IGBA Launches Panel of 13 CEO-Level Advisers

The International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association (IGBA) has formed a CEO Advisory Committee with 13 leaders from companies based in Europe, the United States, Canada, India, Israel, and Japan.

The IGBA, which dates to 1997 when it was founded as the International Generic Pharmaceutical Alliance, is incorporated in Geneva, Switzerland, and is an accredited member of the World Health Organization. According to the group’s website, the IGBA maintains dialogue with other national, regional, and international bodies to ensure patient access to high quality, safe, and effective medicines while reducing costs in pharmaceutical care.

Vivian Frittelli, IGBA chair, said forming the CEO Advisory Committee will be a “transformative” step for the group. “This is the first time that the generic and biosimilar medicines industry’s company leadership has united in a structured framework, enabling a collective voice in the global pharmaceutical space,” he added.

Members of the CEO Advisory Committee include:

• Chirag Patel, president and Co-CEO of Amneal Pharmaceuticals Inc.
• Jeff Watson, president and CEO of Apotex Inc.
• Pankaj Patel, chairman of Cadila Healthcare Ltd.
• Samina Hamied, executive vice chair of Cipla Ltd.
• Satish Reddy, chair of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd.
• Lucas Sigman, CEO of Insud Pharma S.L.
• Vinita Gupta, CEO of Lupin Ltd.
• Richard Saynor, CEO of Sandoz AG.
• Peter Goldschmidt, CEO and chairman, Executive Board, STADA Arzneimittel AG
• Dilip Shanghvi, managing director, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
• Kåre Schultz, president and CEO, Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd.
• David Peix, CEO, Towa Pharma International Holdings S.L.
• Michael Goettler, CEO of Viatris Inc.

"I am happy to join the CEO Advisory Committee set up by the IGBA,” said Shanghvi, of Sun Pharmaceuticals. “The generic and biosimilar industry leaders of 13 leading multinational companies coming together for the first time to discuss critical global healthcare policy issues is a great step."

Added Peix, of Towa Pharma, "This advisory committee represents a milestone for the 13 worldwide leading companies of generic, value added and biosimilar medicines. For the first time, we are officially together on facing the main actual challenges and we are all working by our common purpose: the patients."