Read the Conversation
Conversation highlights:
- Joining Angelini Pharma for the transformation opportunity, shifting from an established, legacy portfolio to a science-driven, innovation-focused brain-health company.
- Portugal is a strategically unique affiliate with a differentiated, locally adapted portfolio and strong consumer-health presence.
- Brain health is the top priority, supported by innovative products, supplements, patient-support programs, and large awareness initiatives like Headway and patient-journey mapping.
- Consumer health requires different skills and discipline, faster cycles, stronger marketing analytics, pharmacy negotiation, and balancing the dual identity of a CH + prescription company.
- Leadership focus is on people and capabilities, integrating generations, upgrading competencies, and building an affiliate recognized as a top performer and the key brain-health partner in Portugal.
EF: After many years of working in the sector, what attracted you to Angelini Pharma? What do you want to achieve in Portugal?
NB: The main attraction to Angelini Pharma is the factor I value in all companies I have worked for, the moment of transformation. Given my experience, I can offer value to a company transitioning from a well-established model based on long-standing products and limited innovation to one where innovation is key, driven by science, which enables us to lead.
A significant transformation encompasses not only products but also skills, competencies, the go-to-market model, and our approach to work. The added experience in the consumer space also attracted me to the job, and it is an important area for Angelini, representing approximately 25% of the turnover in Portugal. As a pharmacist and working in an innovative space, it is an area I have never worked in before, making it a very interesting learning opportunity for me. It is a distinct and dynamic area, characterized by continuous innovation at various levels, including launches, professional marketing, and more extensive efforts than those typically undertaken at the regulatory level for prescription medicines.
I am delighted to undertake this challenge, and I have learned a great deal; so far, it has been a great experience.
EF: How would you define Portugal’s strategic significance to the Angelini Group, and why should they invest in Portugal over other countries?
NB: Portugal is a very strong market for Angelini Pharma, which is another reason I accepted the position. Other companies are present over a much broader geographical space, whereas Angelini took a different path. Back in the 1970s, the first two countries they expanded to after Italy were Spain and Portugal. Then they went to Eastern Europe and, more recently, to France, Germany, the UK, and other countries.
Portugal is one of the oldest Angelini affiliates and boasts a very rich portfolio. A unique characteristic of Angelini is that it has a different portfolio in each country. We offer global products, but the “local jewels” differ from country to country, and in our case, this attracts considerable interest, making Portugal unique.
In other companies, the size of the portfolio varies by country, but the content remains the same across all countries. Strategically, we position ourselves in Portugal through innovation and brain health, our key pillars, and by being recognized as a key partner to neurologists and psychiatrists. However, our portfolio is much broader; we cover the entire spectrum of brain health, including innovative products and food supplements. We also have an area of specialty products focused on pain management, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotics, which are crucial to our revenue. Additionally, we offer consumer health products that differ from those found in other countries. Strategically, our shared goals with the corporate team are crucial, with brain health being our top priority.
We also aim to create opportunities for our consumer health business by introducing new products each year. Our goal is to enhance our presence on pharmacy shelves and increase brand recognition. We are adapting products from various countries, branding them under our name in Portugal to expand our portfolio. Strong profitability will enable us to fund innovation and grow as an affiliate. We have experienced significant success with our food supplements, and we are now adapting these products for use in other European markets. Additionally, we are implementing this successful approach with products from Eastern Europe and Italy to optimize our existing portfolio. We are constantly on the lookout for local gems in our market to enrich our offerings.
EF: Could you elaborate on the collaborations you are undertaking to support patients and how you are actively shaping the ecosystem around brain health and pushing the sector forward?
NB: We offer comprehensive programs for our patients. In neurology, we have launched a patient support program for epilepsy-related products. The objective of the program is to reduce the burden of daily product management and of epilepsy. There is a difficulty in accessing physicians at the necessary frequency for epilepsy in Portugal. With such programs, we take the burden from the physicians by providing them with important information, and from patients, so that they can manage their disease and medication between consultations. At the end of this year or the beginning of next year, we are launching the Headway Project, which is very relevant for enhancing knowledge of epilepsy in Portugal among patients, physicians, politicians, journalists, and the broader ecosystem, thereby increasing awareness. Parallelly, we are promoting a patient journey, mapping to identify and target gaps in that journey, suggesting possible solutions. For example, from the patient's first crisis to diagnosis and treatment takes a very long time.
Working with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, hospital administrators, and patients, we can identify gaps in the journey and pinpoint areas for improvement, ultimately shortening and making the journey as pleasant as possible. These actions will help increase awareness of epilepsy and address the issues in care.
In Psychiatry, we have been commercializing Trazodone since the 1970s; even so, we remain a key player in this area. In Portugal, the consumption of antidepressants grew fourfold from 2000 to 2020; in only 20 years, the consumption per person grew four times. We are the country in Europe where consumption grew the most. The Spanish and Portuguese regions exhibit a penetration rating of 1 in 5, while antidepressant consumption is rated 1 in 3, indicating a high level of usage in these areas. It is important to determine whether this high consumption is due to individuals self-medicating excessively or if it stems from greater awareness among psychiatrists and primary care physicians regarding mental health issues. We conclude that both factors play a role in this process.
We are committed to educating primary care physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of depression, a mission we have been dedicated to from the outset. We provide training and sessions for those involved in addressing depression, suicide, and associated consequences. Our organization plays a crucial role as a market leader in this field, particularly in working with patients and, especially, with primary care physicians, who are essential to our market presence.
EF: What trends do you see around consumer healthcare, and what disciplines do you need to run a successful consumer healthcare segment?
NB: In an industry that has innovation or in prescription medicines, there is freedom of action, but that freedom comes with great responsibility, especially in Angelini. Many consumer companies, such as Perrigo, do not have to look over their shoulders as they run in a very free space. We cannot disconnect from the fact that we are Angelini, and we play on two sides of the table, so we must be very careful and serious in our approach. We utilize a significant amount of medical data for our food supplements and are equally responsible for our actions towards physicians and patients. However, marketing is much more interesting in consumer healthcare as we study analytics that are not available in the prescription space. We examine data on distribution, pharmacy stock, price, other channels, and consumer behavior. It is a different model; we sell directly to pharmacies, groups, and chains of pharmacies. Even the people's skills differ because they must be negotiators to close a deal each time they enter the field, and sometimes it is not easy to combine science and negotiation.
We also face the issues of being part of a company that has both dimensions. Because our company is approximately 70-30, most of the systems developed within are tailored towards prescription medicine. For example, the Sierrem 19:38 system is adapted for prescription medicine, where the objectives differ from those for consumer health. We have been working on this and catching up in the consumer space, but if we were a totally focused C-Age company, the priorities would have been different from the get-go. This applies to incentive programs and commercial policies, but as it stands, I manage two separate units with shared commonalities. We share support functions, such as finance and business excellence, and we focus on enhancing our internal cooperation. In some products, there is no discussion on whether a product is a consumer product or a prescription medicine; however, many products fall in between, and both channels can be utilized.
This approach educates pharmacists and promotes our products, while also encouraging physicians to help us reach a broader audience. We can optimize the output based on our resources. We have a very nice challenge before us, offering our products and maximizing both profit and our top line.
EF: How do you distill what is relevant in AI? What will the company of the future look like in terms of the people and skills needed for Angelini’s transformation, including its assets and team?
NB: Artificial Intelligence will come as an add-on and a necessary tool, but it is not a solution. It is something we will use. AI will not replace people, but people who use AI will replace those who don’t. We are already utilizing AI tools in various ways across medical departments, R&D, and the commercial area. In the future, a leadership role extends far beyond this; it is about integrating AI and the new generations. We have a rich portfolio of people in my affiliate, which includes four or five generations, from baby boomers to Gen Z, and there are continuous challenges to move forward with so much diversity. Managing this diversity is part of the challenge; the evolution of the commercial model reflects this, as it has shifted to a more innovative space, necessitating an understanding of both specialty care products and primary care products, which entails negotiations and scientific discussions with key stakeholders. This process did not occur in the past.
Commercial models are shrinking in size but increasing in capabilities, and this trend is expected to continue in the future, leading to more targeted companies. All the ingredients must be brought together to achieve success. We are on the right path, making some mistakes but learning as we go. I will always prioritize people over systems and AI. It is about the people I need to be successful over the next five years and beyond. Depending on the capabilities I need, I must decide whether to acquire them externally or develop them internally within the company. My workforce will be representative of our future focus, and the right workforce will make us successful - the rest. AI, technologies, digital, and commercial will all come together and fall into place. People will ensure a strong collaboration with our stakeholders if they have a strong sense of belonging and a sense of ownership of the business.
EF: What legacy do you want to build in your role at Angelini Pharma in Portugal?
NB: I would like Angelini Pharma Portugal to continue being a successful organization and a top affiliate in the company; that is my internal challenge. To be ranked among the top subsidiaries in terms of profitability, market penetration, and competitiveness, and to be externally recognized for our good reputation, particularly in brain health, known as the key partner of neurologists and psychiatrists in the country.
