Forging healthcare resilience in challenging times

Pharmaceutical research and development are in our DNA. Almost every important innovation, whether in science or ideas, is primarily a break with tradition — dispensing with old paradigms and old ways of thinking. This insight guides us constantly. Roche is now the biggest biotechnology company in the world and has been future focused throughout its 125-year history, developing world-leading diagnostic and pharmaceutical products. Roche Italia is frequently mentioned as a strong example of innovation and creativity, and we are praised for how well our staff identify with the company. We are an active partner in Italy’s healthcare system, fostering excellent relationships with the scientific community and healthcare facilities across the country.

What is Roche’s role in Italy’s research environment?

Roche ranks highly in the world for the percentage of its turnover invested in research and development. In Italy alone, we invest more than €40 million every year across five main areas: oncology and haematology, neuroscience, rheumatology, respiratory and haemophilia. Around 11,000 patients and 230 clinical centres across the country are enrolled in our clinical research programme. Today, partly thanks to the development of digital and other new technologies, we help ensure that each patient is monitored along their treatment path, from diagnosis onwards. Our package of services is co-created with patient associations, physicians, and institutions. Collaboration and sustainability are at the heart of what we do.

How does sustainability feature in Roche Italia’s remit?

Roche Italia has introduced pioneering cost and risk sharing measures that have subsequently been adopted in other countries. A key element of the pharmaceutical business is to ensure that high-cost drugs are made available to patients under long-term, sustainable contracts. Our ‘payment by performance’ programme, for example, was developed with oncologists and the former Director General of the Italian Medicines Agency to ensure that patients could access our cancer drug Avastin at a sustainable cost for the system. Bringing affordable solutions direct to patients while simultaneously meeting the needs of the health system also means we must create sustainable management models. We believe in synergy and working with partners to find the best possible solutions.

In what innovative technologies is Roche Italia investing?

The COVID-19 pandemic is a powerful factor accelerating change, particularly in digital technologies. Investing in digital will continue as these technologies help to optimise treatment paths; digital health solutions will improve disease monitoring and bring personalised patient care closer. Efficient digital healthcare management will optimise the allocation of resources and improve waiting times across medical facilities. Roche is investing substantially in this area, and we are convinced that linking digital healthcare solutions with our drug development programmes will make treatment paths safer and more efficient, leading to better overall results.

What are the current strengths of the pharmaceutical industry in Italy?

Three keywords characterise our industry in Italy: production, exports, and employment. Even with the difficulties of the pandemic, Italy continues to distinguish itself for export-driven production and innovation thanks to investments that have grown above the European average for the past 5 years. The Italian pharma industry provides employment for more than 66,000 people directly and another 150,000 through satellite industries. Moreover, 43% of the industry’s employees are women, and over 40% of these are in senior management positions. We nurture a highly specialised workforce, with 90% of pharmaceutical employees having a specialist qualification or degree. The number of employees aged under 35 in the industry has grown by 16% in the past 7 years; 80% of them are on permanent contracts. This investment in young people is one of the most strategically important factors for Italy’s future growth. These characteristics, typical of an advanced sector, make pharmaceutical companies a crucial driver of economic and social development.

What are the main challenges facing your sector in Italy?

The COVID-19 emergency has highlighted that the entire pharmaceutical sector is a tremendous asset to the country, but at the same time it has drawn attention to the latent fragility of our healthcare system. These problems are often organisational, ranging from regional differences to difficulties with national and supranational coordination and poor integration of IT systems and databases. They result from healthcare cuts that have been dragging on for years. The OCSE Health at Glance 2020 report underlined the fact that Italy is one of the few countries to have systematically cut its healthcare spending since 2008. Roche Italia is committed to help correct this.

How has Roche Italia responded to the COVID-19 crisis?

Extraordinary times require extraordinary efforts. We put all our resources – economic, drugs, diagnostics, services and above all our people – at the service of the community from the earliest days of the COVID-19 emergency. We rapidly conceived and instigated the ‘Roche is running on all four’ initiative based on four pillars: drugs and services, donations, skilled voluntary worker support, and an educational campaign for young people. We worked with hospitals and institutions to launch the biggest independent clinical study of COVID-19 at that time. We also made one of our drugs available free of charge, and provided free telemedicine and home support services. We launched a partnership with the Istituto Treccani to increase the provision of distance learning. We donated €1m-worth of personal protective equipment for general practitioners. And, we provided the Ministry of Health with the services of a quarter of our personnel, 250 people, as volunteers answering the COVID-19 public support line freephone service. For us, this is the real meaning of being a committed partner in Italy’s healthcare system.