Gilead Sciences

Anna Cumaraswamy

Anna Cumaraswamy, an expert oncology researcher, holds over a decade of experience in commercialization, research, and medical affairs in the oncology industry. With a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry, she has been associated with multiple medical organizations before joining Gilead Sciences. Presently serving as the Associate Director of Medical Affairs of Oncology at Gilead Sciences, Anna heads a closely knit cross-functional team with the goal of strategizing Canadian business and oncology while managing future pipeline launches in oncology.

In an interview with Life Sciences Review Canada, Anna Cumaraswamy sheds light on some of the current challenges faced by Canadian citizens to access innovative therapies while speaking in length about the impact of the COVID pandemic and technology advancements in the oncology space.

Can you walk us through your key roles and responsibilities in your organization?

I am like a medical strategist for our Canadian business and oncology from the medical affairs perspective. So my day-to-day activities are juggled between working with the cross-functional team to ensure we are executing our current strategic plan post thorough discussions and ensuring we are on track in the right direction. Another part of my job requires me to think strategically about our future pipeline launches. It is really more of a strategic role that involves me closely working with the cross-functional team to manage launches in oncology.

In light of your experience, what are some of the trends and challenges that you’ve witnessed happening in this Biotech space?

In my opinion, how COVID has impacted our ways of working is offering a lot more flexibility and understanding, not just from Gilead but from other companies as well, about having a more hybrid work environment. I think where the industry, especially in oncology, has changed is now it is more difficult to see physicians face to face rather than over Zoom. With the physicians voluntarily filling in, taking time outside their clinic hours while we catch them at their offices, even during leaves, or simply connecting with them over Zoom meetings, patients need to adjust to not being able to meet the physicians in person. Not being able to interact face-to-face diminishes the relationship. In my opinion, the industry is moving towards the hybrid working model, but this is not unanimous across other therapeutic areas, unlike specialty therapeutic areas like oncology. This challenge is actually a blessing in disguise.

In terms of technological advancements and how that’s used, I think it’s just the nature of the technology being included, be it AI or anything else. There are a lot of companies that are exploring how to leverage these advancements to enhance customer engagement for us. To understand the customer space and pricing is a unanimous approach that I think all industries are considering.

From a commercialization organization perspective, technology advancements can be applied once you know how to employ them to enhance the customer experience as a commercialization company in the country.

How do you predict the evolution of the Biotech space a couple of years from now with regards to the potential disruptions and challenges?

I can only say that I find a lot of companies that are going into more specialty areas with a lot of research and investment to look into rare forms of cancers. In that sense, the trend is really from the patient perspective. There is a lot of focus and research on rare diseases like cancers which is a really great thing from a patient’s perspective. That, I would say, is a great win from a patient perspective rather than from an industry perspective.

From a Canadian landscape perspective, it is going to become even harder to have drugs being burst in Canada in the coming years. Compared to other countries, it takes a lot of time for a drug to get medically approved to being reimbursed, and finally, be available for access in Canada. Counterarguments might arise, stating pharmaceutical companies to reduce the prices and reach an agreement. Canada is lagging in terms of having innovative therapies for its citizens compared to the rest of the world. This understanding would offer a realistic picture of where we stand globally and if it’s high time that we need to reconsider that approach.

What piece of advice would you like to impart to your peers in the industry?

Talking from the oncology space, the patient is the centerpiece of everything for every pharmaceutical company out there. To be honest, we really need to abide by that and embody that. For instance, referring to the prolonged process for drug access in Canada I was talking about before, we do anything and everything in our capacity strategy-wise, but what we really need is to have patience at the very core of everything to ensure we get those treatments as quickly as we can for the patients who are in dire need of them. But in hindsight, we already know that it seems impossible. As the trends revolve around access to innovative treatments in Canada in the upcoming years, we, as representatives of the company, have to make sure we do everything in our capacity to ensure that the patients get the treatment.