Editorial
EDITORIAL
Committed to therapeutic progress for 70 years
Olivier Laureau
President of Servier
In 2024, we proudly celebrated the 70th anniversary of our Group, marking seven decades of sustained effort to drive therapeutic progress to better serve patients. The past fiscal year, we made significant progress in a number of our areas, made possible by the intensive, purposeful work of all the Servier people, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them.
Their determination and the progress achieved draw on three strengths that set us apart in the pharmaceutical industry. They give meaning and purpose to our day-to-day work.
Our primary strength is our commitment to patients. They are our motivation and the driving force behind everything we do. Our tagline, “Moved by you”, reflects our profound desire to put patients at the heart of the process. From our position as a leader in cardiometabolism and venous diseases to our progress in oncology and soon neurology too, we strive to improve the quality of life and bring hope to patients and their families.
This year, the PatientView Report ranked us in the top three pharmaceutical companies working with oncology patient organizations. In the US, we came out on top in the rankings drawn up by patient organizations in 12 out of 14 categories, a feat never before achieved by a French laboratory. Such recognition only serves to boost our resolve in pursuit of our mission.
Our second source of strength resides in our commitment to innovation and our pioneering spirit. We maintain an unwavering focus to research and develop therapeutic solutions, exploring both breakthrough innovations and incremental improvements. Artificial intelligence plays an increasingly important role in our innovation process. Moreover, innovation permeates all areas of the Group, in order to constantly improve performance. This spirit of entrepreneurial innovation remains at the heart of who we are and helps make our Group a motivating and inspiring workplace.
In 2023-2024, we obtained a number of market authorizations for treatments for rare cancers. One of these therapeutic solutions brought a new solution for a type of cancer that had not seen any progress for over 20 years. Some of our oncology medicines are now included in standard treatment protocols in many countries. As such, Servier is gradually forging a name for itself as a leading innovator in this area. Incremental innovation enables us to maintain our longstanding commitment to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The impact of Single Pill Combinations (SPC), which make it easier for patients to stick to their treatment, is encouraging. They reflect the scientific excellence that has driven our enduring success in this area. This year, we also conducted the first study into the combination of four medicines to treat resistant hypertension. The promising findings were shared at the European Society of Cardiology Congress. This progress goes hand in hand with increasing public recognition of the importance of adherence to treatment as a key factor for success. While the World Health Organization (WHO) identifies adherence to treatment as an area of research requiring investment, and the European Parliament affirms that treatment adherence is “crucial for a European strategy on non-communicable diseases”, it is important to remember that over half of patients do not follow their treatment plan as prescribed. Yet if everyone diagnosed with a chronic disease followed their treatment plan to the letter, 12,000 deaths in France and 200,000 in Europe could be avoided each year.
This brings us to our third strength, our team. Our success lies in the skills, boldness and engagement of the people who make up our workforce. Their passion and dedication are essential if we are to achieve our objectives and fulfil our mission. I firmly believe that collective success arises from everyone’s shared desire to give the best of themselves. And that is what we try to achieve each day at Servier. The renowned American institute Gallup recognized the Group as an “Exceptional Workplace”, positioning it as one of the companies with the highest level of employee engagement in the world. Indeed, we are the first company in France to have obtained such a distinction!
Our success in 2023-2024 derives from these three strengths. They demonstrate that we are making solid progress toward our long-term objectives and our Servier 2030 ambition. These three strengths that set us apart are supported by our unique model of governance, where we are led by a non-profit foundation, which thereby ensures our total independence and long-term view. It encourages us to undertake bold decisions with respect to innovation as well as enables us to step up our ambitions when it comes to corporate social responsibility and uphold the highest standards in ethics and compliance.
Our strengths, combined with our governance by a non-profit foundation, represent a genuine advantage in dealing with the challenges we face, such as the rising cost of innovation, the market access, the availability and accessibility of medicines, and the growing impact of artificial intelligence, redefining the health industry over the coming years.
In a world of increasing geopolitical instability that is simultaneously undergoing demographic, environmental and societal transitions, new solutions will need to be found to face these challenges, requiring unwavering commitment as well as an open mind and a collaborative approach to innovation.
Driven by the hope patients put in our innovations, we at Servier are proud to work steadfastly to meet their expectations. It is with confidence and determination that we look to the future.