Members of PIC

The PIC is a peak body of three peak industry associations: AusBiotech, the Generic Medicines Industry of Australia and Medicines Australia. The PIC is chaired by Mr Will Delaat, Managing Director of Merck Sharp and Dohme (Australia). Other members of the PIC are:

Dr Anna Lavelle, CEO, AusBiotech Ltd

Dr Anna Lavelle was appointed inaugural Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of AusBiotech Ltd in June 2005. AusBiotech is the peak industry body for biotechnology and has over 2,400 members.

Since that time she has focused the organisation on industry development, policy formulation, business matching and international alliances. She is currently a member of the Pharmaceuticals Industry Council, a Ministerial appointment on the Medical Devices Industry Action Agenda and various government committees associated with biotechnology.

Previously Dr Lavelle was a Senior Executive with the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (ARCBS), commencing in 1998 as Director responsible for Strategic Planning and Business Development. In 2002, Dr Lavelle was appointed Director of Intellectual Capital and was responsible for management of the national research and development program, evaluation of emerging technologies and international and national business development activities including technology transfer and intellectual property management.

Prior to joining ARCBS, Dr Lavelle held positions of Chief Executive Officer of a public health organisation, Industry Lobbyist for a member organisation and commenced employment as an academic at Monash University, Melbourne.

Dr Lavelle holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Genetics from the University of Melbourne and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Mr Will Delaat, Managing Director, Merck Sharp & Dohme (Australia) Pty Limited

With over 30 years experience in the pharmaceuticals industry, Will Delaat has held a variety of roles both in Europe and Australia, and across three different multinational companies. He holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) from London University (Chemistry/Physiology). Will Delaat has been the Managing Director of Merck Sharp & Dohme (Australia) Pty Limited since April, 1997 and had previously held the position of Sales & Marketing Director since 1990.

MSD has built a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in western Sydney, where it produces most of the $500 million of products sold into the Australian market, and also approximately $1 billion worth of product for export markets, having become Australia's largest exporter of pharmaceuticals. Domestically, MSD is one of the largest suppliers of medicines to the Australian PBS Scheme.

MSD also invests heavily in R & D in Australia. Not only does it run a large Phase II/III clinical research programme, but also has signed research agreements with organisations such as CSL Limited/Uniquest and Zenyth Therapeutics Limited to license and develop important medicines/vaccines.

Will has been on the Board of Medicines Australia (formerly the Australian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association) since 1997, Vice-Chairman 1999 - 2002 and was Chairman from 2003-2005. During his tenure as Chairman, he co-chaired the taskforce which implemented the pharmaceuticals provisions of the AUSFTA. Will is also on the Board of The Pharmaceutical Alliance (a consortium of three research-based pharmaceutical companies - GSK, Lilly & MSD), and was recently appointed Chairman of the Pharmaceuticals Industry Council (PIC), the peak body of industry associations representing the key players across the pharmaceuticals value chain.

go to top

Dr John Sime, Director, Prima Biomed

Dr Sime was born and educated in Melbourne. He has a BSc and MSc in Physical Chemistry from the University of Melbourne. He completed his PhD in Biochemistry at Imperial College, University of London.

Dr Sime had a twenty-seven year career in the pharmaceutical industry with Beecham and SmithKline Beecham in UK, Asia, USA and Australasia - initially as a research biochemist followed by 10 years as Managing Director of Beecham Pharmaceuticals Australia-NZ and SmithKline Beecham Australia-NZ.

Dr Sime has also held the positions of Senior Vice President for Worldwide Strategic Marketing with SmithKline Beecham; CEO of the BioIndustry Association, the UK trade association for biotechnology companies and co-founder of EuropaBio, the peak European biotechnology organisation.

Currently, Dr Sime is a Director of Prima BioMed, an Adjunct Professor in the School of Graduate Studies at Swinburne University, Melbourne, as well as a Fellow of the Institute of Directors (UK) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Dr Martin Cross, Managing Director, Novartis Pharmaceuticals

Dr Martin Cross, Country head Australia and New Zealand, Novartis.

Dr Martin Cross joined ICI Pharmaceuticals as a Commercial Graduate and held a number of national and international management positions in Marketing and Sales, including an assignment to Japan. Following the demerger and formation of Zeneca in 1993 he became a Senior Business Manager responsible for Japan and Portugal. In 1999 during the merger to form AstraZeneca he was the Integration Team Leader for the world outside North America responsible for the merger in 42 countries. In 2001 he relocated to Switzerland and joined Novartis as the Head of Global Marketing and Sales Capabilities and was appointed to his current position in 2003. In addition to the Pharmaceuticals Industry Council Martin is on the Boards of Medicines Australia, the Swiss Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Connector Ltd.

Martin graduated from Aberdeen University, Scotland with a Bachelor of Science (Honors) and a Doctorate in microbiology. Martin is married and has three teenage boys and in his time away from work enjoys sailing, ocean cruising and snowboarding.

Sue MacLeman

Sue MacLeman has extensive international senior management and leadership experience in product development and commercialization in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector.

Sue graduated with a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Queensland in 1984. In addition to pharmacy qualifications, Sue MacLeman has completed a Fellowship with the Australian College of Pharmacy Practice, Masters of Marketing at Melbourne University (Melbourne Business School) and is currently enrolled in a Masters of Commercial Law at Deakin University. She is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a Director of AusBiotech Ltd.

In 1991 she joined the pharmaceutical industry with Schering Plough in the biotechnology business unit. She then went on to work with Amgen Inc and Bristol Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals in the areas of medical, marketing, sales management and business development. In 2002 she took up the position of global Vice President for Agenix Ltd where she was responsible for the product development of the molecular clot imaging project. From 2004 to 2006 she was the CEO of a publicly listed biotechnology and investment company EQiTX Ltd. She joined Benitec Ltd as CEO in September 2006.

Ms Di Ford, Executive Director, Generic Medicines Industry of Australia

Di Ford has worked in the pharmaceuticals industry for over ten years and has been Executive Director of the GMiA since 2001. Prior to working in the pharmaceuticals industry she was a ministerial adviser in federal governments for over ten years including a period as PBS Adviser to the Minister for Health in the Keating Government, Senator Graham Richardson. Di has also worked as an industry lobbyist in both Australia and the UK.

She is a ministerial appointment representing the generic sector on the Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council (APAC), the Drug Utilisation Sub-Committee (DUSC) of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) and prior to the establishment of the PIC was a member of the Pharmaceuticals Industry Action Agenda.

Di has a B.A. from the Australian National University

Mr Ian Chalmers, CEO, Medicines Australia

Ian Chalmers was appointed Chief Executive of Medicines Australia on 4 September 2006. In this role, he represents the national interests of the research and innovation based prescription pharmaceuticals manufacturing industry.

Previous appointments over the past 16 years include leadership of national associations representing local government, private hospitals and life insurance intermediaries.

Mr Chalmers has also worked as a policy and research adviser within the Parliamentary Library and as a government relations consultant.

Earlier in his career, he spent 10 years as an officer in the Australian Army. This involved service in tank and armoured cavalry regiments, in both Australia and Europe, instructional roles at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in the United Kingdom and at the Royal Military College, Duntroon and staff appointments within the Department of Defence in Canberra.

Mr Michael Schwager, Department of Innovation, Industry, Science, and Research

Michael Schwager is currently General Manager of the Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Branch of the Australian Department of of Innovation, Industry, Science, and Research. He is responsible for supporting the growth of the pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical devices industries.

Key elements of his role include:

  • representing the Australian Government on Australia's Pharmaceuticals Benefits Pricing Authority, and Pharmaceuticals Industry Council;
  • joint oversight, with the Australian Research Council, of the $100m Biotechnology Centre of Excellence Program, which funds the Australian Stem Cell Centre (ASCC);
  • implementation of the Australian Government's new initiative to grant $10m for the establishment in Australia of a scale-up mammalian cell production facility;
  • policy oversight of the Pharmaceuticals Partnerships Program to encourage growth of Australia's biopharmaceuticals industry; and

Previously Michael was General Manager (Technology, Manufacturing and Services Industries), at Invest Australia, the Australian Government's foreign investment attraction agency. For four years he has been responsible for developing a strategic approach within Invest Australia to investment attraction efforts in the sectors of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, information and communication technologies, and nanotechnology. This work involved extensive cooperation with multinational companies, relevant policy arms of the Australian government, as well as the industry development and investment attraction arms of the Australian States and Territories.

Prior to his work in Invest Australia, Michael's work for the Australian Government involved international policy and trade issues in the areas of food, agriculture and energy.

He has also worked for Members of the Australian Parliament and a large multinational accounting firm.

He completed his Bachelor of Economics at the University of Sydney.

go to top

AUSBIOTECH

AusBiotech is Australia's Biotechnology Industry Organisation, which represents over 2,550 members, covering human health, agricultural, medical devices, bioinformatics, environmental and industrial sectors in biotechnology.

AusBiotech is dedicated to the development, growth and prosperity of the Australian biotechnology industry, by providing initiatives to drive sustainability and growth, outreach and access to markets, and representation and support for members nationally and around the world.

AusBiotech has representation in each Australian state providing a national network to support members and promote the commercialisation of Australian bioscience in the national and international marketplaces. The structure is a not-for-profit limited guarantee company managed by a Board elected by members, under a constitution that is available on request from National Office.

Our membership base includes biotechnology companies, ranging from start-ups to mature multinationals, research institutes and universities, specialist service professionals, corporate, institutional, individual and student members from Australia and globally.

In assessing the current needs and issues faced by Australia's core biotechnology companies, AusBiotech's Strategic Business Plan addresses the requirements to build an appropriate environment to enable companies to grow, help them globalise and position Australia as a significant biotechnology industry for increasing international investment and interest.

Generic Medicines Industry Association (GMIA)

The GMiA began in 2001 and currently has six members - Alphapharm, Arrow (Sigma), Genepharm, GenRx, Mayne and Sandoz - each of whom is strongly committed to the generic medicines industry.

The goal of the GMiA is to increase the use and acceptance of generic medicines in Australia by health professionals and consumers to the level in other developed countries, that is 50% of the total market units from the current level of 25%.

GMiA members:

  • Supply over 25% of all the prescriptions dispensed under the PBS;
  • Employ around 5,000 people, a significant number being tertiary qualified;
  • Are significant investors in R&D in Australia;
  • Export generic medicines to Asia, Europe, Canada, USA and New Zealand;
  • Have delivered savings to the PBS through generic price reductions of approximately $3 billion to date, and
  • Estimate that these savings will exceed $8 billion by 2010 due to the many anticipated patent expiries between 2005 and 2010

As a matter of basic principle the GMiA:

  • Supports the PBS and its long term affordability and its underlying mechanism of reference pricing;
  • Supports the principles of the Quality Use of Medicines;
  • Supports the development of policies that ensure access to pharmaceutical care for all Australians;
  • Encourages professional awareness and general knowledge of the safety, quality and efficacy of generic medicines; and
  • Promotes balanced and generic friendly intellectual property rights in the pharmaceuticals sector that enable timely access to generic medicines.

MEDICINES AUSTRALIA

Medicines Australia represents the innovative medicines industry in Australia. Our member companies represent more than 90 percent of the prescription market, and are engaged in the research, development, manufacture, marketing and export of prescription medicines.

Medicines Australia is committed to enhancing the health of Australians by providing medicines of the highest quality, safety and efficacy.

A viable, diverse, research-based pharmaceutical industry operating in a competitive healthcare market is essential to achieving optimal patient health and well-being, while making a significant contribution to the Australian economy. Our industry is a high technology, knowledge-intensive industry, contributing significantly to the Australian economy as an employer and exporter.

Department of Innovation, Industry, Science, and Research

The Australian Government continues to work with industry through the Pharmaceuticals Industry Council (PIC) to achieve the Pharmaceutical Industry Action Agenda's vision: to double Australia's share of the global pharmaceuticals industry by 2012 through the collaborative efforts of the industry, government and research by:

  • increasing investment in Australia to capture innovation and knowledge;
  • becoming a global hub for research, development and commercialisation; and
  • developing Australia as a key global exporter of goods and services.

The initial implementation of the PIAA was supported by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources and was concluded in late 2005.

The Australian Government maintains involvement with the industry through representation on the PIC, and its taskforces, and will continue to receive advice and input from industry through the representation of PIC members on the Pharmaceuticals Industry Working Group (PIWG). The PIWG is a forum where Government and industry representatives can discuss key issues relevant to the growth and development of the pharmaceuticals industry. The Group is jointly chaired by the Ministers for Innovation, Industry, Science, and Research, and Health and Aging.

Taskforces:

The PIC has responsibility for three sub-groups: the Industry Policy Development Taskforce, the R&D Taskforce and the Pharmaceuticals Education Council. These groups carry out work, under the PIC banner, relevant to their specific area and comprise members with expertise in the fields of health and industry policy, R&D and biopharmaceutical/science education.

go to top