The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the pharma business
Dermtek's Michel Lavoie gives insight into the family business (400 words, 2 min)
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“We've definitely seen an increase in demand, an increase in demand for products, good efficacy, easy to find dermal cosmetic products,” said Michel Lavoie, president of Dermtek Pharma in Montreal, Canada’s first wholly-owned family business specializing in dermatological products.
Speaking on the National Pharmaceutical Congress podcast, Lavoie (photo below) detailed Dermtek’s conception and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the business.
The story of Dermtek began in 1985, when Lavoie’s father, Bob, had a vision of creating Canada’s first family business specializing in dermatology and over-the-counter products.
“He decided with my mom’s help to start Dermtek in the basement of the family home and so he gives up a well-paying job, sells his small sports car and sailboat, remortgages the house and takes a bank loan,” said Lavoie.
“My sister and I have been following our parents’ footsteps since 2017 now. The business is celebrating its 37th year, which is incredible to believe in an industry dominated by multinationals. So, we're very proud to say that today we employ 26 amazing people and we're quite relevant in the industry,” Lavoie said.
The pandemic has had an influence on the day-to-day operations of Dermtek. In addition to slower shipping times, Lavoie said “we were faced with multiple backorders, shortages of raw product: active ingredients, components, bottles, caps from overseas. The production of finished goods takes more time.” In terms of workspace, Dermtek has benefitted from allowing some of its staff to work remotely. “We’ve managed to maximize some of the empty office space and actually use it for storage in some cases,” said Lavoie.
Lavoie also mentioned the company’s perspective on business correspondence during the pandemic. “We’ve tried to replace emails with phone calls. There’s a lot of times where a quick email is easy, but there’s also something to be said about speaking to someone over the phone.”
Lavoie emphasized the importance of connecting with customers as well. “Customer relations, customer service has always been extremely important to us. You know, a quick follow-up has always been our mantra.”
When considering the future of the life sciences industry, Lavoie said “Human beings have evolved over thousands of years. The development of medicines will continue year after year. It's truly amazing how far we've come, to be quite honest, in such a short time, from discovering hydrocortisone to the latest medicines and therapies. It's truly remarkable. I'm more optimistic than ever that the best is yet to come.”
THIS WEEK 05/24/22
CanSino Biologics (CanSinoBIO) announced that the World Health Organization has granted an Emergency Use Listing for Convidecia, CanSinoBIO's Recombinant Novel Coronavirus Vaccine (Adenovirus Type 5 Vector). This vaccine can be stably transported and stored between 2°C and 8°C, making it more accessible to developing countries with insufficient storage facilities and medical resources.
Mitsubishi Pharma announced that the U.S. FDA has approved Radicava ORS, an oral form of edaravone, for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. According to the news release, Radicava ORS offers the same efficacy as intravenous edaravone.
The FDA has approved Mounjaro (tirzepatide) injection, a once-weekly GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist indicated to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes in combination with a healthy diet and regular exercise routine.
Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland will provide public drug plan reimbursement for Teva Canada's AJOVY, a subcutaneous injection developed for the preventive treatment of migraine in adults who have at least four migraine days per month.
LISTEN NOW
In Season Seven of the NPC Podcast, Jim Hall, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Covis Pharma, talks about teaching online classes, keeping employees focused during the pandemic and learning leadership skills from mentors. Hear him in conversation with podcast co-hosts Mitch Shannon, Jim Shea and Mark McElwain.
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. NPC Healthbiz Weekly will acknowledge one past Hall of Fame Honouree each week.
2006 Inductee
Susanne Cookson
Burlington, Ont.
Editor’s Note: Susanne is President and Co-Founder at BestLifeRewarded Innovations Inc. as well as President at Cookson James Loyalty Inc.
A genuine compassion for people and a unique ability to inspire others are just two of the reasons why Susanne Cookson is considered such a valuable industry asset. And these characteristics have served her well in her 18-year journey to the position she has today, Senior Product Manager for Boehringer Ingelheim’s blockbuster CV drug, Micardis.
Cookson’s journey has indeed been an interesting one, starting with her first job in 1987 as a Cardiology Technologist for McKellar General Hospital in Thunder Bay, Ont. A number of progressive positions followed, including Manager of the Cardio-Respiratory Department at Milton District Hospital and Manager, ECG Department at Etobicoke General Hospital, a series of jobs that provided her with the invaluable opportunity to work “one on one with patients... and to be able to help them in some small way.”
Having spent nine years on the hospital side, however, Cookson felt she was ready for a change which would soon present itself as a job in health promotion at the Heart & Stroke Foundation. The role would prove to be an excellent “grooming ground” for the aspiring marketer who got a taste of government lobbying and designing healthcare strategies that helped change how stroke was managed in Canada.
Always looking for a challenge, Cookson felt she was “missing something”. As she recalls: “It was either go into government health promotion or the private sector and see if I could make a difference there.” Deciding on the latter, she determined that the company she would work for would be “a company that was ethical, and I had to work on a product I felt passionate about.”
The ideal opportunity arose at Ortho Biotech, where Cookson’s expertise was put to good use by creating educational programs and advocacy workshops to help patients gain equitable access to Eprex, a biologic for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. She took another role to gain further experience with the sister company of Ortho Biotech, Janssen Ortho, as Specialty Sales Representative for the CNS products Risperdal and Concerta, and this would be her last at the company when an earlier resolution to achieve a “better work/life balance” became a reality. “I wanted to be closer to home,” says Cookson, who was spending up to three hours a day commuting from her home in Burlington, Ont. to Don Mills.
A move to Boehringer Ingelheim over a year and a half ago has been an absolutely positive move both personally and professionally, she says. Cookson set her sights on “a good, ethical company to work for; together with the desire to work on a product that is both going to significantly help patients and with enough of a lifecycle to be a challenging marketing experience”, and says her goals have been achieved working on the Micardis brand.
These days, Cookson is committed to leading her team in preparation for the launch of “the largest cardiovascular trial ever.” The ONTARGET trial, conducted in conjunction with McMaster University in Hamilton, has over 30,000 patients worldwide and will compare the efficacy of the ACE inhibitor ramipril vs. Micardis, as well as looking at the efficacy of a combination of the two drugs.
“I’ve never treated a job as if it’s a job—it’s part of me,” she adds. “I tend to seek out things that are challenging and of a high level of importance to me. I think it started with being afforded opportunities, starting with the not-for-profit area, and seeing what was possible and how you can really affect change with what you do. I guess that’s always followed me.”
NEXT WEEK
In the 05/31 edition of the NPC Healthbiz Weekly, David Renwick, General Manager of Emergent Biosolutions, talks about how his time as a consultant affected his career journey, how the pandemic changed the office and dealing with Covid-19 alongside the opioid crisis. 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.