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Interview
“Brazil is one of the last countries in the world where Novartis can still approve medicine”
Three years and a half ago Adib Jacob came back to Brazil. After working at Novartis in Switzerland, Italy and Germany, the executive met a very different Brazilian market.
The current Country President and Pharma General Manager at Novartis in Brazil says that he found significant changes, talks about Anvisa and their next challenges.
Follow the main parts of the interview:
Which changes did you find when you came back to Brazil three and a half years ago?
I found a more competitive market. There was also the retailing system, which became more sophisticated, solid and strong. On the other hand, we still have a big challenge ahead concerning refunds for more sophisticated medicines such as the ones used to treat cancer. This refund is normally done according to one of the four pillars: federal government, states, city halls and private sector. I don´t believe in short term improvement due to budget restrictions. However, I am optimistic and I believe that new resources will target Healthcare area.
Have Anvisa changes also been significant?
The regulatory scenario is more professional and concerned with products quality. Nowadays, Anvisa criteria are similar to the first world´s. But there is still a long way to go, mainly when it comes to internal inertia to approve medicines. In countries like Argentina and Colombia, for instance, the process is faster. Brazil is one of the latest countries in which Novartis is still able to approve medicines.
What are the next challenges?
To optimize the portfolio we have by strengthening Novartis in two segments: primary care (diabetes, hypertension, etc.) and special market (cancer and respiratory diseases, for instance). We will be a launch machine, with around five medicines per year like cancer, autoimmune diseases, respiratory diseases, dermatology, ophthalmology and cardiovascular diseases. Another challenge will be to celebrate 80 years of the Brazilian branch in 2014.
How is the sales force structured at Novartis?
We have two kinds of sales force. The first group provides in loco visits and makes use of technology as a complementary resource. I will give an example: while talking to a sales rep, a physician may ask questions via the sales rep´s iPad or through our medical department. Another interesting point is that our sales force does not use paper and every medical detailing is made by making use of mobile device. So, we can use video or interactive material. Another sales force is the well-known multichannel sales rep, who makes use of resources like telephone and email to communicate with around three thousand physicians spread into several cities in Brazilian States like Ceará, Bahia, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo and Minas Gerais, for instance. The results have been quite interesting and in 2014 we will expand such initiative.
What is pharmexx Brasil contribution to the multichannel sales rep project?
Throughout the multichannel sales rep project, pharmexx Brasil showed they have knowhow and a very professional management system. We are thankful to pharmexx Brasil. They fully understood our needs and helped us make the project work.
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