Novartis BioCamp: Developing local scientists to help improve healthcare

MANILA, Philippines - Complex problems require long-term solutions. This is why Novartis Philippines, in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), hosted for the fifth straight year the Local BioCamp last Aug. 12 at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Conference Center in Makati City.

Aside from actively promoting access to effective and affordable medicine, Novartis Philippines, through its Kaagapay corporate citizenship program, has also been conducting annual Local BioCamps to enhance the country’s R&D capabilities crucial for improving the quality of Philippine healthcare.

“We’re trying to help improve the healthcare system on several fronts,” said Eric van Oppens, president and CEO of Novartis Healthcare Philippines.

“BioCamp focuses on enhancing the country’s research capabilities in biotech because this dynamic field has been crucial in advances made in the life sciences and medicine,” he said.

Saving Filipino scientists from ‘extinction’

The Local BioCamp is a pioneering seminar for entrepreneurial postgraduate Filipino students in science and business who are interested in pursuing a career in biotechnology.

At the end of the Local BioCamp, the top two students are selected based on academic excellence and professional focus. The selected students will participate in the prestigious International BioCamp which will be held in Cambridge, Massachusetts this year.

In this year’s International BioCamp, 60 selected students from 36 countries will have the opportunity to learn from leading biotech experts and professionals. The students will also be able to explore career opportunities and network with global leaders in the biotechnology sector. 

Science and Technology Secretary Estrella Alabastro has lauded Novartis Philippines for “working with the government to develop a culture of science and research in the country and build up the country’s pool of competent and highly skilled scientists and researchers,” a breed of professionals she described as “fast becoming an endangered species.”

Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IP Philippines) director general Atty. Adrian Cristobal Jr. said the BioCamp’s aim to enhance the global competitiveness of future Filipino scientists is aligned with IP Philippines’ commitment to build a stronger and more balanced IP regime by encouraging innovation.

Learning from experts

As in previous Local BioCamps, this year’s seminar gave students the opportunity to interact with and learn from the country’s biotech experts.

Representing Estrella Alabastro, Dr. Jaime Montoya, executive director of the DOST’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, talked on recent biotech trends in the country.

Atty. Louie Calvario of IP Philippines gave an overview of the intellectual property system, while Maoi Arroyo, CEO of the country’s first biotechnology consulting firm Hybridigm Consulting Inc., explained the basics of commercializing biotech in emerging markets.

Dr. Francis Domingo, chief scientific officer of Novartis Healthcare Philippines, shared recent healthcare industry trends and innovations in drug discovery and development.

During the “Meet the Scientist Forum,” Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-de la Paz fielded questions from students and members of media. She is the assistant director of the Institute of Human Genetics at the National Institutes of Health in UP Manila.

Kaagapay: Improving healthcare through win-win partnerships

In conducting Local BioCamps through its Kaagapay corporate citizenship program, Novartis Philippines has been successfully working with an increasing number of key organizations in the field of R&D, academe and biotech.

Aside from the DOST and AIM, two recent Novartis BioCamp partners were IP Philippines and Hybridigm Consulting. However, BioCamp is just one of several multi-stakeholder partnerships under the Novartis Kaagapay corporate citizenship program.

In its World Hypertension Day campaigns, Novartis Philippines works closely with the Philippine Heart Association, Philippine Society for Hypertension, Philippine Society of Nephrology, Department of Health, nutrition specialists, and culinary experts.

Novartis Philippines is set to forge partnerships with government agencies, research institutes and professional medical societies for its anti-dengue and anti-malaria campaigns.

Novartis and its world-class generics division Sandoz plan to work with professional medical societies in promoting the use of affordable and proven effective and safe generic medicines.

“The Filipino word ‘kaagapay’ has a broad positive connotation — a helping hand, trustworthy friend, and reliable partner. Our Kaagapay corporate citizenship program aims to forge win-win collaborations that ultimately benefit Filipino patients,” said Christine Liwanag, corporate affairs and market access director of Novartis Healthcare Philippines.