"Lilly rises in anticancer and autoimmune diseases"

Insight from BUDs of multinational pharmaceutical companies – Mira Kwon, Sr. Brand Manager of Specialty Care

Patient access to drugs acts as the key variable... rapid strategy adjustments required

Will add various indications next year...will commit to the reimbursement of ‘Retevmo’

The pharmaceutical company Lilly is known for their strong diabetes treatment pipeline.

 

As the world’s first developer of insulin, Lilly has solidified its position in the field, introducing DPP-4 inhibitors, SGLT-2 inhibitors, and GLP-1 analogues into its pipeline.

 

However, Lilly has transformed.

 

It did not give up diabetes, the company just added more ‘weapons to its arsenal.’ From some point, the company began to exert its influence in the fields of cancer and autoimmune diseases.

 

In the lung cancer drug market, where the company had made no significant impact other than with ‘Alimta,’ Lilly released the VEGFR-inhibitor 'Cyramza,’ and also introduced the first-in-class RET-targeted therapy ‘Retevmo.’ Also, its ‘Verzenio’ CDK4/6 inhibitor latecomer for breast cancer has successfully landed in the market with a successful insurance reimbursement strategy.

 

The company is also showing marked growth in the autoimmune disease market.

 

Its second JAK inhibitor ‘Olumiant’ has been targeting atopic dermatitis, and secured the first indication for alopecia areata among same-class drugs.

 

Also, Interleukin-17A inhibitor ‘Talz’ is continuing to expand indications to psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, etc.

 

In addition, the company’s new migraine drug ‘Emgality’ was recently listed for reimbursement.

 

Dailypharm met with Mira Kwon (44), Lilly Korea’s Specialty Care BU Lead who oversees all of the products above.

 

Mira Kwon, Sr.

 

Brand Manager of Specialty Care BU, Lilly Korea

-Please give us a brief introduction of yourself. I entered Lilly/s marketing team in 2006.

 

Lilly runs an open talent development program that allows employees to experience various departments, through which I was able to experience various departments including the sales department, external affairs department, and also the oncology department at a time when the insurance drug pricing system was changing rapidly.

 

I became the marketing lead of the Oncology department after working in Market Access, and since the company restructured the departments into Business Units, I have been in charge of the Specialty Care BU, which is the Oncology and Immunology Departments.

 

-Lilly has undergone dynamic changes.

 

It seems that your BU is in charge of the new growth engine of the company. Since Lilly acquired the anticancer drug company, Loxo Oncology in 2019, the company had been able to establish a strong pipeline in oncology as well, including Retevmo.

 

The company is also developing and preparing launches of other candidate substances.

 

In the field of autoimmune diseases, our main products are Olumiant and Talz.

 

New indications were added in major areas in the past 2 years, and with new indications also set to be added next year, the pipeline is expanding quickly.

 

At a recent global meeting, clinical data on the atopic dermatitis treatment that is currently undergoing clinical trials were also reviewed.

 

- Autoimmune disease is one area that Lilly lacked experience in.

 

It is also an area that has a high entry barrier in Korea, so it was surprising that Lilly jumped into this market. Despite the many companies that have already built a reputation in the field for more than 15 years, we have been receiving much feedback on how good and diverse Lilly’s portfolio is.

 

We own both psoriasis and atopic dermatitis treatments with clinical trials being actively conducted on new indications.

 

-The marketing points for anticancer drugs and autoimmune disease treatments may be different.

 

What areas do you focus on for each in the promotion process? The oncology department, like the diabetes department, is Lilly Korea’s key area of focus, therefore, its sales division has experts with more than 13-15 years of experience and expertise.

 

Due to the nature of anticancer treatments, we conduct various activities with various departments including Medical to produce domestic research data to meet the needs of patients and HCPs in Korea.

 

The immunotherapy market is very competitive.

 

With so many options available within the same class, we ponder ways to differentiate Lily's portfolio from others.

 

In the case of the new indications that had been introduced during the COVID-19 period, our team has focused on activities that allow two-way communication via digital channels rather than traditional marketing activities or channels.

 

-What do you consider most important in running your marketing department? This is no longer an era where a newborn first-in-class blockbuster dominates the market.

 

That's how dynamic the market is.

 

In particular, due to uncertainties in patient access in Korea, it is important to adapt quickly and modify our strategies in line with the ever-changing environment.

 

Although the Oncology and Immunology departments are in charge of different diseases, both are facing the same situation in the pharmaceutical industry, especially in the current situation where so many new products and indications are being released.

 

I think it is the role of our marketing department to think about in-depth strategies and prepare various scenarios in advance.

 

-Your promotion strategies will also need to be changed with the end of the COVID-19 situation. So we plan to strengthen offline activities that have been restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

However, HCPs have also become familiar with digital channels for over two years in the COVID-19 pandemic, and as it also has advantages such as convenience, we are focusing on how to combine these well.

 

We also have a digital marketing department within the company, and I know that they are actively discussing with the headquarters measures to find contact points with customers based on analyzed data.

 

In the future, our marketing activities will evolve in the direction of delivering messages through effective channels by identifying areas with the greatest needs for HCPs based on data.

 

-In the Korean pharmaceutical market, reimbursement became a determining factor that makes or breaks the success of drugs.

 

Currently, Retevmo is undergoing reimbursement review, and marketing will also be conducting activities for reimbursement in addition to MA. The reimbursement listing process is always uncertain and requires discussion with authorities.

 

Therefore, as a multinational pharmaceutical company, it is on us to facilitate smooth discussions between headquarters and regulatory authorities.

 

Although the MA is responsible for communication with HQ, the marketing department provides opinions on how the drugs can be used for patients in Korea and to which extent the drugs can provide therapeutic benefits.

 

-So how well do you communicate with global headquarters? Korea is one country where reimbursement is difficult, but with the environment in other countries rapidly changing as well, it seems that our global headquarters now understand Korea's situation.

 

The company already saw through this reimbursement process with oncology drugs like Cyramza and Verzenio.

 

However, it is true that Korea’s drug price differs greatly from other countries, and there are difficulties due to various related systems in Korea.