Celgene scooped a trio of prizes at last night’s Pharmaceutical Market Excellence Awards (PMEA), including the coveted Small Company of the Year award.
It was the myeloma drug Revlimid (lenalidomide) that drove the company’s performance at the awards, which recognise responsible marketing and business practice in the pharma industry.
Commenting on Celgene’s overall performance, the PMEA judges said: “Its performance in the treatment of myeloma is impressive and the company demonstrates clear focus on patient outcomes.
“As a company it collaborates effectively, internally and externally, achieving access for patients and delivering value for all.”
Run by PMLiVE’s publisher the PMGroup, the PMEA programme is specifically designed to recognise and commend excellence, best practice and innovation in local, European and international healthcare markets.
In addition to Small Company of the Year Celgene also took home PMEAs for Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs and Team of the Year, both for its My Life Comes Before Myeloma work on Revlimid with support from Langland.
Multiple myeloma drug Revlimid is Celgene’s biggest UK brand but was confined to niche prescribing for only a subset of the eligible population receiving treatment.
To overcome the inherent challenges of working with a rare disease Celgene’s comprehensive strategic planning included extensive collaboration with patient organisation Myeloma UK. This ensured the strategic approach was insight driven, sensitive to patients and suitable for an orphan condition.
Revlimid’s second-line market share overachieved targets and activities, ultimately helping patients receive treatments earlier and for longer, offering significant benefits in controlling disease progression and improving survival.
Commenting on the Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs award, the PMEA judges said: “This was one entry that really stood out. With a clear focus on patient outcomes, the Celgene team collaborated effectively with Myeloma UK, and successfully challenged the convention of treatment, moving the product up the prescribing chain and so creating value for all.”
There was particular praise for Celgene’s Revlimid team, which beat GSK Consumer Health to pick up the PMEA for Team of the Year.
The judges praised Celgene’s “exceptional cross-working and teamwork” that ensured all the company’s objectives for the brand were met.
The PMEA judges concluded: “The passion of Celgene’s myeloma team for their product is clear. They are an impressive team who demonstrate excellent ways of working collaboratively, engaging internal and external stakeholders.
“They express a clear sense of purpose, eye-opening honesty and masses of enthusiasm. This is a team I would want to work with.”