Roche Restructuring: An Exclusive Interview with Eric de La Fortelle, F. Hoffmann-La Roche
May 2007
Roche Restructuring: An Exclusive Interview with Eric de La Fortelle, F. Hoffmann-La Roche
Interview with Eric de La Fortelle
Roche Restructuring: An Exclusive Interview with Eric de La Fortelle, F. Hoffmann-La Roche
In this exclusive interview, Fintan Walton talks to Eric de La Fortelle, Global Head, External Research and Technology, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, about the global restructuring of Roche’s research and development activities, which is due to be implemented on 2 July 2007. Eric explains that Roche has taken the decision to improve its R&D model at a time of strength, when its financial results are proving excellent, in order to adapt to a changing environment in which demands are increasing from both patients and regulators.
In the interview, Eric describes how Roche R&D will be organised into five Disease Biology Areas (DBAs), and how these DBAs will be managed. He also explains the research and development tensions that can be resolved by this new model. Just how these changes will affect partnering with Roche is discussed as well, highlighting the integrated role that the Roche Pharma Partnering group, to be led by the incoming Dan Zabrowski, will have with the new DBAs.
About Eric de La Fortelle
Dr Eric de La Fortelle is Global Head, External Research and Technology, for Roche Pharma Partnering in Basel, Switzerland. He heads a group with a mandate to find and establish contracts, and to manage global alliances with companies offering discovery-stage products and innovative technologies.
Eric is a scientist by training, with contributions in the field of structure-based drug design (the determination of 3D-structures of protein targets by X-ray crystallography).
He has extensive experience of negotiating Pharma/Biotech alliances (both from the Biotech and the Pharma side). He holds a PhD in Physics from Paris XI University, and an MBA from INSEAD.
About F.Hoffmann-La Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As a supplier of innovative products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people’s health and quality of life. Roche is a world leader in diagnostics, the leading supplier of medicines for cancer and transplantation, and a market leader in virology.
