Read the Conversation
Meeting highlights:
- Rafael Dávila Poulat was appointed GM of Eisai Mexico with a clear mandate to consolidate the company’s strong position in oncology while establishing a new CNS business unit to address unmet needs in neurology.
- Eisai’s oncology portfolio in Mexico addresses over 8 types of cancer, reaffirming the company’s long-term commitment to therapeutic innovation and continuity of care in critical disease areas.
- The upcoming launch of two CNS treatments, an innovative Alzheimer’s therapy developed by Eisai and co-promoted in alliance with Biogen, and a novel insomnia solution developed in-house, underscores Eisai’s focus on neurological health and high-impact innovation.
- Mexico will be among the first countries globally to introduce the new Alzheimer’s treatment, reflecting Eisai’s strategic prioritization of the country as a key market for advanced therapeutics and collaborative public-private engagement.
- With a global leadership background across Europe, the U.S., and Japan, Rafael Dávila Poulat brings a culturally agile and partnership-oriented approach, emphasizing early intervention, preventive healthcare, and the critical role of diagnostics in improving patient outcomes.
EF: What was the mission you were given or you set for yourself when you were appointed?
RP: Eisai Mexico has been operating for over a decade, historically focused on oncology. We currently market three oncology products covering over 8 cancer types, including Metastatic Breast Cancer, Advanced or Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma / Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma/ Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma / Advanced Endometrial Carcinoma. That has been our core portfolio, but we’re now expanding into CNS, starting with two significant launches.
The first is an innovative Alzheimer’s treatment, aimed at patients in the early stages, developed by Eisai and co-promoted in alliance with Biogen. Approved last November, the product is already available in the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, and approved (though not yet commercialised) in the European Union. Mexico will be among the first countries globally to introduce it, which is a milestone for our market. We see this as a breakthrough with great potential, and we are excited to make it available in the coming months.
Next year, we’re preparing another CNS launch, this time for insomnia. This is a product developed by Eisai, and it’s a market we see as a good opportunity to add value and support patients in improving their quality of life. In Mexico, there are very few products with a proven indication for insomnia. Many patients self-medicate with various options, and some physicians need to prescribe medications that aren’t specifically indicated for insomnia but can help in some way. This new product offers a proven, highly effective, and safe alternative. It’s already been launched in other markets, where it’s performing very well, so we’re extremely excited and looking forward to bringing it to patients in Mexico.
In short, my mission is to maintain the strong performance of our oncology business while building the CNS business unit from the ground up, assembling the team, launching these products, and ensuring a smooth, high-impact entry of Eisai Mexico into the neurology field.
EF: With such a rich cultural and portfolio background, what attracted you to Eisai?
RP: I’ve been lucky, honestly. The company usually invites you to take part in a process, and I’ve always enjoyed working with diverse cultures across different companies and therapeutic areas. What brought me to a Japanese company was that they reached out to me, told me about this exciting expansion project they had for their Mexican affiliate, and it immediately caught my attention. At the time, I was in Brussels, very happy in my previous role and company. I held a regional position, preparing the launch of several exciting drugs for a new initiative focused on rare diseases.
A headhunting agency reached out, shared the project, and I was immediately interested. I was excited about the chance to join the oncology portfolio, an area where I had no previous experience. Oncology is a very dynamic and fascinating field in the pharma industry, where you can truly help patients. It aligns with our HHC culture, which is very important to the company and to me personally. I was also drawn to the Alzheimer’s project. This new treatment is the first of its kind, developed alongside another competitor. It will be one of the first biological drugs with an indication to treat Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages. That’s incredibly exciting.
Japanese culture has always fascinated me. I’ve worked with many different cultures in the pharma industry, but never with a Japanese company before. I’ve always admired their approach; they are very respectful, dedicated, serious, and straightforward people. That made me eager to learn more about working for a Japanese organization.
Eisai is a medium-sized pharma company with 84 years of history, more than 40 subsidiaries worldwide, and over 11,000 employees. In Mexico, we’ve been present for about 10 years, and it’s still a growing operation. That was exciting to me, especially since this was my first experience as a GM. Leading a smaller, developing team felt ideal. I went through the interview process and was selected. It was a tough decision to leave what I had, but I decided to take this new challenge.
Coming back to Mexico was another big factor. I was very happy in Belgium, it’s a great country, and UCB, my former company, is an excellent place to work, but I was far from my family. Being able to return and be close to them was a strong motivator as well. After a year here, I can say it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made. I left something very good, but gained something just as good, if not better, close to my family, with the chance to develop and launch new products for the benefit of Mexican patients. And in the pharma industry, product launches don’t happen every day. I’ve launched many in different categories, and this is no exception. That’s something I find both important and exciting.
EF: When you need to attract resources from headquarters to Mexico, how do you tell them why a dollar invested in Mexico is better than one invested anywhere else? What is your pitch?
RP: Mexico is a significant and developing market, with changing policies and many new opportunities that will continue to benefit the pharma industry and innovative drugs. In Latin America, Mexico and Brazil are the two largest markets, and Mexico is both key and strategic for Eisai. We’ve been growing steadily here, with a strong track record of increasing sales and helping many oncology patients through innovative treatments with proven safety.
The same will be true for our upcoming launches in Alzheimer’s disease and insomnia. Both are highly innovative, effective, and safe products, and we expect them to drive further growth in Mexico. Looking back, my decision to join Eisai was based on all these reasons, and I’m certain it wasn’t a mistake. It was a brave choice, and the right one. I believe Mexico and Eisai are in an excellent position to continue growing into the future.
EF: How does the human healthcare concept translate into operations in Mexico, and in connection, how do you build your team? How do you expand your team, and what is your management style?
RP: The Human Health Care concept is at the core of everything we do, though it’s not limited to access. It’s a philosophy championed by our CEO, and it goes beyond the usual patient-first statements you hear in the pharma industry. While many companies truly care about patients, Eisai takes it a step further. We genuinely focus on patients, not just through our medicines, but in many other ways. For example, the company donates products for tropical diseases in countries where they are needed and can’t be afforded, with some drugs produced solely for that purpose. All Eisai employees worldwide, including those in Mexico, spend time with patients to understand their experiences, feelings, and daily realities. This helps us become more sensitive to the needs of patients, their families, caregivers, physicians, and everyone else in their care network.
We see ourselves as one stakeholder in this broader ecosystem, aiming to help the patient. That means offering more than a therapeutic solution; we also run programs like free testing, educational materials about their condition, and support resources. These materials are purely educational, not commercial, and are designed to help patients better understand what they’re facing and what they can expect. HHC is about exactly that: caring for people, supporting them, and addressing their needs in ways that go beyond the medicine itself.
Linking that to the second part of your question, building our team, we look for people who think like we do and who truly care about patients. Experience in the pharma industry and having a bachelor’s or master’s degree is a given; that’s the baseline. What matters most is that new team members genuinely embrace the HHC culture and care about the people we serve. When I joined a year ago, one of the first things I told the team was that this is about the patients, but it’s also about us. We need to believe in what we’re doing and enjoy it, because I truly believe that when you’re happy and you enjoy what you do, good results will follow, almost naturally. With happiness and conviction, the outcome is virtually guaranteed to be positive.
We work to live the HHC culture every day, collaborating as a team and enjoying the process. We even have an HHC ambassador in the company, an HHC manager whose role includes driving this philosophy forward. We’ve developed a strategic growth plan for HHC, outlining our objectives and activities for the year. We take it very seriously, and that’s something I value much about Eisai.
EF: What are the future trends in technology that you think will have an impact when it comes to the management portfolio team related to AI? How do you see this looking forward, and how embedded are you in this?
RP: We’re actively working on this. AI isn’t just a pharmaceutical trend; it’s a global one. It’s a clear step forward in the digitalization of the world, and we’re committed to growing, learning, and developing in this space. Today, having CRM programs and digital tools to communicate, promote, and share information with stakeholders and physicians is a must for any company in the industry.
We already use AI in some ways, though not extensively, such as for consulting staff on various topics. We’re still in the early stages of understanding its full potential, but it’s becoming a key part of our omnichannel strategies. We’re building these strategies further and have just hired someone to help us advance them. This new role, focused on commercial excellence, is a first for Eisai Mexico. The person joining us this month has valuable experience in this area, and I’m confident they’ll help us strengthen our work in AI, digitalization, and communication.
On the other hand, we must ensure that all our actions align with corporate guidance and policies, as there are risks involved. Anything posted online can go viral and be interpreted differently. We take care to ensure our communication reaches the right stakeholders, complies with both external and internal regulations, and avoids sending messages that could be confusing or incorrect. It’s not simple, but we’re moving forward in that direction because it’s not just the future, it’s already the present. And if we’re not part of it, we risk losing our competitiveness.
AI will continue to advance, but the human component will remain, and there’s a balance to be struck. The priority is the patients, and not every approach works for everyone. For example, many Alzheimer’s patients are elderly, so they may not be familiar with or open to digital channels. In those cases, we need to reach their families, caregivers, and physicians. Some younger oncology patients, on the other hand, might be open to getting information and updates about their condition digitally.
There’s a wide range of delivery systems, but the human touch can’t be lost. As we move forward with AI and other tools, we have to maintain that personal connection to achieve better outcomes for patients and the people around them. We can’t disconnect from the real world; we need to be there in person with physicians, patients, and caregivers, showing them we care. It’s always a combination.
EF: In terms of allocation of resources and access for public and private, where are you today in therapeutic areas and the portfolio that is coming in?
RP: Currently, 100% of our sales come from our oncology portfolio, but we’re about to launch new products in CNS. In terms of resources, a significant portion is going toward CNS because it’s our biggest upcoming investment. That said, we’re still investing in oncology. Our oncology investment has grown as well because we want that portfolio to continue expanding.
We have exciting developments in oncology, including two new indications to be approved in the public system for one of our products that would allow us to help more patients. We expect these approvals soon and are dedicating resources to support them. Our oncology team remains steady, with around 18 people covering commercial, access, marketing, and related areas. At the same time, we’re building for CNS, growing by over 70% our team capacity.
For CNS, the investment is focused on building the team and equipping them with the resources they need to launch these products. This includes continuous medical education and patient support programs. One of our biggest challenges will be the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Many patients are diagnosed too late, beyond the early stages, when treatment options are limited. Our new medication is intended for early-stage patients, where it can significantly slow disease progression. Helping patients get diagnosed earlier will be key to maximizing its benefits, and we hope more treatment alternatives will emerge in the future.
Detecting or diagnosing Alzheimer’s is extremely difficult and expensive in Mexico right now. We need a wider range of tests, similar to those already available in the US, Japan, and some European markets, but they’re not yet widely accessible in countries like ours. That’s why we’re working with other stakeholders in similar fields to bring these tests to Mexico and make them more affordable.
In the meantime, our patient support program helps bridge the gap by providing some of these tests at no cost. We guide patients on where they can receive treatment and work with private insurance companies and health care providers to educate them about the tests and secure their approval. We’re also collaborating closely with authorities to gain access to the public healthcare system, which would allow us to serve many more patients. To that end, we’re preparing all the necessary documentation to submit for approval, to support patients in the public system as well.
A significant part of our investment goes into patient support, communicating the benefits of our work, and building the team, which means hiring new people and expanding our capabilities. I wake up every day with a smile because it’s exciting. There’s always something new happening.
EF: As you approach your first-year anniversary, have you prepared a speech for your employees to celebrate? What achievement are you going to celebrate in your first year?
RP: We have so much to celebrate this year. I’m genuinely happy to have spent the past year in this wonderful company. Each day has been an adventure, and most of those 365 days have been very good ones.
We’ll also be celebrating the launch of our new Alzheimer’s disease treatment, which should happen around the same month as my anniversary, give or take. To make it even more special, our EAGS regional president from Japan, Shohei Kanazawa-san, will be visiting Mexico to celebrate the launch with us. We’ll have a live, face-to-face meeting with all Eisai Mexico collaborators here in the office. Mr. Kanazawa will give a speech, and I’ll give one as well; it’s going to be a great moment for all of us in the Mexican team.
On top of that, we’ve just come off a record sales year for our oncology portfolio in the last fiscal year. As is typical for Japanese companies, our fiscal year runs from April to March, one of many cultural differences I’ve learned. Another is the use of “san” after a name. At first, it felt unusual, but now it comes naturally to me. It’s a sign of respect: you use it with both men and women, and you might use a last name for a more formal relationship or a first name if things are more familiar. As for my first anniversary, that’s probably the smallest part of it all, but I’ll still celebrate with a glass of wine. I’m not a tequila fan, which might make me the only Mexican who’s not a tequila fan.
