Meet the Medics Physicians Experts
Dr Laurence Skillern is Chief Medical Officer in Boyds’ Clinical and Medical Affairs team. He leads and strengthens the company’s medical and clinical strategy, supporting clients across the full drug development pathway while enhancing Boyds’ clinical and scientific capabilities.
In this interview, Laurence discusses his career journey and experience, areas of expertise and views on how the drug development industry is evolving.
Dr Laurence Skillern BSc, MBBS, MD, FFPM FRCOG
Chief Medical Officer
Can you provide a brief overview of your career to date?
“I graduated in Medical Sciences with Pharmacology and subsequently in Medicine at King’s College London in 1983 and 1986 respectively. I initially sub-specialty qualified as an obstetrician and gynaecologist, which I enjoyed clinically, and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology but I was also drawn to the research side of medicine. I went on to complete a medical doctorate in perinatal foetal cardiology, which solidified my interest in medical research.
“I was frustrated that much academic research was not being translated into clinical practice. I felt that working in industry could help implement early research into meaningful improvements for patient health, supported by greater resources. Combining my interest in pharmacology, research focus and my medical training led me towards a career in pharmaceutical medicine. In the meantime, I also trained and qualified as a GP to further broaden my medical expertise.
“I completed the relatively newly formed sub-specialty training in Pharmaceutical Medicine, and later became a Fellow of the Faculty.
“Over a period of now more than 30 years in the specialty, I have held senior leadership roles across a range of biopharmaceutical organisations, from large pharmaceutical companies to emerging biotechs, including Pfizer, Merck, Astellas Pharma, Ferring Pharmaceuticals and, more recently, Freya Biosciences. I also worked as a senior medical assessor at the Medicines Control Agency, the predecessor to the MHRA, and ran the Clinical Trials Unit at the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.
“I have seen clinical development from many perspectives and have been involved in successful approvals. I have worked across most therapeutic areas, with a particular focus on women’s health and urology.”
What inspired you to pursue a medical career?
“At school, I was very interested in science and human health, so medicine felt like a natural path. I was also intrigued by the many unknown aspects of human health and the causes of ill health, which later influenced my move into pharmaceutical medicine and clinical development.”
What hurdles have you had to overcome in your career and how did you learn from them?
“I have been fortunate not to encounter major personal hurdles during my career and was lucky to land in a career which I thoroughly enjoy.
“The pharmaceutical industry is constantly changing, particularly in biotech, where funding challenges can create uncertainty. Guidelines and regulations also continue to evolve and it is critical to keep up to date. The key is to flexibly adapt, understand and embrace change and preferably be one step ahead.”
What is your greatest achievement?
“In this industry, achievements are rarely down to one person. I have worked with some excellent teams, and those experiences have been hugely memorable. While at the Medicines Control Agency, I worked with colleagues to make paracetamol safer from an overdose perspective by changing regulations to limit pack sizes. Later research suggested that this helped reduce deaths from paracetamol overdose which was significant endorsement of what some people considered an unnecessary change.
“Women’s health has also been a major focus for me. It is an area that has been underserved by the pharmaceutical industry for many years and, in many respects, continues to be so. I have worked to advance projects to address female sexual dysfunction, benign gynaecological conditions (fibroids, endometriosis and primary dysmenorrhoea), urogynaecological conditions (stress incontinence and overactive bladder), gynaecological dysbiosis/ infections (HPV, BV, candidiasis), complications of pregnancy (postpartum haemorrhage and preeclampsia) and menopausal complaints (hot flashes, postmenopausal osteoporosis and vulvovaginal atrophy).
As a medic working in industry, what are you most passionate about?
“Beyond strategic insight and clinical trial design expertise, one of our main contributions is ensuring trial participant safety and clinical data integrity. Much of our work involves medical monitoring and developing medical strategies that demonstrate not only drug efficacy, but also safe use, which in turn relies on confidence in the data upon which their claims are based.
“I am also personally interested in improving the probability of success in drug development. Making the right decision to progress or terminate programs is absolutely critical because ill-informed decisions are costly not only for the pharmaceutical industry and investors, but also potentially detrimental for patients.
How do you see the industry evolving? What are the emerging trends?
“The clearest emerging trend is the increasing use of AI. I do not think we should be frightened of it; we just need to understand how to use it effectively and how it can support the goal of getting drugs to patients more efficiently whilst ensuring their safety. I see AI as a tool that can help people work more effectively, but I doubt it can fully replace human interaction or the human touch.
“I also see challenges ahead with the new in vitro diagnostic regulation (IVDR). The interpretation of the framework still needs to evolve, as it is already making clinical trials harder to run.
“The increasing cost of drug development is another major challenge, but there is also real opportunity.
“By embracing innovation, strengthening collaboration and keeping patients at the centre of development, the industry can and will continue to advance important new treatments towards improving patient health.”