Fernando Fogarin

Prioritizing R&D for products specifically targeted at women and their unmet needs within the market, Organon Mexico has a clear focus on improving the health of women that is unique in the world.

Why did Organon decide to become the first pharmaceutical corporation dedicated to women’s health?

Organon is a new start-up that has only been around for a year. It was actually born over a year ago. With a project within the company from which we separated, we became listed on the stock market, and the reins were handed to me. Organon is a spin-off from MSD/ Merck, and today we are a distinct company, although the project has been ongoing for three years. Work on separating a product category from the portfolio began two years ago. After that, the decision was made to establish a company dedicated to women’s health. No other corporation in the world has such a clear and deliberate focus on improving the health of women on the scale that we do. We are actually fighting against all the odds, because generally, in the past, women’s health companies or those that entered that segment, were absorbed through mergers. At the current time, we are focusing and prioritizing R&D of products specifically for unmet needs within the market. As half of the population, we believe that it is the exact moment to be able to generate this change, since women are changing their position in the world of work and achieving a level of equality that did not exist before. What was decided was to migrate to another company and start giving priority to areas such as, osteoporosis, hormone replacement therapy, and especially contraception. Within the company, we came from were established products that were also prioritized. And because those products had seen the expiry of their patents in most of the world’s markets, they ceased to be a priority; it was no longer invested in as is the case in the pharma space. But there are many markets in the world, including the Mexican market, where these products still have growth opportunities. So that group of products was migrated to Organon. Within those products, we find important ones for cardiology, cholesterol reducers, and products to treat high blood pressure. Within the group of pain products, we have injectable corticosteroids, analgesics and anti-inflammatories. Then we have products within respiratory therapy, especially to treat allergic rhinitis and asthma; different therapies within the respiratory area; and dermatology products, such as creams that combine antibiotics, antifungals. Regarding the future, there is a third group of products present in other countries but not in Mexico, which is biosimilar products, together with a category within the group of women’s health products, namely fertility products. These products are not in available Mexico, but the Mexico Organon team is working hard with the government and regulatory entities to reverse this situation as soon as possible. There are many barriers related to regulatory issues and government policy that require addressing.

How is Organon trying to improve the welfare of women in Mexico?

Our main goal is to ensure that we have a successful portfolio and to promote ourselves among relevant government institutions, as well as non-governmental organizations. Furthermore, what is extremely important for a pharmaceutical company of our scale with the products that we market, is to supply predictability as the state does not buy in small volumes. It is essential to work with government closely to have clear knowledge of how to allocate resources to ensure timely delivery. Indeed, I would say that that is the most significant challenge that we have encountered, particularly in Mexico. The Mexican pharmaceutical market is the eighth-largest worldwide and values and prioritizes recognized product brands. This presents a growth opportunity in terms of products whose patents have expired. In truth, the Mexican market is a world of opportunity. We have a manufacturing plant and a growing economy, to which we may add macroeconomic stability and a skilled workforce with tremendous drive.