A Conversation Between Susanne Schaffert and Ken Herrmann

Abstract

Johannes Czernin, MD, editor in chief of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, recently initiated a series of recorded discussions with leaders in nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. This month he asked Ken Herrmann, MD, MBA, a professor of nuclear medicine at the Universitätsklinikum Essen (Germany) to talk with Susanne Schaffert, PhD, who became the CEO of Novartis Oncology in January. Dr. Schaffert holds a doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Erlangen (Germany). She joined Novartis more than 20 years ago and served as Region Head, Novartis Oncology Europe, from 2012 to 2018. Other leadership positions at Novartis have included Head of Investor Relations, Global Franchise Head for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, General Manager of Novartis Oncology in Northern and Central Europe, and General Manager of Novartis Oncology in Germany. She served as chair and president of Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) when it was acquired by Novartis in January 2018. She is a member of the Executive Committee of Novartis and the Board of Novartis AG Germany. Dr. Herrmann: First, thank you so much for making time available for this interview. You are the new CEO of Novartis Oncology and were previously the president of AAA. Could you tell us a little bit about your background? What was your pathway into the pharmaceutical industry? Dr. Schaffert: I am German by nationality. I’m a chemist and hold a PhD in organic chemistry. I studied at the University of Erlangen and commenced a classic academic career. I thought my research would change the world. But I wanted to have a bigger impact and decided to join industry and go into pharmaceuticals. The close ties Novartis has with medicine and biology made me join the company in 1995. I started as a field representative, which gave me insight into how hospitals work, how clinicians think, what is needed from a product, and how to identify patient needs. At some point I started my career in general management, and my first appointment was as Head of Oncology for Novartis in Germany. At that time Novartis Oncology was quite small and had the spirit of a startup. We increased sales by more than 100%. I subsequently headed the oncology organization for 28 small and midsize European countries. After moving to lead the Global Franchise of Immunology and Transplantation, I made an interesting switch when I became Head of Investor Relations for Novartis. This was definitely a very interesting experience with lots of learning. Eventually, however, I wanted to go back to business. Being close to physicians and patients was most attractive, and I resumed my role as the Head of Europe for Novartis Oncology. That was my career before I joined AAA. Dr. Herrmann: If I am correct, you were also in charge of developing Sandostatin? Dr. Schaffert: Exactly. Rather early in my career, I was the global brand director for Sandostatin. I was then the global lead for Sandostatin LAR during its launch. Dr. Herrmann: So you did the full circle, starting with the cold sandostatin and then. . . Dr. Schaffert: . . .the radioligand therapy. The concept of radioligand therapy is super exciting. It brought me back to my roots of working with neuroendocrine tumors and the patient community. Dr. Herrmann: You recently gave an interview titled ‘‘Women in Science.’’ We need to attract young talent and especially women into our field. I wondered what your experience was and what advice you would give to young women about entering the world of science? Dr. Schaffert: I faced a lot of hurdles while studying chemistry in Germany, with only about 10% of students in the field being women. In my early professional years, I was always one of very few senior women––and only men sat on the executive boards. In this regard I was quite a pioneer. I advise young women to build a network. I also think that having a mentor is critical––you can help in nuclear medicine by serving as mentor. Dr. Herrmann: On a different subject, Novartis has been in the neuroendocrine tumor space for quite some time. Your own product, Sandostatin, went off patent, and the development of radioactive versions was abandoned. What made Novartis come back into this field? Dr. Schaffert: When I was global brand director for Sandostatin in the late 1990s, peptide-receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) was being performed in Europe using 90Y. We were looking at this concept because it was and remains quite compelling. You have a ligand hitting the target, and we found the addition of a radioactive component to be unique. However, the timing was not right and there were some toxicity concerns with 90Y. But we continued to watch the space. We were, of course, quite intrigued that AAA managed all the hurdles and was able to bring in expertise. Dr. Herrmann: This was the moment that Novartis saw the chance to come back to complete what you started 20 years before? Dr. Schaffert: Exactly. The move from yttrium to lutetium resulted in improved outcomes and a favorable safety profile. Susanne Schaffert, PhD