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Profile
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1/4/2011
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Pharmacy reflections
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Pascal Brenneisen, Country Head of Sandoz UK,
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Pascal Brenneisen, Country Head of Sandoz UK, talks to Pharmacy Business about his career, the UK pharmacy sector, the role of community pharmacists and the future direction of the industry...
Tell us about your first job...
My first job, funnily enough, was in the pharmaceutical industry. I joined Ciba as a junior product manager for a product called Foradil. I joined the pharmaceutical industry by interest and by the fact that the European Free Trading Association (EFTA) dissolved in the 80s. The consequence was that, as a lawyer, I wanted to work internationally but I realised that there were hardly any opportunities as Switzerland was part of EFTA and not yet part of the European Union going forward. I looked for ways to get into business in economics and my biggest interest was to get into the pharmaceutical industry.
What attracted you to the pharmaceutical industry?...
What attracted me most was the opportunity where I could offer help to patients and look for ways as an organisation to develop treatments for our patients.
When you started out as a lawyer did you envisage running one of the big divisions of Sandoz?...
I'm just running part of Sandoz, Sandoz UK right. My intention was always to learn more and have an opportunity to add different kinds of tasks to my backpack and go forward.
What is your assessment of the UK pharmacy sector?...
UK pharmacy acts very professionally in deaing with patients' requirements and regularly understanding what the patient needs. It was interesting for me to see health and allergy screenings, the medicines usage reviews and professional smoking cessation activities, as well as home deliveries, which are just a few example which prove that pharmacists offer solutions for individual patients beyond the traditional role of pharmacies you might see in other countries.
Does pharmacy have a more important role in England as opposed to other countries you have worked in?...
The pharmacist is growing beyond just trading and selling in the United Kingdom. They are looking at health and allergy screenings and these are very good examples of how they are linked to the patients' requirements.
What's your assessment of the UK generics market place?...
The UK market is very competitive, with a high generic prescription rate, one of the higest in Europe, which offers patients access to affordable medicines. Upcoming patent expirations and commodity and generics offer further opportunity to expand into new therapeutic areas of high competition. What is also interesting is that the top four generic companies cover over 60% of sales in a non-concentrated market with over 30 competitors. Our perception is that consolidation will have to come.
What was the rationale behind the restructuring of your management team at Sandoz UK and how will it affect the pharmacist?...
How to become a better customer-centric organisation which can better serve the needs and requirements of our patients and offer professional support to pharmacists, doctors and hospitals based on close collaboration with our colleagues at the Novartis Group. That was a key driver. Together with Novartis Pharma, Consumer Health and Vaccines & Diagnostics, Sandoz offers patients access to a large portfolio range of medicines from affordable to innovative products. So to simplify access to medicines and services the pharmacist will see product offerings from across the range of the Novartis Group, as well as specific tailor-made services which will help to better recommend incremental solutions to the patients. We aim at becoming the generics partner of choice in the UK.
There has been much consolidation in the market over the last few years. Will there be more? Does Sandoz have any plans on this front?...
We can expect further industry consolidation as companies look for greater economies of scale and more specialised knowledge and expertise. Originator pharmaceutical companies are also increasingly investing in setting up in-house generic business units. Sandoz is the second largest global generics company and will remain a global leader. We cannot, however, comment on any specific plans.
'At Sandoz we understand the important role pharmacists play in supporting patients and their needs. We plan to develop programmes which are tailor-made to the pharmacists’ needs so they can better serve patients,' Pascal Brenneisen, Country Head of Sandoz UK
You are the number two generics manufacturer in the world but number four in the UK. How do you plan to increase your market share? Which sectors will you be focusing on?...
We intend to significantly grow our share. We are already making good inroads with the national chains. Growth will be based on improving our portfolio offering by building upon our position as the pioneer and global leader in biopharmaceuticals and our expertise in producing difficult-to-manufacture products while leveraging close commercial collaborations with our Novartis colleagues. We will also focus on building long-term, sustainable relationships with all our customers. Over the next five years there are some £2.8bn of branded drugs coming off patent.
What is Sandoz doing to capitalise on this?...
Sandoz does not disclose the details of its product pipeline. That said, we can say that Sandoz has become a global generics leader due to its ability to capitalise on market opportunities, realise synergies across its business and deliver a broad and quality product portfolio to patients worldwide. The OTC generics market has seen quite a bit of activity of late.
How key are community pharmacists to your business?...
We believe that community pharmacists are key to the healthcare system and their local communities and therefore important partners to our business. They have also begun to play a key role in diagnostic and preventative medicine in line with national and local disease programmes. As such, their roles will bring community pharmacists closer to GPs and other healthcare professionals.
The role of pharmacists is becoming crucial in your interaction with patients who use your products. How do you connect with the profession and what specifically are you doing to support them?...
At Sandoz we understand the important role that pharmacists play in supporting patients and their needs. We plan to develop programmes which are tailor-made to the pharmacists’ needs, so that they can better serve patients.
You state that part of your strategy is to make Sandoz the partner of choice for pharmacists. How do you propose doing this?...
We have identified several strategic pillars upon which to further grow our business, which include, among others, our portfolio offering, Sandoz’s strong and renowned brand and close commercial collaborations with Novartis Group across all business units. We are interested in building long-term sustainable commercial relationships.
Can you briefly explain your route to market?...
Our route to market is a broad approach through national accounts, selective short-line wholesalers and a retail scheme. In additional we have a strong biopharmaceutical and oncology injectable portfolio which we sell through hospitals and home care channels.
Do you support pharmacists in any form of training?...
Sandoz provides pharmacists with all necessary information related to our products. Based on some pharmacist feedback, however, we also recognise a wider need for training, from professional development to business skills, and are exploring how we could additionally support pharmacists in these areas.
'Closer alignment with Novartis' – how does this translate in practical terms?...
As a practical example, Sandoz has moved its offices from Bordon to Frimley where other Novartis divisions are located. This allows us to interact daily and share various customer insights, which helps to further identify and understand pharmacist needs. From a commercial point of view, Novartis Pharma currently co-promotes Adoport, the generic version of Prograf, offering the patient access to the full range of immunosuppressants available in the market. As part of a larger group, we work together to identify a range of different commercial opportunities for bringing new products and services to the market.
What’s your view of generic substitution? Do you think it can work and will it be good for pharmacy?...
Sandoz’ main goal is to broaden world-wide access to quality healthcare and generic substitution allows patients to benefit from access to more affordable quality medicines. However, it is key that healthcare professionals, doctors and pharmacists, have the final say on what is appropriate for their patients.
What makes Sandoz different from its competitors? From a pharmacist’s point of view what makes you different?...
Sandoz, as the second largest global generic company and part of the Novartis Group, offers a wide range of high-quality, affordable products that are no longer protected by patents, with international access to over 1,000 compounds. These include core therapeutic areas such as antibiotics, central nervous system disorders, gastrointestinal medicines, cardiovascular treatments, oncology and hormone therapies.
There is also a strong portfolio of value-added differentiated products, such as biosimilars and oncology injectables, and innovative technologies and delivery systems to market, beyond traditional generic products.
What more can pharmacists do to better serve their patients and improve their business?...
UK pharmacists are professional in dealing with patient requirements, have a very good understanding of the patient needs and are in the best position to comment on how they can further improve their business.
Do you have any plans to reduce the number of wholesalers who supply your products along the lines of branded manufacturers?...
For competitive reasons, we do not disclose such plans. Sandoz does, however, believe in a broad approach through national accounts, selective short-line wholesalers and a retail scheme based on a long-term, sustainable business model.
Pharmacists look for reliability in service and supply, a broad range and a good price from their suppliers. How does Sandoz rate on each of these fronts?...
Sandoz UK offers products at competitive prices while we continue to drive the extension of our current product portfolio range. We are looking for sustainable longterm business partners. We believe as well that tailormade and reliable services to support the pharmacists' and patients' needs are a core part of any business partnership.
What is your view of the Government's £140m clawback and what would you advise pharmacists to do when they are faced with an average of £13k loss in revenue?...
Pharmacists form a vital part of the health service and are an essential contributor to the local communities. We understand as well the pressure on the health budget and believe that further substitution of branded products by their generic equivalents is a much better way to save cost, leading to an increased access of of affordable medicines for all patients without impacting health outcomes. As such, we would not want these measures to lead to a reduction of pharmacists contribution and would therefore suggest to the community pharmacist to engage with their local PCT and/or PBC with an aim to get patient services commissioned.
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