8OCTOBER 2023TECH OUTLOOKIN MY OPINIONAN AI DRIVEN FUTURE IN CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT By Stefano Ferrara, Director, Clinical Science, BeiGeneStefano Ferrara is a seasoned and versatile professional with extensive experience in the clinical science sector. He has a refined expertise of executing strategic clinical approaches for the global clinical development of products. He has worked with several reputed companies across Europe including Celgene Corp, Novartis Pharma, Sanofi-Aventis, and Schering. In an exclusive interview with Pharma Tech Outlook Europe he shared his invaluable insights regarding the future of the industry, the ensuing challenges and the possible solution. Could you provide a brief overview of your journey as a thought leader in the clinical sciences space as well as your current roles and responsibilities? My first major experience was at the Georgetown Cancer Centre, Washington D.C, where I did a fellowship 20 years ago. It was during my stay there that I developed an interest in oncology, especially clinical development in oncology. After returning to Italy, I worked for several companies and later moved to Switzerland to work at Novartis. I soon left to work in a smaller company because I believe one can make a much more impact and work more efficiently in smaller companies instead of getting involved in the bureaucracy of big companies. In 2010, I joined Celgene and worked there until it was acquired by BMS, and hereupon shifted to a small biotech company. However, I realized I was not able to make any noteworthy difference through my work there, which eventually led me to move to BeiGene, where I am currently working on a phase-three study in hematology.What would you say are some lessons that you have learned through working in both the academic and the industry space?Learning as a process should be all-encompassing, which means that you should be able to acquire knowledge from all the occurrences around you, including both good experiences and mistakes.In this regard, my experiences working with big companies have proved to be valuable. This is primarily because dealing with the people involved and gaining insight into their various functions aids you in your work in clinical development. A leader in clinical development must have a thorough knowledge of all the other necessary functions ranging from cleanups to data management and dealing with investigators. The work in clinical development is not restricted to writing protocols and collecting data but also putting together the aforementioned functions. During my stint in Novartis, for instance, I had the opportunity of getting involved and understanding all the aspects and functions within the organization. The knowledge acquired in big companies can then be used to drive the smaller companies in the right direction by bringing the culture of collaborative function, ensuring that the team works together. Further, it is the clinical development that ultimately leads the organizational team, since the former is the one responsible Stefano Ferrara
< Page 7 | Page 9 >