Stepping down from his five-year role as Director General of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), Richard Bergström says that he is ready to take on a “fresh challenge.” The resignation signals an end to 15 “fantastic” years of leading industry associations in Sweden and Brussels for Bergström.
In a statement, Joe Jimenez, President of EFPIA, said, “As the voice of the pharmaceutical industry in Europe for the past five years, Richard has been instrumental in building collaborative relationships with many stakeholders. We have a strong foundation on which to build our vision of a sustainable future for patients, society, and industry.”
Bergström’s early career began in Sweden. He obtained his MScPharm degree from the University of Uppsala in 1988 and until 1992 he worked for the Medical Products Agency – the Swedish national authority for regulating medicines – as Assistant Head of Registration. He then moved to Switzerland, spending a number of years in regulatory affairs roles at Roche and Novartis. He was also Director-General of LIF, the Swedish Pharmaceutical Industry Association, before joining the EFPIA in April 2011.
During his time at EFPIA, Bergström has pushed for greater collaboration across the healthcare sector as a whole, and has been vocal in his support of clinical trials data transparency, transparency in relationships between healthcare professionals and the pharma industry, greater use of big data, and the need for more action to address anti-microbial resistance. More recently, he has been involved in discussions around European medicine prices and the need to reorient towards an outcomes-focused approach to healthcare.
He was included on The Medicine Maker Power List in 2015 and 2016.
The search for a new Director General is now on, with Bergström leading the quest for a successor who “stays the course of engagement and dialogue”. Bergström will remain in the role until a suitable successor can be found.
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