Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. (APEL) has appointed Dr Susan Wood as Senior Director, Market Access for Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd (APEL).

Formerly Senior Brand Director of APEL’s Pain Management franchise, she will now drive the Company’s market access activities with the aim of establishing its leadership in an area of ever increasing importance, in the face of current economic challenges.

She will report directly to Kay Drake, Vice President Marketing, Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd.

Welcoming Susan Wood to her new role, Ken Jones, President and CEO, Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd, said: “Astellas has proved time and again in recent years that it remains entirely possible to introduce effective new medicines that deliver value for payers - and that health services across Europe are willing to fund. Sue will be working closely with our Affiliates to drive the market access strategy across the Astellas Europe organization in our key therapeutic areas, focusing on developing evidence-based models from the early stages of R&D until the mature stages of the product lifecycle.”

Over the past three years, Susan Wood led the launch of QUTENZA™, an innovative treatment for peripheral neuropathic pain.

The successful introduction of QUTENZA has confirmed the value of integrating market access expertise at an early stage of strategic planning, and has also profiled Dr Wood’s abilities as a leader.

Commenting on her appointment, Susan Wood said: “Astellas Pharma Europe has recently launched its Oncology franchise, we are expecting some 11 products to be in launch or early-growth phase in the next three years. We are growing fast in Anti-Infectives, with the recently launched anti-infective DIFICLIR™, the first new treatment in 50 years for clostridium difficile (C.diff), and we continue to affirm our category leadership in Transplantation and Urology. I am very much looking forward to the challenge of supporting the company to achieve its strategic objectives.”

Susan Wood joined Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd in 2008 and has over 13 years’ experience in international pharmaceutical marketing, with a particular focus on launch strategies.

She previously held roles with Hoffmann-La Roche in Basel, Biogen in Paris and Sanofi Pasteur in Lyon. Before entering the pharmaceutical industry, she worked in clinical research.

Her academic background lies in neuroscience, with studies at both Oxford University and Harvard Medical School, and she has a PhD in Biochemistry, specializing in general anaesthesia.

Before entering the pharmaceutical industry she was also assistant editor of an international neuroscience journal.