Three questions to our new board members: Linn Mandahl, Vice President Europe Region South at AbbVie

What are your hopes for the new role on the Interpharma Board? 

I look forward to playing a direct role in Switzerland’s pharmaceutical strategy. Today – more than ever – we’re called upon to strengthen Switzerland as a pharmaceutical location, promote innovation and support clinical research. I’d like to help improve the framework conditions in Switzerland’s most important industry to make it easier for patients to access treatment. As part of this, I closely monitor the cost-containment measures in the healthcare sector in order to balance efficiency and access to therapies. I’m committed to ensuring that political decision-makers can better understand our concerns. This is how we can ensure the long-term success of AbbVie and other members for the benefit of patients. 

How would you like to contribute your expertise to Interpharma? 

Before my current role as VP Europe Region South at AbbVie I managed operations in Switzerland and Scandinavia. I’m very familiar with the activities and the European environment, having spent eight years on the board of the LIF trade association in Sweden. I already know Interpharma from my time on the Market Committee. Due to the dynamism of the Swiss market, I’m continuing my commitment and investing time and energy into strongly supporting the Board. Over the course of my career I was able to gather experience in different markets such as the Nordic countries, Ireland and Switzerland, and more recently in Austria, Portugal, Greece, Turkey and Israel.  
I use my extensive expertise in HTA, pricing and financing systems to make constructive contributions, and I also think that my experience in international collaborations and my commitment to the attractiveness of global clinical trials will definitely contribute to the discussions. 

Where do you see the most urgent need for action for Switzerland as a pharmaceutical location? 

It has to urgently push forward innovation and competitiveness. Switzerland should specifically strengthen biotech start-ups and research institutions and improve collaboration between science, industry and the public sector. We also have to efficiently design the more targeted networking of health data in order to optimize research and therapies while maintaining quality and security. 
We’re also in need of a rethink in the healthcare sector: Instead of concentrating unilaterally on costs, we need to focus on the benefits of the medication, because delayed starts to treatment are detrimental to Swiss patients. That’s why we need an attractive environment for research-based pharmaceutical companies.