Chapter Meeting: May 1, 2005

"Saegis Pharmaceutical: Small Biotech, Big Pharma"

Speaker: Jack Anthony, Senior Vice President of Saegis Pharmaceuticals

View two (1) and (2) Powerpoint presentation files of Jack's fascinating story of a small biotech company that is making big waves.

Brunch with Jack Anthony of Saegis Pharmaceuticals

by Anne Ahlman, MPT, Programs Chair

On a beautiful May Day, Sunday, May 1st, the Northern California Chapter hosted a program event with Jack Anthony, Senior Vice President of Saegis Pharmaceuticals at Michaels Shoreline restaurant in Mountain View. This lovely setting, right next to the golf course and adjacent to the Bay, was the perfect backdrop for Jack’s rousing talk explaining the ins and outs of the pharmaceutical industry and biochemical research and development. Saegis, a small yet thriving company located in Half Moon Bay, focuses on medicines important in treating cognition and memory loss, something we may all eventually need!

Jack mentioned that both pharmaceutical and biochemical industries are always in need of good writers to smooth out the verbiage on many important documents, including company websites, collateral materials, conference exhibits, white papers, press releases, annual reports (always a struggle!) and presentations. However, from the client’s perspective, he observed that although medical writers excel at their craft, they need to become better communicators and become more proactive about raising awareness of their services.

So, where does Jack look when he wants to find a good medical writer? First, of course, he will turn to the word-of-mouth network, engaging writers that have successfully worked for him or for a colleague in the past. Then, he might turn to an ad agency in his search. However, an especially important consideration for freelancers, he might rely upon direct contact from a medical writer or use the Internet to assist him in his search. This is a key issue for those of us who are modest introverted types, working away intensely within our ivory towers! We need to make our websites on a personal, chapter, and national level more user-friendly to potential clients so they can easily locate an appropriate writer for their needs in a hurry.

In addition, Jack suggests that medical writers consider collating a sampler of their writing clips and sending the portfolio to various biotechnology firms—even though the timing may not be synchronous with a particular project, he says he would be sure to remember the sample you had so kindly sent him, and pull it from his file when he is in need of your services! Jack mentioned that this form of direct marketing has worked well for medical illustrators, but to date he has had no such contact from the medical writing community. Other ideas include raising awareness of what we do as writers at national conventions, such as the annual Biotechnology Business Convention, by having an information booth on medical writing to help inform this large client population about the value of what we do.

Jack’s opinions, as a representative of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry’s needs and as a potential client himself, are a goldmine of information. Overall, medical writers are a talented group who excel at communicating often-complex terminology and concepts on a daily basis. However, we need to become our own advocates to help other industries recognize our unique contribution toward improving the written word. If the client doesn’t know we exist, they can’t contact us for a job! Many thanks, Jack, for the generous and tactful idea exchange.