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European Biopharmaceutical Review
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Sean Russell talks to EBR about his business philosophy, his motivation and the future of pharmaceuticals
EBR: What was your entry point into the pharmaceutical industry?
Sean Russell: It often surprises the people who ask this question to fi
nd that I did not take the traditional route into marketing by first
‘carrying the bag’ for a drug company. In fact, my first job in the
pharmaceutical industry was at the bench of the chemistry labs in
Schering Plough’s biotechnology plant in Ireland. Having a research
background has greatly helped me in developing effective marketing
strategies for pharmaceutical outsourcing services.
Which part of your current role do you most enjoy?
Premier Research is a very dynamic and fast growing company, with a
unique combination of expertise and capabilities. I love the fact that
there is so much potential here and it feels as though we are really
only getting started. As Head of Marketing, I have the opportunity to
help direct that growth, and to shape a serviceoriented culture that
differentiates us in a fairly homogenous industry.
Which part is the most challenging?
I’ve worked for much larger organisations, and every now and then I miss
the resources available in those companies. However, all of that can be
brought in these days, and I would not trade the nimbleness of our
decision-making and the short route to the front line that I have here.
How would you describe your business philosophy?
We are in the business of creating customer satisfaction at a profit.
There are two components to that statement – a satisfied customer and
profit. We cannot exist long term without fulfilling both parts. It
drives everything we do, from our service mix to our geographic presence
and our pricing strategies.
What motivates you?
When you’re buried in dealing with day to- day challenges, it’s easy to
forget how privileged we are to be working at the cutting edge of
medical research. We see some amazing technologies at work in the
clinic, long before they hit the market: nano-sized compounds; products
derived from stem cell research; and treatments for the rarest of
diseases and the youngest of patients. Just stepping back and listening
to our project managers talking about their work is extremely
motivating.
What has been your proudest moment?
We’re a people-based business and I am most proud when I see one of our
project teams rolling up their sleeves and getting down to work with
their counterparts from the customer side. When I cannot distinguish who
works for which company, I know then we are doing our job the best way
possible.
And your greatest disappointment?
I’m reluctant to bring it up and relive the memory, but a few years ago
Forbes Magazine did a fairly decent feature on the CRO business and then
ruined it with the headline ‘Pharma’s Little Helpers’. A multi-billion
dollar industry full of MDs and PhDs was reduced to servants by those
three words.
What does the pharma sector need to focus on in 2013?
Despite the fact that most clinical research is now conducted by CROs,
the majority of pharmaceutical companies still treat outsourcing almost
as a distress purchase to address capacity shortfalls. It’s true that
many have established preferred provider partnerships and have put
master service agreements in place, but then each project is still
competitively bid as if it were the first ever. It’s an inefficient
sourcing strategy that needlessly runs up costs – costs that are
ultimately borne by the pharma industry.
How do you think the pharmaceutical industry as a whole will change over the next 10 years?
Healthcare reform and downward pricing pressure will continue to drive
change in the pharmaceutical industry, resulting in increased
outsourcing and collaborations. Since no more than two products treating
the same disease can be successful in a market, there will be greater
interest in the rarer diseases, many of which currently have no
treatment at all. As our understanding of the human genome grows, we
will see more precise treatments being developed such as targeted
therapies or personalised medicine.
What is the most important lesson you have learnt?
Change takes time.
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