Organon explores innovative health frontiers
It was also crucial that the group was not running empty on motivation especially during the early phase of the spin-off.
A year ago, the world reeled from the impact of the unprecedented outbreak. It was then that Organon was established worldwide to advocate for better healthcare for women. In the Philippines, the pioneering team surmounted more than operational challenges as it delivered pharmaceutical solutions and offered hope among Filipino women and their families rebuilding lives amid the new normal.
Emman Tiglao, commercial director of Organon Philippines, describes the situation during the height of the coronavirus crisis as “very unstable and uncertain.”
The pandemic’s firm grip on the economy and all other aspects of society exacerbated the company’s birthing pains.
“Unestablished processes, systems that have yet to run, and business operations such as transfer of knowledge were all being done online — and these were just the tip of the iceberg,” Tiglao said.
“It was very difficult to engage healthcare providers at that time since everyone was focused on Covid-19. Our clients and patients were losing income and were not able to do consults nor buy medications, and they were afraid to go out,” he added.
But being the pioneers that they are, Organon’s people drew on their deep reserves of optimism that the pandemic will someday end, staying focused on overcoming implementation obstacles.
As a spin-off company of global pharmaceutical leader MSD, Organon’s mandate was to seek out and pursue new ways of tackling the healthcare needs of women worldwide. From the start, the Philippine office had a roadmap that prioritized hiring and training the right people — not just skilled and knowledgeable but, most importantly, self-driven, according to Tiglao — because the workforce will establish everything, including “initiating long-term programs guided by our North Star — patients and women.”
Since the organization was advocating for these two most vulnerable sectors, it needed to deliver hope in a timely way. On its first year of operations, both the executive bodies and smaller cross-functional teams of Organon were intent on simpler approaches, faster decision-making and other measures that streamline procedures.
It was also crucial that the group was not running empty on motivation especially during the early phase of the spin-off.
“It meant that as a team, we celebrated small and big wins too,” Tiglao said.
Before the pandemic, an estimated 218 million women ages 15 to 49 in low-and-middle income countries had an unmet need for modern contraception based on a 2019 study. As the global crisis hit and hit hard, a 2022 report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) revealed that nearly half of all pregnancies worldwide are unintended.
As a women’s health company, Organon builds upon its strong foundation of more than 60 medicines and products across a range of therapeutic areas including reproductive health, heart disease, dermatology, allergies and asthma. By working to ensure that these important treatments are made accessible around the world, the company is able to make a difference in people’s lives in more than 140 international markets.
Another healthcare investment within the company’s first year was creating strategic go-to-market plans to reach more healthcare practitioners and to more effectively bring Organon’s established brands to patients who need them. Moreover, it is helping address the unmet need of lowering cardiovascular risks by launching a new fixed-dose combination product for lowering lipids and improving cholesterol.
Organon is a proponent of improving the health of women throughout their lives because it understands that women are at the foundation of a healthier world. Whenever and wherever women are empowered through access to better healthcare products and services, this creates a ripple effect beyond the individual and the household, enabling even other people to live their best lives.