On the Frontlines of Flu Prevention

“I think people like to see their leader as a ‘doer’ — one who is actively engaged in a body of work that will help build success for the team and the company.”

— Chris Woolway, U.S. Director, Sales & Marketing, Influenza, bioCSL

WHEN CHRIS WOOLWAY stepped into the role of U.S. director of sales and marketing for bioCSL last August, the company was in transition. As a global flu vaccine supplier, bioCSL (formerly CSL Biotherapies) had just announced the reshaping of a U.S. commercial organization dedicated to influenza vaccines, with a name change initiated in 2012 in Australia and implemented in February 2014 in the U.S. With U.S. corporate offices located in King of Prussia, Pa., bioCSL is a subsidiary of CSL Limited (CSL), based in Parkville, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. From this base in Parkville, bioCSL operates one of the world’s largest influenza vaccine manufacturing facilities for supply to global markets. CSL has nearly 50 years of experience in developing and manufacturing influenza vaccine. This long heritage underpins the company’s commitment to safety, quality and reliability.

“This is a very unique opportunity. I’ve quickly built a focused sales and marketing force, supported by the mentorship of bioCSL Inc. President and Head of Global Commercial Influenza Operations Dr. Marie Mazur,” says Woolway. “I’ve focused on building a team that is very talented and experienced in the vaccine space, which has accelerated our results. Importantly, we have been warmly received by our key customers, who recognize the focus that we have on excellence.”

In September 2013, just one month after Woolway took his position, bioCSL became the first U.S. supplier to complete its 2013-2014 seasonal influenza vaccine delivery campaign, which consisted of more than 11 million doses of Afluria. Woolway attributes much of the credit for that achievement to the fact that bioCSL’s facility focuses year-round exclusively on the early development and production of seasonal flu vaccine for the Northern and the Southern hemispheres. He also cites the important role operational excellence has played in the company’s ongoing growth and expansion.

“This was a critical achievement, which was made possible by innovative approaches to our manufacturing, supply chain and cold-chain management

activities,” explains Woolway. “In 2009, bioCSL inaugurated a high-speed syringe filling and packaging line in its Kankakee, Ill., facility, with the objective to make its flu vaccine more rapidly available to U.S. healthcare providers. As a result, bioCSL was able to provide Afluria in a timely manner, which supported immunization efforts early in the season for the healthcare provider customers that we serve.”

The Fluctuating State of the Flu Vaccine Business

Comfortable with his current role of “change agent,” Woolway acknowledges that the flu vaccine industry is fraught with challenges, including issues of reimbursement, distribution and administration options; there are currently more than 20 different brands and presentations of flu vaccine, coupled with an ongoing debate over quadrivalent versus trivalent vaccine formulations. Additionally, there is the long-standing obstacle of consumer perception and behavior; the fact is, the prime target age group of 18-to 64- year-olds simply does not believe they need a flu shot. “The 18-to 64-year-old population is the least immunized, with a vaccination rate of only about 30 percent,” explains Woolway. “Yet, for the 2013-2014 influenza season, this was the group that was hardest hit in both hospitalizations and deaths by the H1N1 virus, a strain which everyone remembers as being the culprit of the 2009 pandemic.”

Woolway affirms that increasing overall seasonal influenza vaccination rates is the most significant annual public health endeavor, noting that patient complacency continues to present a unique and daunting challenge within the flu vaccine supplier community and the medical community as a whole. “There is a very strong need as a supplier community to work as closely as we can to raise immunization rates in this country. We still have a significant amount of disease, and in the U.S., we are still seeing, on average, 36,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations per year from flu-related complications,” explains Woolway. “Those are big numbers, and I can’t help but wonder if there is something those of us in the supplier community can do to change that.”

On the Forefront of Prevention

Strategic partnerships play a large role in bioCSL’s approach to addressing industry challenges. The company has aligned itself with immunization advocacy initiatives, as well as with key private national immunizers, and actively supports the National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit in an effort to bolster vaccination rates. bioCSL selectively invests in life-cycle initiatives that are expected to provide differentiated product offerings, which might incite more Americans to get their seasonal flu shot, ultimately playing a role in reducing the burden of influenza. In an industry that has, in recent years, seen the introduction of differentiated products, bioCSL is pioneering a new mode of administration for our multi-dose vials via a needle-free injector system, which is partnered with PharmaJet Inc. “As we think about the future of the influenza vaccine industry, I think we are going to see a much more multidisciplinary approach to how suppliers address the market, especially as we think about the clinical, financial and operational imperatives of our customers. It used to be good enough to have a quality product delivered on or ahead of schedule, at a good price. Not in the future,” says Woolway. “Suppliers will need to think carefully about how they relate to a spectrum of business partners and clinical constituents — there are opportunities that could come to fruition that might not even be on the radar today.”

When it comes to leadership style, Woolway takes a “roll up your sleeves” attitude and approach, while striving to support individual development within his team. Committed to leading with vision and inspiration, he says a good leader is always tasked with helping the team understand the “why” behind any initiative, while clearly communicating the role that each team member contributes to the greater cause. “I think people like to see their leader as a ‘doer’ — one who is actively engaged in a body of work that will help build success for the team and the company,” says Woolway. “Hard work and significant challenges don’t scare me — in fact, they motivate me.”

A second degree black belt, Woolway says the principles he’s learned in Taekwondo greatly influence his business philosophy. “In martial arts, everybody goes into the ring understanding their skill sets, while also recognizing it’s not just about imposing your plan of action, it’s also about understanding your environment and how your competitor sizes up,” he explains. “When you engage and find yourself in the heat of the battle, you have to get very clear on your objective. Is it to come out with a point? Is it to survive? You may go in with a particular game plan, but if it’s not working, you need to be prepared to reassess and, possibly, change tactics. With the flu business, the ability to stepcback and reassess is very much a core competency.”