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Posted 19 June 2024 PM
Former Pfizer Managing Director ANZ, Melissa McGregor, has returned to pharma to take up a country leadership role as General Manager ANZ for Italian pharma, Chiesi.
She ended a 24-year career with Pfizer in 2022 finishing up as Vice President Developed Asia, General Manager Japan, Pfizer Hospital. Since July last year she has been General Manager, Commercial Operations and Transformation at the Business Chamber, Queensland.
"Chiesi ANZ is delighted to announce that Melissa will be joining Chiesi as General Manager Australia and New Zealand," the company said.
"Melissa has over 30 years experience in the biopharmaceutical and life sciences industries where she has successfully partnered with healthcare professionals, health consumer groups, government and industry bodies to enhance patient health outcomes.
"Melissa is passionate about cultivating a workplace where everyone finds value, respect and meaningful recognition (and) most importantly where everyone thrives. We are excited to welcome Melisssa to the Chiesi family."
McGregor spent three years on the board of Medicines Australia, including 13 months as Deputy Chair, until February 2020 when she left Sydney to take the role of Vice President Europe 1 Cluster.
She's had a high-flying career - starting out as a Pfizer hospital rep in Queensland in the late nineties to become the company's Head of Global Commercial Operations ANZ in 2012, then Managing Director of Pfizer New Zealand in 2014 and two years later returned to Sydney to take the country leadership position locally for ANZ as well as Developed Asia Lead Internal Medicine.
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| Melissa McGregor |
She was succeeded by Pfizer ANZ's current Managing Director Anne Harris who is also the Deputy Chair on the Medicines Australia board.
McGregor takes over from Chris Rossidis who retired as Chiesi Australia General Manager in March this year. Rossidis was the driving force behind the registration and PBS-listing of Epidyolex for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or Dravet syndrome. Both are rare types of childhood-onset epilepsy which cause patients to experience severe symptoms, repeated and prolonged seizures.
At the time of the listing in 2021 then Health Minister Greg Hunt described the reimbursement as an "historic first". Rossidis was the founder of Emerge Health which focused on areas of unmet need that big pharmas were not touching. In November 2019, Emerge Health was acquired by the Italian pharma, with Rossidis staying on as General Manager.
Chiesi Australia has since brought a swag of medicines to Australia's PBS including: Asacol for ulcerative colitis, Trimbow for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Ocaliva for primary biliary cholangitis and Fostair for asthma.
The company's Alkindi for adrenal insufficiency was recommended in July 2021 but has not proceeded to listing along with Fostair for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, recommended in March 2022. With Emerge Health as the sponsor, the company also saw Diacomit listed in 2020 for severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy.
Christine Spiteri
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