Evolution of Pharma Industry and Evolution of Pharma Industry and related opportunitiesrelated opportunities

Goal of Today ?

• Overview of Pharma Industry• Different opportunities• Some Tips and Advices

04/12/23

Who am I ?

• Zaki Sellam, MSc Biotech (ENSTBB), MBA• Ongoing PhD in Innovation Management and

Strategic Management• Practice Leader Biotech, Start up and Early Stage

companies (Basel, Switzerland)• RSA AG, International Executive Search Company• > 8 years industry experience including 4 years

experience in recruitment

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Cliché about pharma Industry

• All inhouse• Only blockbusters• Still releasing new drugs• Still making outstanding scientific breakthrough• Pharma companies best employers• Working in Research is “ La voie royale”

Not at all !!!!

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Research – Drug

Discovery

Preclinical (animal studies)

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Marketing

Conventional Pharmaceutical companies – all inhouse

Challenges• Patent cliff• Cost of R&D exploding• More and more difficult to submit for major indications• Moving from blockbusters to nichebusters era (orphan, unmet

medical needs)• Generic competition• Companies cover more cost of failure than cost of success• High consumerism• Outcome driven – QoL driven: Science and efficacy are no sufficient

for approval and success !• Pricing and Reimbursement more critical• Pharma better at Clin Dev than pure research

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Opportunities

• Aging population• Chronic diseases growing• Less and less people in science• Contract organisations• Innovating Start-up• Complementary sectors (Diagnostics, Medical

Devices, Drug Delivery, OTC, Generics..)

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Trends• New KoL: Lay offs of sales workforce• More and more cover DD cost with services (Evolva)• Open Innovation and Outsourced Research• Start-up Still considered as the most innovating

environment• Dramatic growth of Contract Organizations

– Drug Discovery Organizations– CROs– CMOs...

• Biggest clusters: Germany, UK, Switzerland, France

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Trends

• More and more outsourcing• Moving from all traditional inhouse to all outsourcing• New business models

– Virtual teams– Debio model (no research)

• Emergence of– Pharmacogenomics and Personalized medicines– Biomarkers– Translational Medicine

• Hiring new experienced staff wil be an issue by 2012 from 37 % of the market

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Employment market ?

• Recruitment market presently candidate driven in pharma• Many people are looking for a position within industry after PhD or

PostDoc → High competition• Understanding recruiters needs• Even business oriented positions require scientific education in

most cases!• By 2010, 4 out of 10 jobs will require new skills• Still difficult for Junior and Entry Level• Being in line with market requirements:

– how to be original ? – How to be successful before and during recruitment process ?

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Where are the opportunities ?

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Biotech vs Pharma• Most profitable and innovating companies in Pharma are Biotech

(Genentech, Biogen iDec, Amgen)• Many pharma are integrating biotech activities via inhouse

development or M&A : Genzyme vs Sanofi Aventis, NIBR at Novartis, Merck and Serono, UCB acquiring Celltech, Roche with Genentech...

• Csq: Biotech market heavily dominated by top 20 pharma companies• Biotech are working mostly via joint ventures, alliances, partnerships• Breakdown to small, flexible entities for research (GSK, Astra

Zeneca...)• Globalization

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Other Sectors

• CROs• Diagnostics• Lab Services• Medical Devices• OTC• Generics• Food Industry (nutraceuticals, alicaments, Health

food industry)• Cosmeceuticals

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Different Divisions within companies

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PreClinical opportunities

• Biomarker development• Modeling and Simulation• Pharmacokinetics• Toxicology

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Clinical Development

• Clinical Science• Clinical Operations and Logistics• Safety / PV• Medical Writing• Regulatory Affairs• Biometry• Compliance – QA - Audit GCP

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Technical Operations

• Manufacturing and Production• Quality Assurance ( Audit, QC,

Validation mostly GCP or GLP) • CMC - Formulation• Process mamagement• Upstream – Downstream

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Business Operations• Marketing:

– Operational– Strategic,– Analyst, Business Intelligence....

• Business Development & Licensing• Market Access• Commercial Operations: Sales, Sales Training, Forecast/Planning• Medical Affairs:

– KoL management,– MSL– Medical Communication..

• Public affairs – Government Affairs• Post-Marketing

– Clinical Affairs– Epidemiology– Regulatory Affairs

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Relevant skills

• Project Management skills• Communication skills are key to success• Ability to work within multicultural environment• Ability to work in international: English please !!!! • No pain, no gain !• Flexible to work on contract basis or freelance

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Research – Drug

Discovery

Preclinical (animal studies)

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Marketing

Conventional Pharmaceutical companies – all inhouse

Tips

• Develop your project on 2 criteria– Your passion – motivation– Market demand

• Be careful with sexy titles (PM, BD..)• Make summary of 5 Job descriptions• Write down and record your

– Motivations – Goals– Arguments (USP)

• CV / Elevator Pitch04/12/23

Tips• Define thouroughly a career plan:

– Where do you want to go ?– How ? What is the best path ? What shall you develop in

terms of skills ?• Develop and train communication skills• Build your CV with the relevant skills

– Ex: PM certification for Technical PL– Ex: CRA training for CPM

• Take risk to work internationally, it will pay off in France and in Europe (great to become CPM)• Most convincing are the most convinced

• Be on top of the market, in harmony with the recruiters needs

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Generic questions– What drives you ? – What is your long term goal ?– Why are you interested by us ?– Tell me about you ?– Where do you see yourself in the company in the long

term ?– What are your drawbacks ?– What are your qualities ?

Be fact based, give examples and don’t sell yourself !!

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Thank you !!!

Zaki SELLAM MSc, MBAPractice Leader Biotech and Start-ups

RSA AG, Basel, Switzerland E-mail: zaki.sellam@thersagroup.com

Phone: +41 76 215 47 96 LinkedIn: http://ch.linkedin.com/in/zakisellam

Twitter: http://twitter.com/zakisellam

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CV configuration• Clear and nice to read, no soft skills without evidence• Take time to list all your skills and values, even the obvious ones !• Highligh only relevant points, not everything• Experience in bullet points• Inspire yourself from job descriptions, same wording and

terminology• Picture not a pre-requisite• Key words to summarize your education, not only title• Explain about your companies, size, activity, turn-over...• Insist on your contribution, results• Use numbers and concrete statements• Don‘t obsess on cover letters

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1st phone call• Goal defined before:

– First contact– Get a meeting

• Homework:– Decision maker– Why is it of interest to you ?– What can you bring ?

• When and how to call ?– Late afternnon, End of the week– Direct line, quiet place

• Prepare elevator pitch– Relevant Experience– Interest to the company

• Anticipate objections: «On n‘a rien, ou on n‘a pas de budget»• All about formulation: „Est ce que vous avez un poste ouvert ?“ A banir !!!!• Closing the call

– Summarize the discussion:– Define next actions– Remind your name

• Positive Behavior: smile !!

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1st meeting• It is all about chemistry• Prepare anticipations and questions

– Always the same– Devos: „les meileurs impro sont celles qu‘on a prepare“– Don‘t be puzzled by objections !

• Smile and relax (breath 5 time from the noise before)• Show the best out of yourself, manage the interview as if you meet

your friend• Don‘t try to sell yourself, listen !

– „Celui qui ecoute est celui qui a le controle de la discussion“

• Prepare series of relevant questions• Position yourself as you offer a competence, very important for the

psychology• Argue always with concrete examples from your experience• Focus on what the company needs, insist on the common ground

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