Ivo Hlaváč joined Boehringer Ingelheim as Head of Healthcare & Access in mid-2023. He has extensive experience in this area from various sectors. Previously, he worked as a deputy minister and board member of a multinational company and in the pharmaceutical industry in Public Affairs
You recently became Head of Healthcare & Access at Boehringer Ingelheim – what role do you see for your company in the Czech healthcare sector?
I think the answer lies in the purpose of Boehringer Ingelheim – Transforming lives for generations. We bring patients all over the world not only innovative medicines in the field of diabetes, heart failure, chronic kidney disease and pulmonary fibrosis, but also inspiration and concrete ideas on how to transform the healthcare organisation for the benefit of the patient. For us, the patient’s journey through the system is not a cliché. We try to propose improvement to the organisation of health care at all possible levels its more efficient coordination, faster screening, detection and correct diagnosis of diseases. We currently see a huge opportunity for improving patient care, for example, in the forthcoming National Cardiology Plan. The reason is clear – circulatory system diseases have long been the dominant cause of death in the Czech Republic. According to official data from the Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic (ÚZIS), over the last 40 years the number of deaths from cardiovascular diseases has decreased, from 56% in 1990 to 43% of all deaths in 2022. In population data, we observe, for example, a decreasing mortality from acute myocardial infarction, but, unfortunately, the trend is completely opposite inheart failure, arrhythmia or valvular disease. All at the same time, a statistically significant proportion of deaths in the Czech Republic can be considered premature deaths, which could be prevented. The current life expectancy in the Czech Republic is 75.3 years for men and 81.4 years for women. Life expectancy in good health is, however, significantly shorter – Czechs lose their health at the age of 61.6. Compared to the EU countries with the longest life expectancy in health, we are currently losing an entire decade of healthy life. The National Cardiology Plan, which is now being drafted under the auspices of the Czech Cardiological Society and the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, can only be successful in its ambition to reduce mortality from diseases of the circulatory system by 5% over the next decade if the proposed measures are a widely shared priority. It has to be a medical and economic priority, when all available cost-effective technologies will be rationally used. This means strengthening prevention in primary care and a better coordination of patient care. The faster availability of innovative treatments for Czech patients and the removal of artificial barriers in the form of indication restrictions or limited prescriptions are also key, as well as more significant pressure to achieve treatment target values. Our company has vast experience. We operate in 130 markets around the world and bring many examples of good practice – both for the healthcare system and, above all, for Czech patients.
Thank you for the interview.
