The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated innovations and progress in various fronts, and this included advancements in the promotion of diversity and inclusion in the country’s biopharmaceutical industry where women are assuming leadership roles in this time of global health emergency.
As a testament to its commitment to D&I, Dr. Edralin said that 60% of the senior leaders at Roche Philippines are females. AstraZeneca Healthcare Philippines Country President Lotis Ramin is also proud of their strong D&I culture, which recognizes the value of women leadership in the organization. For AstraZeneca, Ramin said that it had a clear mission of making the COVID-19 vaccines available to the world and the country at no profit during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the pandemic has likewise emphasized the importance of pharmaceutical supply security amidst lockdowns and global demand for medicines being used for COVID-19. “While we give tremendous efforts in innovating to bring substantial social, scientific and economic value into the country, we also need an environment conducive to innovation. We envision transforming the Philippines as a center for biopharmaceutical innovation in partnership with the government and other stakeholders to revolutionize healthcare and health systems,” said Dr. Edralin on ways moving forward.