Driving growth through patient focus

Dr Dennise Broderick, President and Managing Director of Galen (a member of the Almac Group), explains her commitment to driving growth with a strong focus on the customer and the patient.

Article published in : www.chemicalsknowledgehub.com, June/July 2019. 

Galen, a Northern Irish based pharmaceutical company, has an established commercial infrastructure in the US and UK, and reports sales globally. Key to this success has been a commitment to driving growth through licensing, acquisition and partnership. Dr Dennise Broderick joined Galen in September 2018, continuing an extensive career that included senior roles at IPSEN Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer and other companies across Europe. We spoke to her about her vision for Galen and her thoughts on the industry.

Q: What makes Galen such a good place for you right now?
Established in 1968, Galen is unique in that it is owned by the McClay Foundation so it remains completely private. I was attracted to the company’s vision of being customer-driven, innovative and quality-focused. Those values align with my own, which made the opportunity attractive.

Q: You were quoted in January as saying your goal is ”to strengthen our vision to make Galen a successful global pharmaceutical company with a strong focus on the customer and the patient”. How will you achieve this?
We need to increasingly focus on outcomes, which prove our impact and value as a company within an evolving and highly regulated environment. Part of that is emphasizing transparency. Being transparent in our actions is an important factor in building and maintaining confidence and trust with the general public and in demonstrating the integrity of our interactions and relationships with healthcare professionals and healthcare organizations.

Q: How does being part of the Almac Group help Galen?
Galen was the original business established 50 years ago by Sir Allen McClay, Almac’s Founder. It has evolved as a result of organic growth and timely product acquisitions. The relationship with Almac Group enables us to leverage many benefits and gives us the ability to focus 100% on our commercial operations. For example, we benefit from the Group’s centralized supporting functions and from manufacturing a number of our own pharmaceutical products through Almac (e.g. our Laxido product range).

Q: Galen covers an interesting range of therapeutic areas – is the broad scope a deliberate strategy?
Historically, the strategy has been broad because Galen’s ability to grow existing and new markets is largely unparalleled. We have the skillset and resources to streamline work and stay agile. Due to our established commercial infrastructure in multiple markets, we can execute a go-to-market plan quickly.
Galen’s search for US-centric opportunities is focused on branded products that could be incorporated into our sales and marketing activities. In the UK, we are looking to build our Trustsaver offering, where we work in partnership with healthcare professionals, patients and payers, by offering branded products with a cost saving to the NHS.

Q: A couple of years ago there were concerns about a lack of innovation in Pharma. However, the tide appears to be turning – do you agree that this the case and what could explain it?
I have witnessed the incline in innovation, particularly in the last few years – in my opinion it could be explained by two key elements. First, the increase in collaborative partnerships between pharma companies and traditional contract manufacturing organizations facilitates solutions with increased, readily available capacity, resource and capability. Second, the implementation of new technology solutions speeds up processes that traditionally were slow due to strict internal procedures. Creative, adaptable and digital methods have enabled companies to shift to more dynamic, responsive and customized solutions.

Q: How does Galen bring added value to its international partners?
Because we combine innovation with development, and partner with manufacturers to position their products paired with competitive pricing, we create real, long-term value. Our tenure and relationships are key to our teams’ competitive advantage, which allows us to support our partners successfully.
As we celebrate our 50th year in business, I am excited for our future plans as we continue to drive Galen’s success and build upon our reputation for being the partner of choice to launch pharmaceuticals.

What does Dr Broderick say about being a ‘Woman in Science’?
The men and women with whom I’ve worked have been exemplary mentors. Business is about people – all people – and it’s my intention to create possibilities for my team to generate the greatest impact available in an industry that is fixated on advancing human health.
Being blind to gender or other attributes is not advantageous
in my opinion, as we must celebrate diversity in all its forms, rather than simply being respectful. Having a multitude of individuals with unique backgrounds at the table mitigates financial risks, enhances collaboration and ultimately produces better results for companies in all industries.