Monday 26 September 2016

Emma Walmsley the CEO Designate GSK: Implications for Dental Research

The very recent announcement that Emma Walmsley is to replace Andrew Witty as CEO of GSK next March is both remarkable and welcome news. Remarkable because not only will she will be the first woman to lead a multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare "giant", but this is to the best of my knowledge the first time such a high profile position has been taken by somebody from the consumer health world.  Personally - as a father to two daughters and I hope a modernist on all matters related to gender and diversity - I am always delighted to see tangible evidence that the "glass ceiling" to women's career aspirations is being further eroded.  It is, however, the promotion of a member of the consumer healthcare community that is perhaps even more significant for dental research in the UK and beyond.

This appointment should of course not be surprising news. The 2015 turnover for GSK Consumer Healthcare was in the region of £6billion, 25% of GSK Groups total turnover. Emma has already led GSK Consumer Healthcare through a period of growth as well as part of a complex merger with Novartis last year, and it is important to note that a proportion of this business growth was related to investment in healthcare R&D leading to innovative high added value products that have been successful in a highly competitive market.  Oral health products are an important part of the GSK Consumer Healthcare portfolio, representing almost 1/3 of total sales in 2015.  To summarise then, GSK are a highly successful UK-based multinational, and they have appointed a new CEO with a strong track record in their consumer health division.  This information is all available in the press and indeed on the GSK web site, why is it significant for UK dental research and oral health?

Firstly, fluoride toothpaste is by far the most important consumer health product in the world.  While the reasons behind falling caries rates in the west are undoubtedly complex and include public education and excellent oral and dental healthcare systems, fluoride toothpaste is a key contributor to the generally excellent oral health enjoyed by many people throughout the world.  It is highly unusual for a consumer health product to have had such an impact on a non-communicable human disease.  Its success is seen not only among western populations, but also with the emerging middle classes in the developing world.  Trends in toothpaste innovation in recent years have moved on from caries prevention (where modern formulations are undoubtedly successful) to reducing tooth sensitivity (arguably a consequence of the success in preventing caries). However, there are still vast populations in the developing world where fluoride toothpaste use is minimal and caries rates are increasing rapidly.  There is an opportunity here for oral consumer healthcare companies to develop affordable products to deliver a real reversal in caries growth.  Even though caries rates have fallen in the west, there are still many opportunities for innovation to improve oral health here more generally too.  Tooth sensitivity, dry mouth, tooth erosion, periodontal health, and public education are all areas where the UK (and indeed the world) would benefit from more effective partnerships between healthcare providers, universities, and industry.  Most obviously, some of the differences between consumer health products and pharmaceuticals are increasingly blurred, and the opportunities for crossover between old divisions are very real.

My prediction is that Emma Walmsley may not produce radical changes overnight, but her appointment will see an increase internal communication within a highly structured business, and this will in turn facilitate even greater use of open innovation models to support R&D. Generally, this has to be a good thing for the UK's Dental Schools, but it means we may have to sometimes change in parallel to accommodate external business priorities.  The benefits will be that the UK will develop more productive consortia between industry, Dental Schools, and our colleagues in oral healthcare delivery. This increase in the quantity and quality of collaborative R&D will deliver greater health, societal, and economic benefits for the UK and the world.