Eyeworld

32 February 2018 EW NEWS & OPINION CEO conversations by Edward Holland, MD, ASCRS•ASOA Annual Meeting program chair aflibercept in patients with nAMD. We are working with health authori- ties to bring this product to patients as quickly as possible. We are also advancing ECF843 to treat patients suffering from dry eye. We anticipate initiating the Phase 2 study of ECF843 in 2019. EH: Alcon Surgical has been a leader in surgical innovation and an important company for ophthalmic surgeons and patients. Can you tell us what is next for Alcon Surgical? PH: Our goal is to advance the prac- tice of medicine through innova- tions that improve patient out- comes. In partnership with Alcon, we are driving advanced technology in key ophthalmic areas including cataract, glaucoma, vitreoretinal, and refractive surgery. Alcon will continue to deepen its commitment to pursuing new technologies, new tools, and new techniques to help surgeons address unmet patient needs. In 2018, Alcon will focus on continuing to bring innovations, including the CyPass Micro-Stent and its portfolio of IOLs and delivery system, to more surgeons and patients. EH: How will you manage generic drug incursion? PH: We are confident in the value of our treatments to patients, physi- cians, and caregivers. We celebrate any time there are more options for patients to choose from to help them meet their individual needs. EH: Patient-centric healthcare is intensifying. Patients are increas- ingly becoming strategic partners for pharmaceutical companies. How will you navigate this changing environment? PH: We are committed to contin- uous engagement with patient communities in a multi-stakeholder setting. Partnering with advoca- cy groups can not only provide valuable insights but also mean- ingful deliverables to empower and activate patients. Ultimately, we seek a more comprehensive under- standing of their journey and needs to deliver better healthcare solutions in return. mologists is that big pharma is only interested in "blockbuster" products, only $1B or more. Would you agree that this has been true in the past and will it be true in the future? PH: No, it's far beyond that. At No- vartis, we are committed to deliver- ing treatments to patients that help reduce the symptoms, burden, and progression of their eye disorders, with the ultimate goal being to elim- inate blindness altogether. Recently, we have co-founded a novel research institute in Basel, Switzerland, where we are headquartered, the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Oph- thalmology Basel (IOB). Together with the University of Basel and the University Hospital Basel we are working to advance the understand- ing of eye diseases and to develop new therapies for vision loss. This underpins that ophthalmology is a strategic research priority for us. EH: We have several unmet needs in ophthalmology such as dry eye and macular degeneration. What can we expect from your company for treatment of these diseases? PH: We are dedicated to bringing forth new treatments in both of these high unmet need disorders. I am excited that recently we an- nounced positive results from the Phase 3 studies of brolucizumab vs. Paul Hudson (PH): Ophthalmology is one of our five core therapeutic priorities in Novartis Pharmaceuti- cals, in addition to cardio-metabol- ic, dermatology and immunology, neuroscience, and respiratory. Losing sight is one of the most devastating things that can happen to a person. Ultimately, our vision is to see a world where we have eliminated blindness. As a leading ophthalmology company, we have developed life-altering therapies that treat front and back of the eye disorders, including retinal diseases, glaucoma, dry eye, and other exter- nal eye diseases. But there are still significant unmet needs facing indi- viduals with eye disorders. We have focused our pipeline to meet these needs, including advancing UNR844 in presbyopia, ECF843 in dry eye, and brolucizumab in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), which is a leading cause of blindness in developing coun- tries, affecting 20–25 million people worldwide. EH: In the last decade, ophthalmol- ogy has seen a different pharmaceu- tical strategy since big pharma has acquired previously ophthalmic only companies. For example, Novartis acquired Alcon, Johnson & Johnson acquired Abbott Medical Optics, and Valeant acquired Bausch + Lomb. The perception by many ophthal- Dr. Holland kicks off a new series of interviews P aul Hudson has been CEO of Novartis Pharmaceuti- cals since July 1, 2016. He is a member of the Execu- tive Committee of Novar- tis. Mr. Hudson joined Novartis from AstraZeneca, where he most recently was president, AstraZeneca United States and executive vice president, North America. He also served as representative director and president of AstraZeneca K.K. in Japan; as president of AstraZeneca's business in Spain; and as vice president and primary care director, U.K. Before AstraZeneca, Mr. Hudson held roles of increasing responsibility at Schering-Plough, including leading biologics global marketing. He began his career in sales and marketing roles at GlaxoSmithKline U.K. and Sanofi-Synthélabo U.K. Mr. Hudson holds a degree in economics from Manchester Metro- politan University in the U.K. and a diploma in marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, also in the U.K. Edward Holland, MD (EH): What is your vision for Novartis in oph- thalmology? How is your company bringing new products to ophthal- mology? An interview with Paul Hudson

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