Read the Conversation
EF: What are your memories of 2023, and what will be Lundbeck's top priorities in Spain in 2024?
XM: Keeping our work in the area of brain health is one of our top goals. Our focus will remain in the areas of depression, schizophrenia, and migraine.
We will continue our collaboration with the stakeholders involved in this area, from national, regional, and local public administration to scientific societies, health professionals, patient and family associations, and society as a whole.
Our aim is to improve access to innovative therapeutics, as one of the obstacles that is limiting the therapeutic value of our therapies from reaching the patient is the issue of access. We will continue to promote diversity, equality, and equity policies. This kind of policy, which everyone is talking about now, has always been the foundation of Lundbeck's culture.
EF: Could you provide us with some more details about the evolution of Lundbeck's portfolio and how it fits into the Spanish market?
XM: We are the only pharmaceutical company in the world that is completely dedicated to research and development concerning brain diseases. This means that we must continue to look for new ways to meet our commitment to helping people regain their mental health. Lundbeck has been operating for more than 25 years in Spain, and I will be celebrating my 29th year with them in 2024. We have been working on brain disease during this period.
Nearly 20 percent of our yearly turnover is re-invested in neuroscience; we strive to progress our understanding of the biology of brain disorders in order to discover transformative new therapeutic approaches. However, our innovations are useless if people cannot access them, so we need to reduce barriers to access.
Neuroscience research is more expensive, time-consuming, and fails at a higher rate than most other scientific research. However, with the rise of brain disorders, it is more important than ever to prioritize neuroscience. Discovering treatments for brain pathologies remains arduous, so barriers that restrict innovation in neuroscience must be removed, and an environment that prioritizes research must be fostered.
Our focus in Spain is mostly on migraine, schizophrenia, and depression. The prevalence of depression in women in Spain is 7.2 percent, whereas the prevalence in men is 3.2 percent. This indicates that there are twice as many women suffering from depression. This is commonly seen in the age range of 30 to 50. The prevalence increases with age, and we need a strong emphasis on women between those ages.
According to the WHO, 2.4 million Spaniards suffer from mental illness. Despite being less prevalent, schizophrenia is a highly serious mental illness. In Spain, one to five percent of people has schizophrenia, a sort of psychosis that has a profound effect on the patient's life as well as the family of those affected. We entered into a partnership with a Japanese company called Otsuka over ten years ago to offer new therapies to the market that would improve the quality of life of people suffering from schizophrenia.
We recently developed a new compound for the migraine sector. It is an anti-CGRP monoclonal antibody. Monoclonal antibodies are one of the main innovations in the field. Migraine is the most prevalent neurological disease in Spain. Five million people suffer from migraine. According to the Spanish Society of Neurology, 80 percent of migraines are suffered by women between 20 and 40 years old. The use of anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies is a clear paradigm shift for the treatment of migraine, and they are more convenient for patients as they can space their treatments over a long period with improved efficacy.
Access is the most challenging objective when it comes to the management of this disease. Even new medicines require very particular hospital access. The cost of the products remains high; however, the products have a significant impact on the patient's quality of life.
EF: What kind of awareness initiatives do you have to tackle the stigma around mental health?
XM: Education and social awareness have been part of our core DNA since the very beginning; our goal is to increase awareness of brain diseases in order to improve diagnosis and treatment and reduce stigma; some of our most recent campaigns are Stop Suicidies, Elena’s Journey, depression guide “In 30 questions” and I am more than schizophrenia.
Stop Suicides, a highly collaborative initiative that was launched in 2022 with the collaboration of our employees as ambassadors of the campaign, and which, in 2023, has also involved professionals from Primary Care, Psychiatry, and Survivors' Associations.
As part of World Suicide Prevention Day, it aims to show our commitment to this goal through simple and rigorous information on warning signs and how to act, using a format and language adapted to social networks.
Elena's Journey is a campaign that highlights the reality of depression to those who may be suffering from it, their family, and their environment, with a special focus on young people. Created as a virtual experience based on more than 500 anonymous testimonies by the illustrator Ana Santos, which can be discovered on the website https://deladepresionsesale.com/, it has also become a physical exhibition, which has toured several Spanish hospitals in the last two years. This campaign has the guarantee of the Spanish Society of Psychiatry and Mental Health and the collaboration of the Patient Association La Barandilla.
We have also developed a depression Guide,” In 30 questions”, together with the SEPSM (Spanish Society of Psychiatry and Mental Health), SEMERGEN (Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians), ANAED Foundation, and the association La Barandilla. It is the first interactive guide on depression that tries to answer the most frequently asked questions in primary care, psychiatry, and psychology consultations. And it has been recognized with the "BEST SOCIAL VALUE IN HEALTH PROJECT" award at the SALUD FESTIVAL.
We are also running a schizophrenia campaign, in alliance with our Otsuka partners, called "I am more than schizophrenia.” that has highlighted the value of the PERSON, claiming not to reduce them to their diagnosis, through two phases in social networks under the slogans “What they see and I am not” and “what I am, and they don't see.” An initiative to continue breaking down stigma.
We are running this campaign with several regional psychiatrists and patient organizations and using single-patient stories where they talk about how they live a normal life. These patients are writers, professors from high school, and housekeepers who are living a normal life because they have their schizophrenia under control. Their published testimonies show that they are more than schizophrenic. They have normal jobs and lives. They can maintain control of their lives and medications. I believe the normalization and visibility of the illness go a long way toward improving awareness of the disease. This leads to better diagnosis, early treatment, early prevention, and a better quality of life for the patient. This has a positive impact on social sustainability.
Over the years, we have contributed in favor of the normalization and visibility of mental health in Spain. We will continue with this strategy because the company has a strong commitment to social sustainability.
EF: In this modern era, as things evolve with technology, how do you assess the importance and impact of digital tools in your line of work? How else are you using technology to enhance your operations?
XM: I believe that social media platforms are crucial for raising awareness and breaking down stigma. We use social media extensively to achieve our goals. We also have other digital tools, such as the Rethink Depression website, that we are using to establish a trusted learning space. Our communication department uses various social media tools to push our awareness initiatives and campaigns.
In addition, the digitization of our business sector is crucial. We are working on an omnichannel approach. This means that our representatives, medical science liaisons, and key account holders can network with healthcare professionals in a coordinated way via all of the communication channels we have available. These channels can be virtual, physical, or in-person. Spain is one of the nations where interpersonal relationships between healthcare and business experts are highly important. This is just one part of the channel. We also hold meetings, standalone symposiums, and face-to-face events with expert healthcare professionals.
We are balancing face-to-face and virtual meetings. We need this balance to maintain a more coordinated omni-channel approach. Every customer has access to us through various channels, and we have to coordinate what they see on social media with what is said by our medical representatives, myself, or by our medical department. Streamlined and coordinated information is important.
EF: What strategies does Lundbeck have for attracting, developing, and retaining talent for the future?
XM: I believe that Lundbeck's vision and our culture of innovation, collaboration, and respect are largely effective in achieving this goal. We are a Nordic company that has a flat organizational structure, which emphasizes the importance of collaboration. We inspire curiosity, expect integrity, and pursue our achievements through knowledge-sharing, patient engagement, and the passion to deliver our end goal. All of our projects are worked in cross-functional teams, and teamwork is crucial to the success of each project. We work very closely with our leaders to help and develop them in the creation and management of High-Performance teams.
Lundbeck has changed over the past 28 years. Today, we are number one in turnover in Europe and fourth in the world. When I first started 20 years ago, it was like a family of friends working in teams. Our strong culture of teamwork and cross-collaboration is one of our key advantages. Our specialization in neuroscience has built us a close relationship with opinion leaders around the world. The relationship between the top management in Big Pharma and opinion leaders is typically strained. Specialization allows us to bridge that gap and foster collaboration. We can use our specialization advantage to compete with Big Pharma.
EF: You have survived worldwide pandemics, economic downturns, and political transitions. What do you think have been the major successes and turning points for Lundbeck in Spain throughout this period?
XM: The two main things we accomplished as a team during these times were to introduce two products into the market, one of which was the most widely used antidepressant. Lundbeck has reached incredibly high achievements in the depression therapy market.
Our therapies are also referenced in Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. We have made great strides in these disease areas with leading therapeutic innovations. I am pleased that Lundbeck’s therapies are at the forefront of healthcare professionals' prescriptions.
