Lee Jin-a was appointed as the first Korean President and CEO of Bayer Korea in October of last year, a noteworthy event in the company's history spanning nearly 70 years. This appointment highlights the changing dynamics and strategic priorities of the Korean healthcare industry within the multinational pharmaceutical company. 

Lee, who joined Bayer Korea in 2013, has been instrumental in steering the company through a period of vigorous innovation and growth, particularly in the cardiovascular disease sector.

During her previous position at Bayer Korea, Lee helped Xarelto (ingredient: rivaroxaban) emerge as a Direct Oral Anticoagulant (DOAC) market leader, demonstrating her capability to navigate the complex landscape of healthcare needs and regulatory environments.

Lee also served as the General Manager of Bayer Thailand from July 2020 to November 2023 and as part of the Global Cardiorenal New Launch Excellence team in Berlin, Germany, in 2018.

Lee's ascension to the leader's role also comes at a critical juncture for Bayer Korea, coinciding with the company's transition towards a Dynamic Shared Ownership (DSO) operational model. This model is designed to foster a more agile, responsive organization capable of delivering greater value to patients and healthcare professionals alike.

Korea Biomedical Review recently met with Lee to hear her journey and vision of Bayer Korea.

With a career spanning over 30 years in the healthcare industry, Lee's diverse experience across regulatory affairs, medical, marketing, and commercial leadership roles has uniquely positioned her to lead Bayer Korea.

"My journey through various departments is a distinctive aspect of my career, allowing me to understand the nuances of each role deeply," Lee shared.

Reflecting on her appointment as Bayer Korea's first Korean CEO, Lee Jin-a attributes this significant milestone to the increasing importance of the Korean market and the nation's strong R&D environment.

"Korea's leadership and capacity have been proven through various opportunities and experiences," the first Korean President said. "The recent Korean Wave (Hallyu) showcases Korea's competitive market strength, particularly in the insurance market."

Under Lee's leadership, Bayer Korea is focusing on launching next-generation products and strengthening communication with stakeholders.

The company is navigating through a period of strategic renewal, as while aspirin remains a flagship product and Xarelto and Eylea continue to drive the company's revenue, Bayer faces the challenge of product generational change as patents expire.

"The company plans to focus on addressing unmet needs in cardiovascular and eye diseases, oncology, and women's health," she said. "Bayer has dedicated extensive efforts to the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, and this year, we are particularly focusing on heart and kidney areas."

Last year, the company made a smooth start to the generational change of its cardiovascular disease treatment portfolio with the insurance coverage of Verquvo, a differentiated chronic heart failure treatment, she added.

This year, Lee stressed that the company's focus is on Kerendia, which aims to address the long-standing unmet need in the treatment of type 2 diabetes patients with chronic kidney disease.

The drug recently received insurance coverage on Feb. 1.

"Kerendia stands out as a product carrying high expectations," she said. "It targets a significant portion of type 2 diabetes patients, up to 40 percent of whom are known to suffer from chronic kidney disease."

Despite being the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in Korea, the development of new treatment options has been stagnant for nearly two decades.

"Kerendia represents a focused approach to addressing unmet needs in chronic kidney disease associated with type 2 diabetes, differentiating itself from other treatments that primarily target diabetes," Lee explained.

To enhance the commercial reach and impact of Kerendia, Bayer Korea has embarked on a strategic partnership with Chong Kun Dang in February.

The CEO also touched upon Bayer Korea's significant role within the global organization.

"When I first joined Bayer Korea ten years ago, flagship products like Xarelto and Eylea were just entering the Korean market, facing the challenge of establishing themselves in a landscape where they were already well-received abroad," she said. "However, since then, both Xarelto, a leading anticoagulant, and Eylea, a treatment for macular degeneration, have not only successfully launched but have ascended to market leadership positions by 2015."

Eylea, in particular, achieved an impressive milestone last year, reaching sales of over 100 billion won ($75 million), underscoring the increasing importance of the Korean market in Bayer's global strategy, she added.

The CEO stressed that the success of Xarelto and Eylea in Korea was a significant turning point, highlighting the potential and vitality of the Korean pharmaceutical market.

Lee also discussed the company's expectations regarding Korea's recent passing of the Advanced Regenerative Medicine and Advanced Biopharmaceuticals Act.

Bayer has been utilizing pioneering strategies and strategic acquisitions to drive progress and propel medical innovation in the cell and gene therapy (CGT) area.

The company has been taking a two-pronged strategy, combining a platform approach to master specific technologies with acquisitions, collaborations, and in-house capacities, which has led to the acquisition BlueRock Therapeutics and AskBio, two companies renowned for their expertise and capabilities in the CGT field.

Lee elaborated on Bayer's focused efforts to enrich its pipeline with cutting-edge CGT treatments, promising to unveil more about their local research activities and clinical trials in Korea as plans become more concrete.

"The field of cell and gene therapy is one area we are intensely focusing on, aiming to offer innovative treatment options to patients," she said. "Our current focus is on successfully integrating our newly launched products, Verquvo and Kerendia, and preparing for the high-dose Eylea launch later this year, laying the groundwork for future innovations."

Lee also highlighted the significance of open innovation.

Lee mentioned Bayer Korea's proactive approach toward fostering digital healthcare solutions through the 'Grants4Apps Accelerator program.

"This initiative supports the growth and global market entry of developers and startups within the Korean digital healthcare sector," she said. "Bayer is committed to addressing unmet medical needs and enhancing patients' lives through innovation."

The company believes that open innovation will continue to play a crucial role in this endeavor, Lee affirmed.

Moreover, Lee Jin-a shared insights on Bayer's collaborative endeavor, such as its co-promotion with Chong Kun Dang for Kerendia.

"Such partnerships not only exemplify successful collaboration but also pave the way for a broader open innovation landscape, which we are hopeful will bring about transformative healthcare solutions," she said.

In discussing Bayer's global restructuring and the company's emphasis on dynamic shared ownership (DSO), Lee underlined the flexibility to adapt to local markets while maintaining a unified goal of delivering value to patients and healthcare professionals.

"Although the framework is global, the execution is tailored to fit each country's context, reflecting Bayer's commitment to addressing unmet medical needs and improving patients' lives worldwide," Lee remarked.

Looking forward, Lee Jin-a is determined to cement Bayer Korea's position as a sustainable growth and innovation leader.

"As we navigate this era of pipeline generational change, our focus remains on bringing transformative healthcare solutions to the market and contributing to a healthier society through sustainable practices," Lee concluded.