HAS Head of Roche’s Moroccan subsidiary since 2018, Sanaa Sayagh is a pure product of the Swiss multinational.
This pharmacist by training has spent her entire career within the group. Discreet, she is today one of the leading figures in the pharmaceutical industry, because she also chairs LEMM, the association that brings together subsidiaries of multinationals. It is with this dual role that she leads her fight for patient access to care.
After graduating in Spain, Sanaa Sayagh joined Roche in 1994, where she was responsible for regulatory affairs. She progressed very quickly and was promoted, six years later, to responsible pharmacist. This position is one of the most important in pharmaceutical laboratories, because its holder is the referent for the regulatory authorities: it is he who manages the management and monitoring of marketing authorization files, the famous “AMM”.
Sanaa Sayagh fulfilled her specifications for this position so brilliantly that she was appointed Director of Pharmaceutical and Commercial Affairs in 2012. And it was almost logical that Roche HQ in Basel entrusted her with the management of the group’s subsidiary in Morocco.
Roche’s director is a fan of participatory leadership. She always insists on the success of the collective: “We do nothing alone; it is the team and the collective strength that make everything possible,” she emphasizes.
Supporting health sector reforms
Established in the Kingdom for 60 years, Roche operates in several areas such as oncology, hematology, neuroscience, hemophilia, and more recently, ophthalmology. Improving access to care is at the heart of its director’s priorities. To make the group’s innovative solutions and therapies more accessible, Sanaa Sayagh relies on partnerships.
“Our mission is to make the group’s innovations available and, above all, accessible to patients who need them in our country, as well as to actively contribute with all stakeholders in the health system to combat diseases related to our areas of expertise.”.
Sanaa Sayagh was recently elected president of LEMM, an association that brings together 18 members, all subsidiaries of multinationals. The group claims 60% of the turnover of the pharmaceutical market in Morocco and with the new team positions itself as a partner of the authorities for the support of major health reforms in Morocco.
The generalization of health insurance opens up new positive perspectives, first and foremost for Moroccan patients, insists the DG of Roche because “It offers them better access to the care services and treatments they need for optimal care.“She nevertheless concedes that it is also an opportunity for Roche.”to strengthen its commitment and positions in the health sector”.
Furthermore, continues the head of Roche Maroc, access to care for the greatest number of patients opens up possibilities for the health sector to move up the value chain in industrial and also scientific fields.
The development of clinical studies and the collection of patient data are also important aspects. Because as more people use health services, the volume of available health data increases. Data that can be used, in compliance with the rules on the protection of personal data, to deepen the understanding of certain pathologies, guide decisions and direct research and development strategies, underlines Sanaa Sayagh.
Linkedin profile of Sanaa Sayagh
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