The silver lining of Covid-19
Dr. Bettina Hamelin of Ontario Genomics looks at the bright side of the pandemic (650 words, 2.8 mins.)
NPC Healthbiz Weekly is presented to you in cooperation with Peak Pharma Solutions
Though Covid-19 has changed the organization's dynamic at Ontario Genomics, the pandemic has provided the company with some silver linings, according to Dr. Bettina Hamelin.
Dr. Hamelin is the President and CEO of Ontario Genomics. The group is a not-for-profit organization that works with the province’s companies, researchers, and policymakers to support the early stages of moving genomics technologies from the lab to solve real-world problems in the clinic and industry.
Ontario Genomics collaborates with pharma companies such as Roche Diagnostics to optimize their diagnostic tests. The organization assisted Roche in identifying new heart failure biomarkers that can later become diagnostic tests.
“[The pandemic] certainly changed the dynamic in our organization in terms of how we engage with stakeholders because our work is based on engaging stakeholders,” Dr. Hamelin (photo below) said on a recent episode of the NPC Podcast, a program for Pharma executives hosted by Peter Brenders. Brenders is the General Manager of BeiGene Canada. (Listen to the episode here.)
While the organization has been forced to work from home for more than a year due to the pandemic, the situation has provided an opportunity to bring people together, said Dr. Hamelin.
“[Covid-19] has helped break down some silos,” she explained. “Ontario Genomics has been very active in creating a network in Ontario to enhance viral sequencing for Ontario. That required bringing together Public Health Ontario and several sequencing platforms operated by clinicians, data scientists, epidemiologists.
“We brought these people together who would normally work in sort of their individual environment or institutional environments. [As a result,] this crisis has brought people together because everybody wants to be part of the solution.”
Another added benefit of the pandemic has been the government’s response to research funding, Dr. Hamelin noted.
“I would say that the federal and the provincial government have put forward quite a bit of funding for research,” D. Hamelin said. “Could that funding have been a little bit more aligned? Maybe. But certainly, there is lots of funding available for all kinds of work related to Covid-19.
“I think in terms of research, silver lining, there is quite a bit of money available for research in Covid-19.”
The takeaway: Dr. Hamelin suggests that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought science, genomics and data to the forefront in the future. She cited a McKinsey report that predicts that between 2030 and 2040, roughly 60 per cent of all pharma inputs into the economy will be biological, with the root of that being genomics, proteins, modification of proteins and what researchers can do with microorganisms.
“I see genomics research providing solutions for healthier people, but also a healthier environment to combat climate change and to deal with the pollution that we are creating around ourselves,” Dr. Hamelin said. “It is an incredibly bright future that is ahead of us, and [at Ontario Genomics] we are right in the midst of it.”
Further reading: New research led by the University of California Davis and published in Scientific Reports found the genome sequencing of thousands of SARS-CoV-2 samples shows that the appearance of new coronavirus variants drives surges of COVID-19 cases. More here.
YOUR HEALTHBIZ WEEK 04/06/21
Sanofi announced an investment of approximately Cdn$925 million in a new vaccine manufacturing facility at its existing Toronto site. The investment will provide additional antigen and filling capacity for Sanofi's influenza vaccine, increasing supply availability in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The company said the new manufacturing facility would expand Canada's bio-manufacturing sector and provide industrial-scale capacity to strengthen its preparedness for future pandemics.
Servier Laboratories has been ordered to pay hundreds of millions of euros in damages and fines for selling a diabetes drug blamed for hundreds of deaths. A court in Paris found Servier guilty of manslaughter, involuntary wounding and aggravated deception. The judges' ruling said the firm hid the drug's hunger-suppressant side effects from medical regulators. The court acquitted Servier of fraud. Judges fined Servier 2.7 million euros and ordered it to pay hundreds of millions more in damages to be shared among the plaintiffs.
Bausch Health announced it is selling its stake in Egypt’s Amoun Pharmaceutical to Abu Dhabi-based ADQ for about $740 million (CAD), according to the Financial Post. The move comes as the company looks to reduce its debt. Bausch has been shedding non-core assets to pay down debt and last year announced plans to spin off its eye-care unit Bausch + Lomb into a separate company.
According to a Reuters report, Novartis’ treatment ofatumumab has received European Union approval as the first self-administered, targeted B-cell therapy for adult patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis. The Swiss drugmaker is developing and marketing the product under a license agreement with Genmab.
UPCOMING NATIONAL PHARMA CONGRESS WEBINARS
The National Pharma Congress Spring Webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12, 2021, and the Summer Webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, June 22, 2021. Be sure to watch the NPC HealthBiz Weekly for updates on the 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. 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.
2019 Inductee
Sav DiPasquale
CPDN
Mississauga, Ont.
Editor’s note: Sav was named President of the Canadian Pharmaceutical Distribution Network in 2014 - a role he currently holds.
Sav DiPasquale, President at the Canadian Pharmaceutical Distribution Network (CPDN), is often quoted as saying ‘shoot the puck,’ a motto that encapsulates his never-hesitate attitude. Before his pharmaceutical marketing career, DiPasquale worked for over 20 years in information technology (IT), an industry where he says he could hone his marketing skills. “For me, the key is that I have always been a marketer,” said DiPasquale. “I found a way to make marketing technology fun for the end-user and then when the opportunity came [where I could] make a difference in people’s lives, really take charge of business development, launching products, building winning teams or running the entire company, I found that IT became an important part of my arsenal.”
He was drawn to the pharma industry because it combined his love of technology and his passion for helping people. “I liked the fact that it was an innovative industry with breakthrough technology, focused on improving people’s lives,” said DiPasquale. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and The Executive Program from the Schulich School of Business.
Using his IT background, DiPasquale has led the charge in bringing pharmaceutical marketing online, an accomplishment that he is extremely proud of. “I was there when pharma started using the Internet. We were the leaders in using technology to market to healthcare professionals and patients,” Dipasquale said.
Bringing the OmniPod, a wireless diabetes pump, to Canada is another accomplishment that DiPasquale describes as being a great marriage of his passion and drive to help improve people's lives and his love of technology. “OmniPod was the culmination of everything: Technology, marketing, and a passionate team focussed on changing the lives of these kids so they would be free to do what they want while still managing their insulin,” said DiPasquale.
In addition to being a business leader in pharmaceutical marketing, DiPasquale has been on the Kids’ Health Links Foundation's board of directors for more than 10 years. The Foundation connects children who are isolated in hospitals using a secure social network. “The Kids’ Health Links foundation is the perfect intersection of technology, connecting people, making a difference, and giving back,” said DiPasquale. “I am proud to be part of this Foundation, filling a gap in the healthcare system.”
Currently, DiPasquale and CPDN focus on reducing overall healthcare costs using novel distribution solutions and ensuring a strong and safe supply chain for the medicines that hospitals need.
“It’s great to be part of a team that contributes every day to a world-class Canadian pharmaceutical supply chain that ensures patients get the medicines they need when they need them.”
DiPasquale said the most important thing is to be agile for those looking to start or who have just started a career in pharma. “The change is constant and relentless, so you need to be agile. Be ready to run at one hundred miles per hour and be ready to change course quickly and often,” said DiPasquale.
“But, most importantly, remember that you are ultimately helping to improve the lives of others, so enjoy the journey.”
NEXT WEEK
The 04/13 edition of NPC Healthbiz Weekly will feature Dr. Rachel Asiniwasis of the Origins Dermatology Centre in Saskatchewan, speaking about her dermatological work servicing rural and remote Indigenous communities. 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 Tuesday.