Pioneering for Life in I20

It has been just over three years since I expanded my Global Head Clinical Development role at 罗氏公司 beyond neuroscience and rare diseases to also include immunology, ophthalmology and infectious diseases, known as I2O, and what a whirlwind it has been. Working in infectious disease management during the COVID-19 pandemic was obviously a huge thing and the responsibility to step up to do our part in tackling this terrible disease was great. Now, as the urgent need in COVID-19 fortunately continues to fade away, it felt like a good time to sit down with my colleague Rachel Frizberg , Therapeutic Area Head for I2O, to reflect on the journey of Roche I2O so far and what the future looks like, including the recent addition of cardiometabolic

Rachel: To start off, I’m intrigued about what attracted you to work in Roche I2O?

Paulo: The COVID-19 pandemic was actually one of the attractions for me because there was a huge opportunity to do something really meaningful. I remember feeling like a tsunami of information was coming my way at one point. And I remember the weight of responsibility to get it right.????

The second thing was the diversity of disease areas and the sense of almost limitless possibility that brings. I love that. I see Roche I2O as an opportunity to play a big, big field of science.?

Rachel: Absolutely, there is a huge potential impact for patients, and at that time, as you say, the priority was of course COVID-19.?

But as well, I'm always attracted by diversity and the possibilities it brings. There are so many potentially addressable challenges across the disease areas and patient populations that we serve in Roche I2O, and there is an opportunity to make a tremendous impact. I find that incredibly motivating.?

Paulo: Right! Thinking about COVID-19, I am so impressed with how people in our organisation stepped up and what we were able to contribute to this global health challenge. It was a great moment of global partnership. We saw cross-industry collaboration from several companies, including ourselves, working together in ways that normally might not be as fluid.??

Since those COVID-19 years, Roche I2O has grown and diversified into areas that are really, really meaningful. I am super impressed at how fast we changed. I think we could both see the clear opportunity to make an impact when we came to our roles??

Rachel: I completely agree. A couple of years ago, we had many molecules in the early stages of R&D, but not many that were close to actually being able to reach those who needed them soon. It’s great that we’ve really been able to prioritise according to where we can have the greatest possible impact, particularly in areas like immunology and ophthalmology, as well as - in the last year - starting to pave our way in cardiometabolic diseases.?

Paulo: Before this role, you were working in the APAC region. I’m interested in whether that experience changed your perspective??

Rachel: Yes, I believe so. We have already talked about how we both like the diversity in Roche I2O. APAC is also very diverse. There are countries like Indonesia with a population of almost 300 million, to much smaller population countries, such as New Zealand at just over 5 million. And the health systems can be very different from country to country. So, that always challenged my thinking in terms of yes, we have these medicines, but how do we actually get them to those patients who need them??

Paulo: And - among other things - that takes a lot of agility. I consider agility as one of the core strengths of Roche. The ability to pivot quickly. We also feel a very strong responsibility to make a difference worldwide. And you see that in how we follow the science on behalf of as many people as possible.

Rachel: Absolutely. Another really important strength is partnership. We have a willingness to listen and collaborate on how we and our partners can each bring our respective expertise to make progress happen.?

Thinking about the spirit of Roche I2O, I’m interested to hear what you think symbolises our ethos?

Paulo: For me, it is the coming together of exploration, creativity and being pioneers.?

Rachel: I love that. When you and I came together with our teams recently, the sense of pioneering for life came through so strongly and I really believe this sums up what we’re aiming to do. Part of this is bringing a fresh perspective to break new ground and deliver pharmaceutical innovation that has the potential to make a real difference for patients. Key to this is persistence. When I reflect on 2023, our persistence as a team to follow the science and make an impact for patients stands out as a real highlight and something I feel very proud of.?

Paulo: The persistence has been awesome. Making progress a reality can take months or years and you have to keep at it every day. Another thing I am proud of is revitalising our early pipeline. As Roche, we are so much more diversified than a few years ago and I2O is a key element to that. It feels like we are truly pushing a new frontier.?

So, thinking ahead, what are you most excited about?

Rachel: I'm really excited about the progress we have already made in ophthalmology – and I think there is so much more that we can do for people affected by eye conditions. I'm also excited to hopefully bring some much-needed new progress in inflammatory bowel diseases, which are so debilitating and a real challenge to treat.

Paulo: I also want to continue hitting the high standards of science that we set for ourselves. At Roche, we are not interested in replicating what is already available. We want to try and go one step beyond for patients and address the real challenges they have. I’m excited about the prospect of continuing to deliver on that.

Rachel: We have a bold vision for sure. To actually deliver on that, you need to have really fantastic people who are prepared to push the boundaries. We are really lucky that our teams include purpose-driven, passionate, collaborative and committed people who are focused on making a real impact for patients. A key moment that sticks in my mind is when you and I brought our teams together and there was this great feeling of togetherness and commitment to making an impact. I am sure we are going to have many more of those moments moving forwards - and I look forward to them!?

Paulo: The spirit of the team is fantastic, with really fun, hardworking, good people to work with.?

Ok, final thought – If you had to describe the future for Roche I2O in one word or phrase, what would it be??

Rachel: Full of opportunity! And you?

Paulo: Exciting!???