investing : In recent times marked by global pharmaceutical separations and spin-offs, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) stands out for its steadfast dedication to open innovation and strategic mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Hit News recently met with Emma Charles, Senior Vice President overseeing Intercontinental markets, including Asia, Oceania, Canada, and Latin America, where she discussed BMS's strategies and commitment to the Korean market.
주식 : Could you provide a brief self-introduction?
Born in France, I majored in Marketing and Finance at ISG Paris, a business school in Paris. My career journey began as a Marketing Manager for Southeast Asia and Global Brand Manager at the vaccine division of Pasteur Merieux (now Sanofi Pasteur).
I then led the Neuroscience Business Unit at Janssen in France and the United States, followed by roles at Pfizer overseeing Central Europe, Turkey, and Israel clusters as well as being responsible for European regional strategy and business development, and later overseeing Rare Diseases and Neuroscience.
Subsequently, I served over six years as Vice President and General Manager at BMS Italy, and currently, I hold the position of Senior Vice President and overall head of Intercontinental markets at BMS.
What distinguishes the Korean market among intercontinental markets?
This market encompasses over 63 markets across six continents, including the Asia cluster with Korea. Korea is regarded as an important market due to its innovative pharmaceutical and biotech ecosystem, coupled with a government supportive of innovation and scientific advancement.
Particularly, BMS Korea, within a short period, has shown great passion by planning to launch six new drugs such as Camzyos, Sotyktu, Zeposia, Onureg, Inrebic, and Reblozyl. This visit to Korea also aims to celebrate this achievement.
Currently, only drugs like Onureg, Inrebic, Zeposia, and Sotyktu are reimbursed, but there are expectations that Camzyos, a treatment for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, will soon bring benefits to patients upon rapid reimbursement. Therefore, it seems that the employees of BMS Korea will have a very busy year ahead, reflecting the high expectations placed on the Korean market
What approach has BMS chosen to strengthen its pipeline?
While other global big pharmas have been separating or spinning off their business units recently, BMS has opted for aggressive M&A-driven R&D as a means to provide innovative new drugs to patients and sustain growth. As a result, they are currently developing a pipeline of over 30 products. For example, acquisitions like RayzeBio, a U.S. radiopharmaceutical developer, and Mirati Therapeutics, a targeted cancer therapy developer, have strengthened their oncology pipeline by discovering new anticancer candidates.