KAREL J. FUCIKOVSKY
Pierre Fabre is committed to bringing novel treatments that offer enhanced therapeutic alternatives and increase life expectancy.
BIOGRAPHY
Karel J. Fucikovsky is the General Director of Pierre Fabre Médicament LATAM, a position he has held for more than five years. He has more than 25 years of experience working for transnational pharmaceutical companies in Mexico and Latam. He started as sales representative and later assumed key positions in the marketing, finance, productivity, and business development departments.
What role does Mexico play in Pierre Fabre's international strategy?
For many years now, Mexico has been one of the development pillars for Pierre Fabre. Our Mexican operations will certainly continue to grow in the group's internal rankings, especially with the introduction of a new oncology portfolio in Mexico and Latin America. The company has two core businesses: dermo-cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The dermatology division is separate but it has strong synergies with our pharmaceutical division. Notably, we are working on an internal transformation plan that will boost our joint capabilities further. The plan includes digitalization, IT, logistics, R&D, and stronger financial discipline. All this will further help us in building a solid future. Once this transformation plan has been executed, we will shift more of our focus to patients and consumers.
How important is oncology for the company?
Oncology remains paramount in the company's mid- and long-term strategy. We are committed to being a key player in this market, bringing novel treatments that will offer enhanced therapeutic alternatives for patients. Our goal is to not only improve their quality of life but increase life expectancy with lesser side effects. At Pierre Fabre, our core philosophy is that every time we take care of a person, we contribute to build a better world.
What is your perception of the legal framework for healthcare in Mexico?
The situation of the healthcare system in Mexico still remains somehow unpredictable and undefined. The new government brought in a great deal of disruption, so I am optimistic and hope that this first year of disruption will be the starting point for new and improved structures, organizations, and processes. We remain on hold and expect to see if the government will be able to consolidate the national healthcare system, improve the regulatory and access capabilities, and consider innovation as one of the key development poles. The question remains on how they will untangle and finance all the issues in order to avoid a shortage of products.
What is your distribution strategy in Mexico?
We distribute our pharmaceuticals through large wholesalers. In the retail segment, more and more regional mid-sized distributors will gain share and robust pharmacy chains will grow and expand further. As a result, independent pharmacies will suffer. Our strategy is to continue with our current distribution partnership model, but as the entire setting will surely evolve in the next five years, we will follow new trends and remain strongly committed to our distribution partners and grow with them, especially in the e-commerce arena. The challenge overall, and our core responsibility, is to make sure that patients and consumers can easily access our products at the best price.
What main trends in the healthcare industry are you keeping track of?
Governments and pharmaceutical companies should work together to prevent tropical diseases that can be avoided or minimized. In that light, a prevention system should be classified as a national priority. Moreover, Mexico and other regional countries have an aging population, so we must continue to invest in R&D, technology, genomics, and robotics.
What countries are you prioritizing in Latam?
Our priorities remain Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. We are planning to work with our strategic partners to expand into Colombia, Chile, Peru, and Ecuador.
What are your main goals for 2020?
In Latin America, one of our main goals is to roll out our new portfolio for oncology, especially in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. 2020 will also be the year of consolidation with strong partnerships in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile. At the same time, we will continue to invest, build, and grow with our current portfolios across Central America. The next few years in Latin America will be challenging, as unpredictability and volatility will be the main drivers of the market. In light of that, it is crucial that we remain financial and ethically
disciplined.
KAREL J. FUCIKOVSKY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Focus
Inclusive development
Home to more than 22 million people, Mexico City is one of the most important cultural, financial, and educational centers in the world. While the lack of a coordinated approach to urban development has hurt the city's potential in the past, the current government is fully determined to promote inclusive growth and capture all the gains associated with urbanization.
read articleInterview
Alexis Langagne, North Latam Managing Director, Prosegur Security
With a cybersecurity firm, a guarding services firm, an electronic security systems company, and a video security company under its umbrella, Prosegur Security is the only company to offer a 360-degree security solution in Mexico.
read articleInterview
Rafael Fernando Marín Mollinedo , General Director, Public Decentralized Office of the Interoceanic Multimodal Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
With the development plan of Isthmus of Tehuantepec in hand, Mexico will bring about greater economic development in the country's often-overlooked south.
read articleForum
Engineering
Each one of the three companies featured in this forum are known for disrupting the construction industry in their own unique ways. While Grupo Beck is a pioneer of the integrated delivery process in Mexico, Bovis is among the first companies to build high-rise buildings in the country. Sacyr Concesiones, on the other hand, uses infrastructure development as a means to promote equality.
read articleInterview
Fabrizio Feliciani, Regional Director, UNOPS
As the UN's special projects services unit, UNOPS' main goal is to support public institutions that are undertaking important infrastructure projects to contribute significantly to advancing a country or region's development agenda.
read articleInterview
Alejandro R. Paolini, Managing Director of Mexico, Central America & Caribbean, Siemens Healthineer
Siemens Healthineers' aim is to support the growth and development of Mexico's healthcare sector and help the government with innovative technologies, especially those that help treat chronic diseases.
read articleInterview
Yon de Luisa Plazas, President, Mexican Football Federation (FEMEXFUT)
Mexico's Liga MX is among the world's top-10 football leagues, and FEMEXFUT plans to push it into the top three by improving four key pillars, namely sporting success, sports justice, international relations, and social responsibility.
read article