Ezio Parchitelli, the passion of those who work to restore hope

I decided to move to Parma to study at the University of Pharmacy and get a degree in Scientific drug information. To date with the current state of work I think that in any case the choice of the course of study is only the starting point, after all it is based on the person, on the desire to do and to get involved.

NUTS (Bari) – Having clear ideas about what your role and place will be in the future represents the right way to achieve your goals. Ezio Parchitelli has always known that medicine would be his habitat, the world in which he would find the role most congenial to him. That's how it was.

His testimony helps to reflect on how much doctors, researchers, scientific representatives and those who deal with medicine care about every person they approach, every type of pathology, trying to find the cure that represents the light towards salvation. Despite the success achieved, Ezio, who now lives in Legnano with his family, considers the family to be the most important goal, the strength without which he could not be defined as fully accomplished.

How fundamental do you think the choice of study path is for your professional future?

I believe that making an informed choice about the course of study is very important, even if I think that a great help can be given to you by high school teachers who after 5 years know you a little and can help you in your orientation. Furthermore, before making the choice, I had visited many "Job Orientations" to understand what the universities offered in terms of training and I had also had the opportunity to visit the cities, because I think this too is a very important factor for those who have to move away from Noci towards a big city. I think that at the beginning it is not easy to settle in and that in any case the choice of course of study must also take into consideration one's aptitudes. This is why I decided to move to Parma to study at the University of Pharmacy and get a degree in Scientific drug information. To date with the current state of work I think that in any case the choice of the course of study is only the starting point, after all it is based on the person, on the desire to do and to get involved.

How did your journey in the pharmaceutical sector start?

Io ho iniziato a lavorare in Crom S.r.l dopo 2 mesi dal conseguimento della laurea, era il mio primo lavoro effettivo. Premetto che non è esattamente quello per cui avevo studiato (avrei dovuto fare l’informatore farmaceutico), ma come ho detto prima bisogna mettersi in gioco e quindi ho accettato questo lavoro che svolgo ancora oggi. Il ruolo assegnato era di Clinical Project Manager, che prevede la pianificazione, gestione ed esecuzione di Studi Clinici di farmaci o medical device su pazienti. Tali studi hanno lo scopo di verificare su un gran numero di pazienti – dell’ordine delle migliaia – l’efficacia, la sicurezza di nuovi farmaci o medical device. Con i dati che si raccolgono vengono prodotti dei dossier registrativi che permettono alle aziende farmaceutiche di richiedere l’autorizzazione all’immissione in commercio (in Italia l’ente di riferimento è l’AIFA) oppure vengono utilizzati dagli informatori scientifici per promuovere il farmaco presso i medici di base o specialisti. Tale lavoro quindi mi ha permesso di approfondire le mie conoscenze in materie giuridiche (devi conoscere le leggi che si applicano in ogni paese in cui svolgi lo studio clinico) in matieria economica (gestire budget da milioni di euro non è facile) e diciamo che ad oggi ho anche una buona consocneza quasi medica di molte patologie. Inoltre tale lavoro mi ha permesso di viaggiare molto, di interfacciarmi con medici e di toccare come mano come fuonziona l’assistenza sanitaria anche fuori dall’Italia.

After the first seven years in this important pharmaceutical company, the big turning point has come for you…

As they say, after gaining experience, I decided it was time to change and move into the big ones in this sector (clinical research organization), and since I'm not satisfied, I decided that I had to work for the first company in the world: Quintiles Inc. After several interviews, finally in February of this year I joined this large group and for me it was a great satisfaction as I still entered with a Seniority position in Clinical Project Management. I currently manage Clinical Trials globally with over 100 people to manage globally.

What are the greatest satisfactions that this profession has given you up to now and what do you think it could still give you in the future?

Lhe greatest satisfaction for me is knowing that today many people can be cured thanks to the work done. It's strange but hearing your grandmother taking the drug you've developed has a certain effect, because you know everything behind it and you're sure that the drug will do its job and it's safe. Then there are also the human aspects, especially when you're dealing with oncology studies where when the patient responds to therapy it seems to you that you are personally participating in his joy. Many may think that there is only an economic interest behind it, but this is not always the case, especially when you manage to restore hope to people. I remember a case of a young patient suffering from lung cancer who, after discovering, at the end of the cycle, that he had had a regression of the pathology and could be operated on, wrote an email to the doctor and to all of us to thank us for what was been done. Then of course there are also the compliments you receive from doctors and pharmaceutical companies for the good work done and this gives you the grit to do better every day.

Recent surveys have shown that in recent years, due to the severe crisis that has hit the country, there has been a significant drop in the sale of drugs. Being able to touch this reality first-hand, how has the pharmaceutical industry dealt with this difficulty?

To date, many drugs are patent expiring and therefore, by entering the generic market, the company loses all sales rights: this is having a major impact on the economic stability of companies which, however, are continuing to carry out research, especially in the biological sector , anticancer, pain and neurodegenerative diseases. There are more and more mergers or acquisitions between large pharmaceutical groups. The political choices of states in terms of health care spending also had a big impact.

Does working for a large multinational and covering such an important role involve, in addition to great satisfaction, also any complexities and problems to be faced?

Working for a large multinational is very interesting above all because you have colleagues all over the world, you are dealing with different cultures and lifestyles, you deal with very different jobs, and therefore you have to know how to manage personal interaction very well . The role has a good people management component and getting everyone to work in synergy with each other is not easy. Finally, there is no shortage of pressure from the board to maximize profits.

Monday – 27 Aprile 2015 – Noci24