Changing the facts in women’s health

In my role as the Portfolio Leader for Women's Health at Roche, I have the privilege of working alongside brilliant people every day. Together, we are striving towards an equal healthcare experience for women and men.??

Just as we know that some diseases are sex-specific (think endometriosis or prostate cancer), we also know that others predominate in one sex versus another, and moreover, the same condition can affect women and men differently – leading to different outcomes. This is true of diseases such as lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, lupus, and Alzheimer’s disease. For example, in the US, more women die from lung cancer than any other cancer, and women and men have different risk factors that are not fully understood – 50% of women with lung cancer are non-smokers versus only 15-20% of men. Understanding these differences is foundational to closing the gaps that exist for women in healthcare.?

It’s incredible to think that for the vast majority of the time that clinical trials have been taking place, women have been largely excluded from early-stage studies evaluating potential medicines - from which key insights around dosing and safety are generated. The consequence? The frequency or severity of side effects in women are not fully understood until after a drug is approved.

Although progress has been made in the past two decades on the inclusion of women in clinical trials, much more needs to be done across the research and development pathway to take into account differences between women’s and men’s biology.?

And inequalities for women in healthcare don’t stop with the development of medicines. Structural disparities such as level of education, income, occupation, ethnicity, stigma, availability of – and access to – healthcare, as well as poor alignment across healthcare systems, often leave women unable to receive the health checks and care they need. This must change.

At Roche, we are strongly committed to help lead a worldwide transformation in Women’s Health well beyond the innovative diagnostics and medicines we offer.?

Healthcare is not one-size-fits-all. With our expertise in advancing medicines and diagnostics from the bench to the bedside – which, together, capture nuances by geography, age, ethnicity, socioeconomics and more – we can share our understanding of Women’s Health to better tailor and personalise the care we provide to women worldwide. But we know we have to do more. As a collective, we have a responsibility to act and put the needs of women firmly in the spotlight to drive meaningful change across the full spectrum of healthcare and wellness. I am proud to work for a company that takes this responsibility seriously.

What does this mean in practice?

Systemic challenges, such as lack of infrastructure or screening and diagnostic capabilities, limit women’s access to the care they need. A ‘body part by body part’ approach to healthcare simply takes too much time and creates immense additional hurdles for women. Roche is championing a more integrated approach that gives women the opportunity to be screened for multiple different types of cancers and other conditions at one appointment – for breast, lung, and cervical cancer, and beyond. This could decrease the number of appointments needed, while also increasing the chances of preventing cancer – or detecting it early when it is highly treatable – and ultimately saving lives.?

We are working on programs in multiple geographies, such as Kenya and Ghana, around how we can eradicate cancers like breast and cervical, that are affecting women, mothers, and daughters.??

We cannot transform Women’s Health ALONE.

This is only the beginning of our Women’s Health transformation at Roche and we cannot do it alone. Only by combining knowledge and expertise across industries can we address inequities and ensure a better future for women. We’re working hard to partner with trusted, forward-thinking public and private organizations from around the world, with the aim of jointly implementing comprehensive initiatives to ensure all women benefit from equitable and tailored healthcare. I have had the chance to talk to various leaders who are committed to making a difference for Women’s Health. It has been fascinating to get their insights on this complex and layered challenge and see how we can amplify our efforts at Roche through these partnerships.

With our longstanding history of ground-breaking research and innovation in developing new solutions to address complex diseases, we aim to ensure that women are equally represented by our development efforts and that we enable access to these innovations for all. We already have a background of working towards better solutions for breast and gynecological cancers, fertility and pregnancy, and in diseases that predominantly or differently impact women, like multiple sclerosis and age-related macular degeneration, but we can – and will – do more for women globally. And we wholeheartedly welcome others to join us!

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