Amgen's John Kearney to be ABPI president
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has appointed John Kearney as president. He will take up office on 24 April 2015, replacing Pfizer's Jonathan Emms who is relocating to the US.
John Kearney
John Kearney, general manager UK and Ireland at Amgen, has 35 years of experience in the industry, holding roles at GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer before joining Amgen in 2007. He has been on the ABPI's board since 2008 and was closely involved in negotiations with the Department of Health to secure the 2014 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS).
Stephen Whitehead, CEO of ABPI said: "I am delighted to be working alongside John as president. His unique experience and expertise across the industry will be crucial as he leads the ABPI and the UK pharmaceutical industry through the opportunities and challenges in 2015."
John Kearney added: "I am delighted to be building on the recent leadership of Jonathan Emms, at a time when the pharmaceutical industry as a whole is delivering such a high quality and quantity of new science and treatment innovations. I look forward to playing my part in ensuring those innovations are able to make a real difference in the funding and provision of health services, in the outstanding work of healthcare professionals in the UK, and – ultimately – to patients. I am committed to playing my part by listening to all those involved in planning and providing health services in the UK, and leading the ABPI in its engagement with them."
Jonathan Emms has been promoted to global marketing lead in Pfizer's global established pharmaceutical business, based in New York. He said, "It's been a great privilege to serve as ABPI president and I'm proud of what has been achieved during my tenure. The industry is recognised as a key sector for growth in the UK, but despite this we are operating against a backdrop of government austerity measures and an NHS budget under significant pressure."
He cautioned that there would be challenging discussions ahead with government over drug pricing, access and uptake, adding, "It is imperative that the one-off austerity contribution made by industry through the PPRS is met with good faith by the government, which must re-double its efforts to ensure that the agreement results in improved access to modern medicines."
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