"We must think in terms of health agility"

In addition to the design of treatments, what actions is AbbVie taking in favor of patients' quality of life?

AbbVie is a pioneer in terms of treatments capable of transforming the lives of people with serious or disabling conditions: cancer, leukemia, hepatitis C, Parkinson's.

AbbVie also helps improve care pathways by developing services for patients and pharmacists, and by supporting initiatives hitherto unknown in France through the AbbVie Santé & Perspectives endowment fund.

What are your ambitions in terms of research and development?

Developing the drugs of tomorrow requires high technology, funding for research and cooperation with the best scientific partners in the world.

The recent acquisition of Allergan provides us with the necessary investment capacities to continue to advance research in immunology and neuroscience, where many medical needs remain to be met.

In an area where France excels, we want to become a key player in the fight against cancer, with research programs in more than twenty different types of cancer.

You are also very active in helping to resolve the health crisis ...

Since the start of the pandemic, AbbVie has been fully mobilized to guarantee the availability of our treatments and the supply of pharmacies and thus meet needs which increased tenfold at the height of the crisis.

Then, to find a safe and effective drug, through several partnerships with biotechs or public establishments, such as with Inserm in France for example.

Finally, on a philanthropic level, we donated $ 35 million to humanitarian organizations, followed by another $ 21 million thanks to our associates.

The Covid-19 crisis has given rise to the concept of health independence.

The recovery plan includes measures favorable to the relocation of drug production in France.

What do you think ?

The crisis has revealed the strategic nature of the pharmaceutical industry and the need, so that it can fully play its role, for fluid communication with the authorities, for thinking in terms of health agility rather than independence.

At European level, decision-making bodies and industry have shown pragmatism and agility to speed up the implementation of rapid solutions to unprecedented problems.

Producing everything in France is not the solution.

I am convinced that cooperation between private and public health actors is decisive.

Common in the United States, they are less so here.

The health crisis is however changing the lines ...