Special Interest Groups

The EMIG Compliance Group and jointly chaired by Paul Gershlick, Partner at the law firm VWV and Paul Ranson, EMIG Legal Advisor and VWV.

Current issues being addressed by the Group include:

• Data protection
• Industry Code of Practice and other promotion laws
• Pricing and reimbursement transparency
• Sunshine Laws
• Bribery and anti-corruption
• Medical devices approval and safety
• Competition law

The Compliance Group also considers environment issues in conjunction with the Environmental Sustainability Group and other issues with the Digital Health Group, including FMD, tax and patents and other intellectual property.

The EMIG Digital Group, led by Darren Spevick, Founder and MD, Russell Strategy Partners, is a networking meeting for those members focused on understanding the latest developments in digital (digital marketing, data, AI, apps) and going “beyond the pill”.

Meetings take place three times a year and typically include presentations by:

• Members on what they are doing in digital health
• Digital health companies
• AI experts and relevant stakeholders

Past presenters have included NHS Digital, digitalhealth.london, MHRA, IQVIA, VWV, multim3d, Camino Communications, Dr Andre Bates, Flo Health.

Led by Richard Charter, VP & Partner–Founder & Managing Director, CHLOE Advisory Group, this Group has contributed to the understanding of practical approaches to sustainability and supporting EMIG as a conduit of information on sustainability topics.  Specifically:

• Becoming an environmentally sustainable organisation, and embedding sustainability considerations into commercial excellence
• Understanding the sustainability requirements for life science companies from the national, regional and local levels, with a specific focus on the NHS in England.
• Thought leadership and guest speakers to address questions for EMIG members on topics relevant to commercialisation of medicines and devices.  This includes, procurement, ICB's, HTA (NICE), and government policy makers.

Please reach out to EMIG and/or Richard if you wish to discuss topics to hold workshops or meetings on.

This is a joint Initiative of EMIG and the Pharmaceutical Licensing Group (PLG), chaired by Andrew Dean, Director and Ownder, Present Value Ltd and who has also chaired the EMIG BD Group for since its inception in 2009.  These meetings are intended for those involved in Life Science transactions:

Acquisitions & Divestments, In & Out Licensing & Strategic Partnerships.

To be held quarterly and will rotate between:

Oxford, London and Cambridge.

The concept is focused networking combined with professional development.

The Market Access Steering Group advise on how the Market Access Group provides support for Members in navigating the complex UK environment through presentations, discussions and Q&A sessions. It covers pricing & reimbursement, regulation, HTA and patient access and uptake.

The Group works closely with DHSC, MHRA, NICE and the NHS, and assists Members in their engagement with NICE Scientific Advice and the NICE Office for Market Access. 

The Group provides a forum for Members to discuss developments in HTA requirements and practical approaches for addressing them. It also provides insights into data requirements and the preferred ways of making submissions to NICE and SMC.

Dr David Williams, CEO of Roar Intel leads the Medical Affairs Group. MSLs and Medical Affairs Teams continue to evolve and face new challenges and are now very much a key strategic function within pharmaceutical and biotech organisations. They need to demonstrate impact internally, as well as navigate the expanding digital frontier.

Meeting quarterly, the new Medical Affairs Group aims to build a diverse, spirited community of medical excellence through regular discussion, guest speakers and webinars – All medical affairs team members are more than welcome!

The Northern Ireland Group provides a platform for engagement with the NHS and other stakeholders in Northern Ireland. It enables networking and shared learning across Member companies.

The Patient Engagement Group is chaired by Eric Low, MD of Eric Low Consulting. 

EMIG provides free Membership to c. 30 Patient Charities and this is to enable better communication between pharma companies and Charities. Topics discussed are Charity Members expectations of medicines and how companies can provide an exchange of ideas on how patients can become involved in and contribute to research.

The world is now focused on creating a workplace where individuals feel valued, heard, and motivated. Employee satisfaction and engagement become key metrics, and the organisational culture becomes a driving force for success.

To reflect this paradigm shift, we are bringing together the ‘HR’ and the ‘Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging’ Groups under the umbrella of ‘People & Culture’.

'People & Culture' places emphasis on the human element, acknowledging that the success of any organisation hinges on the collective experiences, well-being, and engagement of its workforce. 

Clearly, the topics will be of interest to HR professionals and equally to any leader invested in developing company culture, people experience with business results in mind.

The Regulatory Affairs Steering Group, chaired by Sonia Morjaria, Associate Director in Regulatory Strategy at Vertex Pharma, meets regularly and provides a platform for exchange of views. Webinars are also hosted covering a wide range of regulatory topics.

They meet with the full MHRA Management Team on a 6 monthly basis to discuss current and future issues. 

The Steering Group also participates in regular MHRA Medicines-Industry Group meetings, including the Cross-industry trade meeting on regulatory topics of interest.

The EMIG Scotland Group, chaired by Brenda Dooley, CEO at AXIS Consulting, UK & Ireland, aims to help key EMIG members abreast of key issues and relevant developments within this specific health economy.

Events take place throughout the year, both online and in person, to afford members the opportunity to hear from a diverse group of speakers from the various parts of the Scottish health ecosystem. 

Topics usually cover key developments within the Pharmaceutical office at Scottish Government, important trends and updates on the HTA assessments being completed by Scottish Medicines Consortium as well as how the growing use of Generative Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning tools can impact on the journey to successful market access for anew medicine in Scotland.  

In addition, the EMIG Scotland Group have the opportunity to learn about what's happening with Healthcare Improvement Scotland as well as hear of important initiatives led by Clinicians, Pharmacists and Patients across Scotland's health boards.

To have specific topics you would like to see covered at the EMIG Scotland meeting, please contact Leslie at leslie.galloway@emig.org.uk or Brenda at brenda@axisconsulting.ie

The EMIG Wales Group, led by John Devereux, Teva UK Ltd, was established to:

• Provide a voice for members in Wales
• Build relations with the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group and with key stakeholders in the Welsh Assembly

EMIG has a seat on the AWTTC Therapeutic Development Assessment (TDA) Group

EMIG Women in Pharma, chaired by Susan Macdonald, CEO of Macdonald Lewis Associates.

Our industry is highly dynamic and continues to undergo significant changes. Susan, along with other members of the Women in Pharma steering team, have been fortunate to receive great support and encouragement, along with opportunities, on their career journeys to date. 

They recognise that not everyone has had the same experience, and this contributes to their passion for helping others in their career journeys. Beyond Susan’s day-to-day executive search work, she “walks the walks” by mentoring, advocating for those who feel unheard and leveraging her network to facilitate valuable introductions.

The EMIG Women in Pharma Group serves as a dynamic forum for EMIG Members to connect with fellow industry professionals through both online and in-person events. It will be a space to learn, share best practices, exchange knowledge, and find inspiration. We welcome any suggestions on how this group can best serve you.