New top management of Takeda Italia’s Rare Business Unit: from 1 July Andrea Degiorgi has led the business unit, established at the end of 2021, to consolidate the pharmaceutical company’s commitment to rare diseases by aligning, in a single team , all the resources necessary to transform the treatment of pathologies that are not very widespread and still too little known in the coming years. The company communicates this in a note.
Among the main challenges that Degiorgi will have to face: guaranteeing the availability and appropriateness of use of innovative therapies for diseases often lacking options; provide adequate responses to the daily needs encountered by patients and their caregivers; collaborate with institutions to promote early diagnosis, newborn screening, optimization of care processes.
“Giving voice and listening to all people with rare diseases, being alongside patients and caregivers in all their needs and their struggles, making our presence felt in a path often characterized by loneliness and lack of reference points: These will be the principles and objectives to which I will inspire myself in carrying out this assignment, which I welcome with enthusiasm, but above all with the awareness of the responsibility we have towards patients – says Degiorgi – in the wake of the work very well set up to date, the Bu Malattie Rare will continue to strive to make a difference in a concrete way for patients and their families, always starting from listening to their needs, therapeutic and otherwise, and seeking valuable collaborations with all interested parties “.
Graduated in Management Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano and with a post-graduate Management course at the Harvard business school, Degiorgi has been working in the pharmaceutical sector for more than 20 years, first as Procurement Manager in Merck & Co for Italy and then for the Eucan Region, to then continue his career as Finance, Procurement & Operations Director in other countries: Dubai for the Middle East and Africa area, Hungary and Russia. Subsequently he held the position of Head of Finance for 7 years in Alcon and Novartis first for Italy and subsequently for the ‘Established markets’ (the European markets with the exception of the 5 most populous countries). Joined Shire in 2018 as Finance Director Italy and Greece, he subsequently consolidated the same role in Takeda Italy following the merger.
“Rare diseases are a priority for Takeda and the appointment of Andrea Degiorgi responds to the need to accelerate the transformation of Bu Rare, to consolidate our leadership in this area and to better support patients throughout their journey, from diagnosis to therapy. – says Annarita Egidi, CEO of Takeda Italy – thanks to the special attention to patients shown in recent years, to her in-depth knowledge of our therapeutic areas and the ability to understand the dynamics of treatment and market, Andrea Degiorgi will be able to guide the his team, made up of highly qualified people, towards the achievement of these objectives “.
There are thousands of rare diseases (5-8 thousand) – the note recalls – which, if individually have a very low incidence (up to 5 cases per 10 thousand people), altogether involve 3.5-5.9% of the world population, with approximately 300 million patients globally, 30 million in Europe and 2 million in Italy: 50-70% are children. Only just over 100 of these diseases have specific therapy available. People with rare diseases have difficulties and delays in diagnosis, a lack of specific therapies, a lack of reference points and structured therapeutic pathways.
For patients with rare diseases – the company note reads – Takeda currently makes available a portfolio consisting of over 40 molecules intended for the treatment of diseases such as haemophilia, hereditary angioedema, lysosomal storage diseases and primary and secondary immunodeficiencies . In the near future the company aims to consolidate itself in the sector thanks to a solid pipeline of molecules in development and investments that will bring up to 70% the share of the portfolio dedicated to these diseases. For 50% of the new molecules, the designation of orphan drug will be required as they are destined for pathologies currently without treatment.
Takeda in the field of rare diseases is also oriented to accompany patients in all phases of their path, in a context of increasing attention to these pathologies. The ideation of the figure of the Patient Journey Manager is part of this perspective, aimed at identifying the areas and moments of the therapeutic diagnostic path in which patients most need support: from the first symptoms to post-therapy.
For the future there are two priorities on which the company intends to collaborate with institutions and decision-makers: on the one hand, accelerate the enactment of the implementing decrees of the first law dedicated to rare diseases, approved last November and aimed at ensuring the entire territory the uniformity of diagnostic, therapeutic and care management of rare patients at a national level; on the other hand, the expansion of the list of diseases included in newborn screening, guaranteeing a homogeneous application in all Regions and ensuring effective care of positive patients. For many rare diseases, the possibility of promptly starting therapy thanks to an early recognition of the disease allows to considerably reduce, and in some cases eliminate, the effects of these pathologies on a physical and intellectual level.