Masterclass – Exploring the reimbursement challenges facing speciality and precision medicines

Our masterclass series for 2022 concludes on December 1st at the IMI Campus in Sandyford.  The theme of this masterclass is “Exploring the reimbursement challenges facing speciality and precision medicines”. 

This masterclass on December 1st aims to explore the particular challenges in bringing a speciality or precision drug to the market.  We have an excellent range of speakers from across the healthcare industry which includes voices from the stakeholders, industry and the patient.  

Who is speaking?

• Dr Lesley Tilson, Deputy Head – National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics 
• Dr Jerome Coffey, Chair of Rare Diseases Medicinal Technology Review Committee 
• Vicky McGrath, Chief Executive – Rare Disease Ireland
• Caitriona Duggan, Country Director – Amgen Ireland
• Muireann McAlister, Market Access Director – Pfizer Healthcare
• Christian Hill, Founder & Chief Strategy Officer – MAP Patient Access 
• Claire Blaney, Country Manager – MAP Patient Access

Who should attend? 
While all of our members would benefit from developing their understanding of the market access process; this masterclass will be particularly relevant for anyone involved with: 

• Market Access
• Stakeholder Management
• Product Management

Dr Lesley Tilson, Deputy Head – National Centre for Pharmacoeconomic

Lesley is Chief I Pharmacist at the NCPE and is a graduate of the University of Brighton. She trained in the Chelsea and Westminster hospital, London and then worked as a resident pharmacist at the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust. During this time she completed a Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy with Cardiff University.
Lesley worked as a senior clinical pharmacist at St James’s Hospital Dublin, on the intensive care unit and cardiac surgery ward.  She has a PhD from the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Trinity College Dublin (2002-2005) and a Diploma in Statistics from Trinity College Dublin (2003-2004).  She is a lecturer in pharmacoeconomics to undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy students. Research interests include: Economic evaluation of pharmaceuticals in the Irish setting, pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement strategies, policies to promote generic markets, international pharmaceutical pricing, analysis of drug utilisation and expenditure trends.  She received the ISPOR Bernie O’Brien New Investigator Award in May 2011.

Dr Jerome Coffey, Chair of Rare Disease Medicinal Technology Review Committee 

Dr Jerome Coffey is a Radiation Oncologist in the St. Luke’s Radiation Oncology Network in Dublin and the current Board Chair of the National Cancer Registry.
From 2015 – 2019 he was the Director of the HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP), a member of the HSE Leadership Team and a member of the HSE Drugs Group. He has served a term as the Irish representative on the Scientific Council of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organisation) and recently completed a final term on the board of Cancer Trials Ireland.
He is the Honorary Secretary of the Faculty of Radiologists in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the training body for radiologists and radiation oncologists.  Since late 2020 he has chaired the HSE Rare Diseases Medicinal Products Technology Review Committee (RDTRC).

Vicky McGrath, Chief Executive – Rare Disease Ireland 

Vicky is Chief Executive at Rare Diseases Ireland, the national alliance for rare disease patient organisations in Ireland.

Vicky joined RDI as CEO in 2018 and has overseen development of the organisation into a strong and stable voice for the rare community in Ireland, ensuring that rare voices are heard in the drive for equity – equitable access to diagnosis, treatment, health, social care and opportunity – for people living with rare conditions.

Vicky came to Rare Diseases Ireland from industry where she spent 20 years in various leadership roles within the life-sciences sector between the US and Ireland.
Vicky has a BE, an MSc in Biomedical Engineering, an MBA and is a fellow of BioInnovate Ireland.

Caitriona Duggan, Country Director – Amgen Ireland

Caitriona heads up the Amgen commercial business in Ireland.  Before joining Amgen, she worked for Pfizer Ireland Ltd and Pharmacia & Upjohn Ltd. Caitriona’s pharmaceutical career spans both clinical and commercial, covering roles in clinical trials, sales, marketing & market access.
Caitriona is also an active member of IPHA holding positions on the IPHA Board, IPHA Strategy Board and is the Chair of the Market Access Advisory Forum.
She is passionate about shaping a positive healthcare environment where health & wellbeing is the foundation of a strong economy. She believes the pharmaceutical industry and life sciences sector can play a greater role in the delivery of good healthcare through a value-based approach. Having completed a Master’s in Medical Informatics in her early career she very much believes that better data Infrastructure is the key to embedding and delivering  value-based healthcare.  Caitriona began her career as a Haematology Nurse Specialist working in the National Bone Marrow Unit and subsequently established the Haematology clinical trials department in St. James Hospital.

Muireann McAlister, Market Access Director – Pfizer Healthcare 

A Pharmacist by training, Muireann has spent over twenty-five years in the research-based BioPharma Industry.  Her early career was in Clinical Research, co-ordinating international clinical trials across a number of therapy areas.  She transitioned to commercial & held a number of commercial roles in Brand/Portfolio Management & led a Specialty Care business unit in AstraZeneca. 
Following some time as an independent Consultant, she pivoted in the mid 2000’s, embracing the field of health economics & market access.  Muireann joined Pfizer in late 2016 & is committed to working with all stakeholders to improve patient access and health outcomes.

Passionate about what Science can deliver for Patients & Healthcare Professionals

Founder & Chief Strategy Officer – MAP Patient Access  

Christian is a seasoned Market Access professional with over 20 years of experience in the International Biotech and Pharmaceutical industry. He has been involved in over 50 HTAs across Europe and has built up a strong network of key influencers including EU and national agencies. Prior to co-founding MAP in 2012, he led market access teams and submissions at InterMune, Gilead, Pfizer and Genzyme on a very broad range of products and disease areas from chronic disease to ultra-orphan indications.

Christian is a member of the Board of EUCOPE (European Confederation of Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurs); he is also a member of the Steering Group of EMIG (Ethical Medicines Industry Group) in the UK and Ireland.

Claire Blaney, Country Manager – MAP Patient Access  

Claire is the Country Manager for MAP Patient Access, a role she has held since January 2022.  She has over 30 years experience across the pharma industry having previously held the role of Director Market Access and Public Policy with Roche and founding CAP Consultants – a consultantacy specialising in shaping and optimising Access to medicines. 

Claire is passionate about improving patient outcomes and proud that in her 30 years in the pharmaceutical Industry she has contributed to achieving access to medicines for Irish patients.

This masterclass is proudly supported by: