Dive Brief:
- Allergan's empowerment campaign, ActuallySheCan, steps up a notch with the launch of #ActuallySheCan Mentorship program, to provide young women with support and advice.
- This month, ActuallySheCan will launch its free to attend Mentorship Live event in collaboration with TEDWomen, where young women can connect with a network of women leaders.
- Through the hashtag #ActuallySheCan, women have created an online platform and network for discussion and support.
Dive Insight:
Bureau of Labor statistics show that the pharmaceutical industry in the U.S. in 2015 has roughly a 50:50 split men to women. However, this changes as people rise up the ranks, with dwindling numbers of women at higher levels and on boards. The numbers of women at senior levels are rising, but this is happening slowly. It wasn't until 2016 when the announcement was made that for the first time a woman will sit at the helm of a big pharma when Emma Walmsley takes over from Andrew Witty at GlaxoSmithKline in April 2017. The growth in women as leaders is perhaps easier to see at startup level, and Medtech Engine highlights five women startup entrepreneurs in a process that the article describes as 'stemming the flow in the leaky pipeline'.
What will it take to change the industry? Mentorship is a good start, with successful women (and men) showing young women early in their careers that it is possible to move on and up, in what is still a male-dominated industry, at the higher levels at least. Allergan's #ActuallySheCan Mentorship program will support women, as will Women In Bio's Boardroom Ready program, and conferences like that hosted by TEDWomen.
"Each year, TEDWomen is an empowering forum where some of the world's most insightful and influential women are able to learn from each other. As an extension of this, we are excited to be partnering with #ActuallySheCan Mentorship, helping young women realize the power of mentorship and providing them access to a wealth of knowledge and experience," said Lisa Choi Owens, Head of Global Partnerships at TED.
The specialty pharma's interest in the space comes from its burgeoning presence in the women's health space and Allergan's push to be a leader in the oft-overlooked therapeutic area.
Allergan's products in development include ulipristal acetate in Phase 3 for uterine fibroids, formulations of estradiol for painful sexual intercourse and an etonogestrel ring as a contraceptive. The company has a hormone-releasing intra-uterine 'coil' for long term contraception, and last year it partnered with the U.S. Women's Health Alliance to provide affordable access to the device.