Pasquale Frega, Country President of Novartis Italy
“Public and private they must walk together to create a new health ecosystem. The pandemic is leading all countries to reflect on new models of healthcare and territorial medicine. This must also include companies. The PNRR can be a unique opportunity of rethinking, relaunching and investing but no time must be wasted “. Like this Pasquale Frega, Country President of Novartis Italia. Frega, in a meeting with some journalists, underlined the fundamental role that a company like Novartis can play in this new historical phase. “The pharmaceutical industry is called upon to make a further effort for new models of care. Research is essential. Novartis invests 20% of its budget in research and development, we strongly believe in the path that will lead us to new treatments and new therapies. Those of the future are undoubtedly cell therapies, gene therapies, nuclear medicine. In addition to research, there must also be a commitment to correct information to the public. We live in a phase where anti-scientific (if not entirely unscientific) thinking finds space. This is why informing is very important and from this point of view we are very proud to have participated in the project of the Digital Museum of Medicine, in which we strongly believe “.
“We need a change of pace”
Frega then focused on some specific problems related to the investments envisaged by the NRP.
“There are 22 billion for development plans directly linked to health and another 90 for the Regions. Here the game to play lies in greater collaboration between public and private. We too, internally, are changing our organizational model to be more widespread on the territory. ‘Population medicine’ is the future, local medicine. And here companies can truly become fundamental partners. The ‘hospital-centered’ model must be overcome. The pandemic has caused serious damage to thousands of people suffering from many diseases, many have fallen behind, prevention has failed. And here we see the difficulties of a health system which, for example, in one year he spent only 45 million out of the 500 intended by the Government for the removal of waiting lists. We need a leaner system with more agile decision-making mechanisms. We need a change of pace and must be done quickly.