Boehringer Ingelheim, which has proposed integrated management of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome (CRM) with Jardiance at the forefront, has been drawing on innovation through research and development (R&D) investment.

Boehringer Ingelheim has already invested more than EUR 5 billion (KRW 7.9666 trillion) in R&D in 2022 globally and has been steadily increasing its R&D ratio, with a 14.2% increase to EUR 5.8 billion (KRW 9.2412 trillion) in 2023.

In particular, the company has been continuing to forge active partnerships with the establishment of a new Business Development & Licensing (BD&L) department in Korea.

Daily Pharm met with Ana-Maria Boie, General Manager and Head of Human Pharma at Boehringer Ingelheim Korea, who is celebrating her first anniversary in office, to hear about her thoughts on the past year and the company's plans for the future.

Since entering the pharmaceutical industry after obtaining a medical license in Romania, Boie is a seasoned professional who has accumulated experience in various countries, including Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, for 25 years.

After working in marketing at AstraZeneca and Pfizer, Boie joined Boehringer Ingelheim in 2009 and took on roles in various areas including marketing, sales, and ESG.

Since her appointment, Boehringer Ingelheim Korea has focused on three areas: ▲R&D, ▲organizational culture, and ▲pipeline expansion.

“We are focusing on R&D to develop breakthrough treatments in therapeutic areas with unmet needs,” said Boie, ”We have 33 ongoing clinical studies in Korea, and with the establishment of the BD&L department, we have been actively promoting collaboration and open innovation with domestic pharmaceutical companies and biotech companies.”

The company has been evaluated to have shown its determination to expand R&D by adding South Korea to the two existing innovation hubs it had in Japan and China.

Boie explained that Korea is an important country in terms of strategic priorities at Boehringer Ingelheim and that the company is willing to develop the Innovation Landscape together based on its interest in Korea's innovative capability.

In the future, the company plans to actively explore new opportunities through active support based on the newly established BD&L department in Korea.

“In the last few years, Korea has emerged as a 'New Kid on the Block' in the biotech sector, becoming a country that is attracting attention on the global stage. In terms of R&D, Korea has established itself as one of the top 5 countries in the world, and so we at Boehringer Ingelheim have set a strategic goal to further expand our R&D in Korea,” said Boie.

“The ultimate goal of the BD&L department is to discover and explore innovative new substances with Korean researchers and strengthen collaboration with Korean companies,” said Boie. “Its main role is to support and promote the discovery of new candidate substances in collaboration with Korean companies, conduct R&D, and support their global entry.”

“Korea has limited access to new drugs compared to other countries, limitations in pharmaceutical industry’s innovation exist”

From Boie’s perspective, South Korea is a country that leads the development of the pharmaceutical industry in Asia, owning the 4th largest pharmaceutical industry in the Asia-Pacific region and a top-tier medical system.

She also positively evaluated Korea’s national health insurance system, which is a single-payer system that covers the entire population.

However, Boie also mentioned that the single-payer system limits innovation in the pharmaceutical industry as it is affected by the limited national budget.

Boie said, “Despite the fact that Korea has one of the best healthcare systems in the world, Korea is relatively slow in terms of introducing and gaining access to innovative drugs. The reason for this is that the innovativeness of innovative drugs is not given enough value.”

She also cited the existence of various drug price reduction regulations post-approval and reimbursement as one of the factors limiting access to innovative drugs.

“In terms of the drug life cycle, which goes from domestic approval to reimbursement approval and patent expiry, there is very limited time available to provide the drug to patients in Korea (especially when the drug supply is delayed),” said Boie. ”According to 2022 data, Korea is at least one to one and a half years behind other countries in launching new drugs.”

In particular, only 33% of the 460 new innovative drugs developed and launched between 2012 and 2021 have been successfully launched in Korea. This is even lower than that of Germany (61%) and the UK (59%).

She emphasized, “To address this issue, I am working with the KRPIA board of directors, the chairman of the Healthcare Committee of the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea, and other stakeholders, and discussing with the Korean government agencies, including the MFDS, HIRA, and the NHIS.”

Boehringer Ingelheim selects Korea as a strategic key country... accelerates new drug introduction

As the company is focusing on innovation through R&D, it is also focusing on expanding its influence in the domestic market through new drugs.

According to Boie, the company plans to launch at least 20 new drugs or indications in several countries, including South Korea, within the next seven years.

Among them, South Korea is one of the top 10 strategic countries for Boehringer Ingelheim, and the company has shown a strong willingness to actively introduce innovative treatment options to the South Korean market.

Currently, the Human Pharma division of Boehringer Ingelheim focuses on the following areas: Cardio-Renal-Metabolic (CRM), Pulmonary Fibrosis, and Oncology.

"We are looking to introduce two major new drugs that are currently undergoing clinical trials in Korea as soon as possible,” said Boie. The first is survodutide, a GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist, which has yielded positive research in treating fatty liver and metabolic-syndrome-associated fatty liver (MASH). We are receiving a review from the MFDS for the domestic approval of metalyse (tenecteplase), a next-generation thrombolytic agent for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

In addition, Ofev (nintedanib), a drug for treating pulmonary fibrosis, which is expected to be approved for reimbursement as final discussions are underway, is also one product the company has high expectations for this year.

In addition, nerandomilast, a follow-up drug to Ofev that has been designated as a Breakthrough Therapy by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the HER2 inhibitor zongertinib for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are expected to be launched in Korea in the long term.

“Boehringer Ingelheim does not settle; we have been continuing to develop new drugs and innovative treatment solutions to gradually replace the existing portfolio,” said Boie. ”The fact that we are reinvesting more than 20% of our sales in R&D means that we are focusing on developing and introducing innovative new drugs, rather than on existing products whose patents have expired.”

Finally, Boie added, “All of our efforts at Boehringer Ingelheim are focused on developing innovative new drugs and improving patients‘ access to treatment. I to be remembered as a ’reliable and trustworthy person.' when I complete my work here.”

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