People on the move … Feb. 17
Drug Store News has rounded up all the retail pharmacy comings and goings to help keep you informed. Here are this week’s announcements.
Christine Baeder named chair of the Association for Accessible Medicines board of directors
The board of directors of the Association for Accessible Medicines has named Christine Baeder as its 2023 chairperson. Baeder is the senior vice president and chief operating officer for generics at Teva Pharmaceuticals USA.
Baeder succeeds Chirag Patel, Amneal Pharmaceuticals’ co-founder, president, and co-chief executive officer, as AAM board of directors chairman.
“The generics and biosimilars industry is an exemplar of the value that can be delivered to Americans by manufacturers, policymakers, and regulators working together,” said Baeder. “However, the industry is at a crossroads and faces real threats to its survival. No other sector helps patients afford their health care as much as generic, complex generic and biosimilar medicines, which are needed not only to create access but to free up resources to enable new and novel therapies. I am humbled that my peers have chosen me to lead at this critical time and determined to be the most forceful and effective advocate possible.”
David Gaugh, interim CEO of AAM, said: “We are delighted to welcome Christine with her steady commitment to the industry and demonstrated leadership in her new role as AAM board chair. Christine is exactly the right person to lead the membership at this time. She has the strength and focus to advance our industry’s mission to provide safe, effective, and more affordable medicines to American patients.”
Maesa appoints Carlos Lagravere as chief operating officer
Maesa, a beauty brand incubator, recently announced that Carlos Lagravere is the company's new chief operating officer. In his role as global COO, Lagravere will be responsible for driving operational excellence, and transformation, improving efficiencies and building upon the company's strong foundation for executing and achieving profitable, sustainable growth, the brand said.
"Maesa is an incredible company; we have an established track record of success in creating and expanding new and disruptive beauty brands,” CEO Piyush Jain said. “I am very excited to welcome Carlos to our leadership team. With his rich experience in both large and mid-size companies, Carlos is perfectly suited to lead our Operations as we continue to deliver rapid, profitable, and sustainable growth at Maesa."
Lagravere brings more than 25 years of executive end-to-end supply chain experience within the CPG industry from organizations such as P&G, Ecolab, and Proximo Spirits. He spent more than 20 years at P&G, where he led the beauty care supply chain for the LATAM region, which included responsibility for planning, sourcing, manufacturing operations, and logistics, the company said. In his most recent role before Maesa at Proximo, Carlos was the architect of a high-impact integrated supply chain transformation for a mid-cap high-growth company, managing a team of 500 and overseeing all the operational disciplines.
"I am honored to join this inspiring organization,” Lagravere said. “I look forward to working with the dedicated leadership team and our talented employees. There has never been a more exciting time to work in the beauty industry. Together, our team will continue our transformation journey and growth trajectory by leveraging the latest supply chain technology and innovation-driven operations to unleash our brands' full power, delighting our customers and consumers."
Mihir Patel joins Cambia Health Solutions as chief pharmacy officer
Cambia Health Solutions has named Mihir Patel, Pharm.D., RPh, as its chief pharmacy officer.
In this role, Patel will provide overall leadership and pharmacy direction across all lines of Cambia's health plan business, which includes driving delivery of the pharmacy program and integration into medical benefits, clinical improvement and cost-stewardship efforts.
"Mihir has tremendous expertise within the pharmacy industry, including a dedication to ensuring health care is affordable," said Tonya Adams, senior vice president and chief health services officer. "His leadership in managing our pharmacy program will help ensure our members have access to safe, effective medications at prices they can afford."
The company said Patel is an experienced pharmacist with a career spanning more than 20 years across various pharmacy sectors including health plans, pharmacy benefit management, consulting and retail pharmacy. He has a passion for improving efficiencies and outcomes by combining effective medication management and health care IT solutions, the company added.
Before joining Cambia, Patel was vice president of pharmacy services at PacificSource Health Plans where he led all aspects of pharmacy operations. He also helped establish the medical management team at Oscar Insurance, a technology-based startup health plan, and led various clinical and business development functions at EmblemHealth, Point-of-Care Partners, MedImpact Health Care Systems and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.
"Cambia's focus on making health care simpler and more affordable really resonates with me," said Patel, a registered pharmacist. "I look forward to working with a broad array of leaders with diverse perspectives and backgrounds to improve member outcomes and experiences."