Dr Christiane Langer is a senior vice president and the head of global medical affairs for BeiGene.
Dr Langer spoke with BioPharmaDispatch during her recent trip to Australia with a group of the company's most senior global executives, including its president and chief operating officer Dr Xiaobin Wu.
Dr Langer joined the pharmaceutical industry after building a career in the medical profession, including in gynecologic oncology. She served in senior medical roles for Bristol Myers Squibb and Roche before joining BeiGene in 2021.
She said her interest in joining the industry was triggered by the emergence of the first targeted cancer therapies.
"I look back and it was a real paradigm shift. All of a sudden, after decades of just blanket toxic chemotherapy, we had targeted therapies and that really left an impression on me. It showed there was a new and different way for patients and that maybe it could be the same for me
"I always loved patient care but thought I could do it in a different way by being part of developing new treatments."
Dr Langer has now led the process of building a global medical affairs capability for the fast-growing BeiGene.
Her approach is underpinned by a real focus on ensuring the enhanced integration of mental health care with cancer care.
"Because, really, they aren't," said Dr Langer.
"History shows that there hasn't been a standard offering of mental health support with cancer care. Even now, we know it is only offered to a minority of patients, and even when patients ask for mental health support, it is only provided to around 40 per cent.
"The challenge of mental health is such a problem in our society. This is even more true for patients navigating the uncertainties of a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Thinking it through and talking to patient organisations, we thought there was something we can do to help."
BeiGene has established a resource - Talk About It - that provides a variety of resources to patients. It has also commissioned a US study involving 600 patients that collected data on the mental health management and care of cancer patients.
"We are looking to expand into other countries, including Australia," said Dr Langer.
"We need to speak with patients about the services they are being offered and what they need. We need to really understand the patient experience and we can only do that by listening. Of course, it goes beyond that because we need patient input on our clinical trials, and that means understanding what's important to them."
The challenges patients confront in developed countries like the US, Australia and New Zealand are nothing compared to those in developing countries, said Dr Langer, who described confronting the challenge as critical for BeiGene given its focus.
"As a company, we tend to go where some other pharmaceutical companies may not, and that is to countries where patients don't even have access to what might be considered standard of care. So, of course, it will be harder but that goes to the vision of our founders."
