Interview with Benjamin Moutier, Vice President, Global Franchise Head, Haematology AstraZeneca

Benjamin, great to speak with you. You have taken a different career path than people I’ve featured in this series so far, having had leadership roles in sales and marketing and, more recently, as Head of Global Commercial, Immuno-Oncology at AstraZeneca. Can you tell me more about your career journey? What attracted you to Oncology, and more specifically, to Hematology?

Anas – nice to see you! My career path is unique as I have a background in engineering and mathematics. I started consulting, and as a consultant, I worked for pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, in France and the US. Eventually, I decided to join the pharmaceutical industry because I thought it was a great combination of science, innovation and business. I’ve always been attracted to science and its application to healthcare as it has a very inspiring purpose – to improve lives for millions across various diseases. Our Hematology team at AstraZeneca has vast potential to build on our successes in solid tumors and hematology to deliver novel molecules that hold the promise to change the outcomes of people living with blood cancer. I am really excited to be a part of a dedicated team on the heels of revolutionary innovations.

In your view, what are the biggest challenges and barriers we currently face in hematology cancer care? How do these compare to other areas you’ve worked in – are these unique to hematology, or have you seen similar challenges in other areas of Oncology?

Hematology-oncology is a busy space right now, with vast amounts of research being published and new potential treatment options on the horizon. When I worked in immuno-oncology at AstraZeneca, we were up against a similar situation. Reflecting on how we approached this, I can identify key areas where we took strategic risks – some of which were effective and others that were not as effective. However, they always lead us to a key learning on how to approach our future research differently to help us continue to advance the field. The edge that hematology has is that a lot of innovation starts here, which is seen through the successes of antibody drug conjugates and cell therapy treatments for blood cancers.1,2 Because of these past successes, it's very important to continue this trend, conducting research and testing novel modalities in hemes. We have built a strong foundation at AstraZeneca and are continuing to solidify our leadership in hematology with the bold ambition to redefine care for those living with blood cancers.

Our vision for the future of our hematology research is to develop new treatment regimens that will become the new standards of care. With this ambition comes the need to take strategic risks I mentioned earlier, including accelerating our pipeline where there is an unmet need, building on our progress to date in our pipeline, and growing research in combination. I am looking forward to the European Hematology Association (EHA) Hybrid Congress, where we will present new data alongside our peers, pushing the boundaries of science together.

Very interesting to hear about some of the similar challenges you’ve faced across your career in immuno-oncology and hematology. So, what early innovations are you most excited about as we embark on our journey to diversify our pipeline?

I’m particularly excited about our emerging data in therapeutic antibodies known as T-cell engagers, which are bispecific molecules engineered to redirect the immune system’s T-cells to recognize and kill cancer cells. T-cell engagers are a promising mechanism of action in blood cancers, showing potential benefits in hard-to-treat B-cell hematologic malignancies such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma, as well as in solid tumors. The data display how this modality could enable expansion across more subtypes of lymphoma to increase patient benefit.3 Our continued research with T-cell engagers is just one of many ways we’re aiming to deliver on our ambition to build transformational new standard-of-care regimens that leverage emerging modalities as the backbone for novel combination treatments for hard-to-treat blood cancers. I am looking forward to seeing how these assets progress and the potential they have for treating those living with hematological malignancies.

One last question, unrelated to work, that I’ve been asking everyone - what’s something on your bucket list?

I like this question! My dream is to ski in New Zealand. The mental picture of skiing on a big mountain from the sea is palpable and one of the top things on my bucket list.

That sounds like a trip of a lifetime! It was lovely talking to you, Benjamin, and I look forward to collaborating and all our future accomplishments.

References

1. Gill S, Brudno JN. CAR T-Cell Therapy in Hematologic Malignancies: Clinical Role, Toxicity, and Unanswered Questions.?American Society of Clinical Oncology Educational Book. 2021.

2. Walko CM, West H. Antibody Drug Conjugates for Cancer Treatment. JAMA Oncol. 2019;5(11):1648.

3. Jacobs R, Nair R, Cho SG, et al. High complete response rate with TNB-486 in relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma: Interim results from an ongoing Phase I study [abstract]. Presented at the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2023; June 8-11, 2023; Frankfurt, Germany. Abs S224.