10/18/2018

In the past 12 months we are proud to have advanced our strong contribution to global efforts to win the war against cancer. We have seen a period of strong growth momentum, with one milestone after another being achieved, including regulatory approvals, clinical advancements and new partnerships with world-class oncology organizations.  We have made great strides in bringing our specialist portfolio of medicines to life, which will transform the lives of patients by addressing unmet medical needs and help us secure our ambition to be a leading global oncology player in solid tumors. 

Our oncology division is core to the success of our business so we will not rest until we have met our ambitions. We want to continue to innovate, develop and commercialize our medicines and solutions to bolster our support for cancer patients, achieving better health outcomes for all.  Our commitment is to launch at least one new product or indication each year and we are on the right track to achieve this.

Our starting point is strong.  We are one of the world’s top 20 biopharmaceutical companies.  62% of our global sales are in oncology. One of our key medicines, for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors, is now marketed in over 57 countries, achieving double digit growth, serving more patients each month. We are already a partner of choice for those involved in the management of Neuroendocrine tumors and we expect this leadership position to continue.    

We are present and rapidly building our leadership in renal, liver and pancreatic cancers but we want to do more.  We want to develop new innovative treatments in other cancers with high unmet medical need. Each day we put relentless effort into expanding our pipeline through both internal and external innovation.  And we want to underpin all of this by being at the forefront of new technologies that will help us accelerate our portfolio. 

The ambition we set for our oncology enterprise at Ipsen is bold, as it should be with the mission of fighting cancer, and this is why we continually develop the building blocks to help us win these battles.

 First and foremost, we have an exceptional team.  We recruit the best who share our vision for the future with a bold and agile approach. Secondly, we believe in the power of combining both internal and external innovation. We work with academia, biotech and pharma companies to identify the most promising innovations that will help us develop more targeted treatments quicker. Our ambition is to be the partner of choice and we are constantly demonstrating our ability to successfully integrate new assets, set up effective governance and add value to the way we work with partners. Earlier this year we announced an important development partnership with the MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Texas; other such innovation-driven collaborations will follow.

Our constant motivation is the patient.  It is the personal stories affecting families, friends and neighbors, which spur us on to do more.

Prostate cancer is the 5^th leading cause of death by cancer in men; 1 in 63 people will develop kidney cancer in their lifetime; pancreatic cancer is the 3^rd leading cause of cancer related death in the US, now surpassing breast cancer. Many are working to tackle these diseases every day – and yet, still cancer tries to outsmart treatments. But it is this fact that motivate us – to do more and to do it faster and better. Our goal is to ensure no patient is forgotten and to strive to make every life matter. 

As we look ahead to 2019 and beyond, we are laser focused. We will demonstrate leadership in cancer, we will expand the pipeline, we will bring on board new technologies and we will continue to develop a high performing team. We are already a top 20 oncology company and, with these clearly defined strategic priorities, we aspire to be a top 15 player by 2022.  We look forward to updating you as we hit more milestones on this incredible oncology journey – we will not rest until the war on cancer is won.