Pfizer CEO Ian Read Elected To Rotating IFPMA Presidency

Pfizer Board Chairman and CEO Ian Read has been elected as the next president of the Geneva-based International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), a two-year role.

Read takes over for Stefan Oschmann, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Oschmann oversaw IFPMA’s progress through the agreement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and efforts to increase access to medicines, an IFPMA press release noted.

According to the release, Read plans to “foster innovative health ecosystems and expand partnerships and focus on people/patient-centric and systemic approaches to ensure health through the life course.” A company bio for Read is available here.

Separately, the IFPMA director general, Eduardo Pisani, last week announced he would be stepping down from the post in January (IPW, Public Health, 23 November 2016). There has been no news about a possible replacement yet.

The full press release on Ian Read’s election is below:

Ian C. Read Elected New President of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA)

• Ian C. Read, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer, takes over as President of IFPMA from Dr Stefan Oschmann, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
• New President to foster innovative health ecosystems and expand partnerships and focus on people/patient-centric and systemic approaches to ensure health through the life course.

Washington D.C., 30 November 2016 – Ian C. Read, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer, was elected new President of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) for a two-year term. He succeeds Dr Stefan Oschmann, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

Based in Geneva, the “public health capital of the world”, IFPMA represents the research-based biopharmaceutical companies and associations across the globe. IFPMA holds official relations with the United Nations, and contributes industry expertise to help the global health community find solutions that improve global health.

Dr Oschmann’s presidency unfolded at a critical juncture for global health, as the world embarked in the aspirational vision of the Sustainable Development Goals and focused on accelerating access to health for people in developing countries. In this framework, IFPMA took on several areas of focus, including promoting strong health systems and faster access to care through, for example, universal health coverage, and regulatory convergence particularly in Africa and Asia. “Improved access to more equitable, higher quality healthcare is core to sustainable economic and social development” said Dr Oschmann, “and partnerships are key to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore IFPMA and its members have fostered multi-stakeholder engagement involving the private sector”. He continued “We have furthered sustainable health policies around the world and addressed some of the most pressing needs. For example, the industry has taken an integrated approach in addressing local challenges such as regulatory system strengthening in Africa, or fighting non-communicable diseases through collaborative programs, for instance by supporting the WHO AFRO Regional Office Comprehensive Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control Initiative and the PAHO Foundation Women’s Cancer Initiative in the Americas).

Recent public health emergencies such as Ebola and Zika show it is essential that the world is better prepared to face outbreaks. The research-based biopharmaceutical industry joined the efforts to develop treatments and diagnostics. It has also added its voice to calls to increase the resilience of health systems to prevent future crises, and avoid the devastating consequences for human health, economies, and global security. The past two years have been also marked by a rise in awareness of the need for a global response to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). IFPMA helped achieve a major milestone in this collective action as over 100 biopharmaceutical and diagnostic entities signed a joint declaration committing to fight resistance and improve access and R&D going forward.

Building on the above, new IFPMA President Ian Read said: “The SDGs recognize that while there is still work to do to reduce the burden of infectious diseases we need to apply this same level of commitment, innovation and focus when it comes to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. IFPMA has an important role to play and is well positioned to inform the development of public policies that promote solutions to address non-communicable diseases while simultaneously enabling health systems to address the barriers that are preventing access to quality care for everyone”.

About IFPMA

IFPMA represents the research-based pharmaceutical companies and associations across the globe. The research-based pharmaceutical industry’s 2 million employees research, develop and provide medicines and vaccines that improve the life of patients worldwide. Based in Geneva, IFPMA has official relations with the United Nations and contributes industry expertise to help the global health community find solutions that improve global health.