These steps will collectively ensure health system resilience for the future and enhance Canada’s international competitiveness,” he explained. “We hope this renewed partnership between industry and government continues to prosper in order to attract investment in life sciences and bring innovations of the future closer to Canadians.”
SAVE THE DATE – RONNIE MILLER DAY
The 2022 NPC Winter Webinar is fast approaching! This year’s Winter Webinar is dedicated to a celebration of the career of Roche Canada’s Ronnie Miller, a long-time NPC mainstay and a champion of the Life Sciences in Canada.
Join us in congratulating Ronnie on his retirement, and mark your calendar for Wednesday, February 9th at 10:45 am.
Want to share your best wishes for Ronnie? Leave a note on the Kudoboard.
THIS WEEK 02/01/22
Roche Canada announced that the company completed negotiations with the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) for EVRYSDI (risdiplam), a pre-mRNA splicing modifier of survival of motor neuron 2 (SMN2) developed to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in patients two months of age or older.
Organon Canada announced that the company has designated International Women's Day (IWD) on March 8 as a day to recognize the growing health disparities women face, and that have worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic. International Women's Day was celebrated for the first time by the United Nations in 1975. Since then, it has focused on accelerating gender equality.
Novavax, Inc. announced that the company has submitted a request to the U.S. FDA for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for NVX-CoV2373, their protein-based Covid-19 vaccine for adults. The EUA request is based on pre-clinical, clinical, and manufacturing-related (CMC) data, including the findings of two major pivotal clinical studies that showed an overall effectiveness of around 90% and a favourable safety profile.
Roche Canada announced that Health Canada authorized Tecentriq (atezolizumab) as monotherapy for adjuvant treatment following complete resection and no progression after platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy. That’s in adult patients with stage II to IIIA* non-small cell lung cancer whose tumours have PD-L1 expression on ≥50% of tumour cells.
LISTEN NOW
Sandra Heller, General Manager of Seagen Canada, talks about taking on the role of GM at the beginning of a pandemic, the culture of oncology, and taking advantage of unexpected learning opportunities.
She joins our co-hosts Mitch Shannon, Jim Shea and Mark McElwain, in the fifth episode of our sixth season.
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.
2007 Inductee
Isabelle Mongeau
Montreal.
Editor’s Note: Isabelle is now Country Manager at Vetoquinol Global.
Isabelle Mongeau says it was serendipity that led her to her first pharma job–in the land down under--16 years ago. After graduating in business management at the Université du Québec in Montreal, her post-university travels would take her to Melbourne, Australia, where she would carefully test the waters of an entry level marketing position at Servier. That was in the late ‘80s and “the sexy marketing jobs” were with Coca Cola, Club Med, and Air Canada, laughs Mongeau. “The pharmaceutical industry was very far from my mind.”
Six months later, however, she admits to being smitten by the industry after working on the launch of the anti-obesity drug Redux. It was a “neat” experience, says Mongeau, referring to the “very preliminary attempts at direct-to-consumer advertising,” of the marketing campaign.
By 1991, and back home in Quebec, Mongeau would expand her career at Servier’s Laval office, as a rep and five years later, product manager with a portfolio consisting of Redux and Ponderal for which she would help to develop and implement a Canadian marketing strategy. After eight years at Servier’s Quebec headquarters, the world of advertising seemed a natural move for Mongeau, so she swapped the industry side for a position as account director heading a small pharma division of Allard Johnson Communications in Montreal.
By 1998, Mongeau would start hitting her stride, landing her first big account, Viagra CHE, for which she would be charged with supporting Pfizer in the development and execution of educational strategies to prepare the market for launch. Turning impotence, a lifestyle issue surrounded by media hype, into erectile dysfunction, a legitimate medical condition, was a milestone and one of her most “significant” achievements. Indeed, by the millenium, she would parlay her experience with Viagra into a position with Pfizer Canada Inc., as Product Manager and subsequently Senior Product Manager for the brand.
“The Viagra days were probably the most fun,” recalls Mongeau. “This drug was groundbreaking in every sense of the word. We completely developed the disease for the market, and pushed direct-to-consumer to new frontiers, developing very interesting partnerships with various professional associations and the team was absolutely amazing.” Ironically, she says, at one point the Viagra brand team was almost exclusively women.
From 2004 to 2006, Mongeau would assume the role of Senior Product Manager, and Therapeutic Team Leader, implementing strategic and tactical plans for the respiratory drug, Spiriva, and the anti-infectives Vfend and Zyvoxam. She would also contribute to new product development for Eraxis and Zeven.
Today, as Pfizer Canada’s Director of Continuing Health Education and Development, Mongeau is happy to be back to “my first love.” She appreciates working with a dynamic group collaborating on partnerships with academia and other stakeholders: “It’s quality work that really fulfills a need and truly supports all our customers while also supporting the different therapeutic fields in which our corporation is involved. I’m happy to be part of it because it’s a hub right now, between sales, marketing, healthcare reform; it really creates an opportunity to network with a much broader audience than in the past, which is a lot of fun.”
She perceives that the changing healthcare environment is a challenge for everybody, but maintains, “Change can be motivating and [it] pushes me to go out of my way in order to make things good for my team, for the organization, and for the customer. Change creates opportunities, so rather than feel destabilized by change, I’m energized by it.”
NEXT WEEK
In the 02/15 edition of the NPC Healthbiz Weekly, more from the powerhouse panels of the 15th Annual National Pharmaceutical Congress. 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.