PHARMACEUTICAL
Great Advice From Great Minds:
Working With, Not Just For, Patients Jill Donahue interviews Allergan’s International President Marc Princen At eyeforpharma Barcelona in March, we were fortunate to be able to sit down with Marc Princen, President, International, for Allergan. Marc held several positions for Schering Plough – General Manager, Senior Director, Regional VP – all over Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, before moving on to Merck as their President of Diversified Brands and President of Mid Europe Region. He then went to Takeda and led their European and Canadian business operations from Zurich. Allergan recruited him in 2016 to be EVP and President, International Business, where he is
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responsible for worldwide markets outside the U.S. With such an impressive resume, what is it that occupies his energies today? “We want to make it real for patients, making it part of our DNA,” he told us. “Let’s find ways to work with patients rather than doing things ‘for’ patients.” We were pleased to know that someone of Marc’s stature is as committed to patient centricity as we have been for the last several years. He thinks that what’s on
the patient’s mind and what’s part of the patient journey should be integrated in the way you operate. And, as we’ve noted often, focusing on the patient leads to greater trust, greater engagement, and serving more patients —resulting in greater profitability. Our sustainable cycle starts with this focus on the patient. It is essential. He sees as part of his job the responsibility to articulate the purpose of the company and the people who work there. “Employees are more intrigued, more