mtp-ca president on a mission to help people with als in canada
we are committed to fighting for the als community in canada and will continue to invest in the latest innovations and in improving access to treatments, says andy zylak, president of mitsubishi tanabe pharma canada.
jun 16 2023
4 minute read
caption: “canada has a long-standing history of punching above its weight when it comes to innovations and early access to new therapies.” – andy zylak
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mitsubishi tanabe pharma canada
this story was created by content works, postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of a client.
for andy zylak, stepping into the role of president of mitsubishi tanabe pharma canada (mtp-ca) offers him a unique opportunity to apply his decades of experience in the pharmaceutical industry to improving access to treatment for rare disease patients. this includes canadians diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as als or lou gehrig’s disease.
while the mtp name may be relatively new in canada, the japan-based parent company ranks as one of the oldest and most successful pharmaceutical companies in the world. when mtp introduced its newest als product to market, it decided to build a canadian affiliate to bring more innovation to the patient population here.
“mtp-ca was established to bring the first new infusion treatment option for people with als in twenty years,” zylak explains. the innovation has continued; four years later, mtp-ca announced its first oral formulation, following a priority review by health canada.
“it has been an incredible five-years,” says zylak. “in my 25-plus years in the pharmaceutical business in canada, much of my work was with large global companies. when mtp-ca was established, i saw it as my first real opportunity to work directly in the rare disease space, more specifically in als. in fact, when i joined the organization, i was the first and only canadian employee.”
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rare disease is a market worth fighting for in canada, he explains. “surprisingly, only 65 percent of rare disease therapies actually make it to the market here. in a country like ours, you would expect to have access to all the innovations out there. our goal at mtp-ca is to ensure that canada maintains its position as a priority market for rare disease therapies, so that canadians have access to the latest healthcare innovations.”
working with a small community with significant unmet needs is incredibly rewarding for zylak. “als is such a devastating disease in need of new and innovative therapies. there was a very long spell in bringing something new for treating this serious and debilitating disease.”
according to the als society of canada, there are 3,000 people with als in canada, with 1,000 new diagnoses and 1,000 deaths a year. approximately 80 percent of people with als die within two to five years of diagnosis.
zylak and his team have also made great strides in building partnerships with the stakeholder community of patients, physicians, health-care workers and advocacy organizations. “community partnerships are an integral part of mtp’s patient-first philosophy of bringing innovative treatments and therapies to people facing serious and life-threatening diseases.”
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mtp-ca is currently working with respirologists and respiratory therapists, who focus on als patients, on a virtual forced vital capacity (vfvc) test program as an option for patients living in remote communities, or who may not be able to travel to access an in-person fvc test. fvc is the primary test used to evaluate the breathing of als patients and a key criteria for insurance coverage for some als drugs. because the disease can progress quickly, having rapid access to fvc test results can make a difference in a patient qualifying for private or public reimbursement to new, innovative therapies.
“we just launched it a few weeks ago in canada and have shared the exciting approach with our colleagues outside of canada,” says zylak. “they have been impressed with the level of innovation we have shown here.”
for zylak and his team, there is more to their mission than simply bringing products to market successfully. “we are all proud to be making a contribution to the disease areas we are working in.”
mtp-ca also works closely with local communities, sponsoring research forums and participating in local non-profit fundraising events, among many other activities to raise awareness for als in canada. mtp-ca has also funded a fellowship in partnership with als canada to encourage young clinicians to learn about and build a career around work in als.
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zylak firmly believes that canada is an ideal incubator for innovation in this area. “canada has a long-standing history of punching above its weight when it comes to clinical trials and early access to new therapies. we have amazing researchers. mtp-ca in fact invested significant resources in clinical trials in several provinces for our new oral formulation specific to als. and there are other projects underway in the r&d pipeline.”
one of the main challenges with als is getting the diagnosis in a timely fashion. in some cases, a diagnosis can take up to two years, he notes. “early diagnosis for patients is crucially important in getting access to approved medications, clinical trials and the multidisciplinary care and therapies that can potentially extend their lives,” says zylak.
“early diagnosis for patients is crucially important in getting access to approved medications, clinical trials and the multidisciplinary care that can potentially extend their lives.”
zylak takes great pride in his new role as president. “it is especially rewarding to work with a team that is passionate and motivated to make a difference. we are committed to fighting for the als community in canada, and we will continue to invest in finding ways to improve access to treatment and bringing the latest technologies to this important market.”
this story was created by content works , healthing.ca’s commercial content division, on behalf of mitsubishi tanabe pharma canada.
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