Patrick van der Loo appointed as Pfizer’s Regional President for Africa and the Middle East

Pfizer today announced the appointment of Patrick van der Loo as its Regional President for Africa and the Middle East (AfME) region.

FILE PHOTO: Vials with a sticker reading, “COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only” and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Pfizer logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

In his new role as Regional President for AfME, Patrick will lead commercial operations to bring scientific breakthroughs in vaccines, oncology, rare diseases, internal medicine, hospitals, and inflammation & immunology, to serve patients.

Commenting on his appointment, Patrick said: 

“This year has made me even more grateful and proud to be part of Pfizer. The global pandemic has accentuated our purpose as a company and reinforced our commitment to patients and communities worldwide. AfME is home to some of the world’s fastest-growing markets with increasing demand for innovative health treatments and services. Overall, the region has shown remarkable resilience due to strong leadership and sound policies.”

“Pfizer has been operating for over 60 years in AfME. I look forward to continuing this journey and bringing our breakthroughs to address unmet patient needs. My top priority will remain to work with our teams to ensure greater access to our medicines across our strategic therapeutic areas. We will seek even stronger collaboration with healthcare professionals, communities, and governments to change the lives of millions of people and protect them from tomorrow’s health threats.”

Patrick has been passionate about the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry from the start of his career. He has managed some of Pfizer’s largest therapeutic areas in cardiovascular and neuroscience globally and led the commercial development efforts of a 500+ molecule business.

In his previous role, Patrick served as the Developed Asia Cluster Lead and General Manager for Pfizer’s Hospital Business Unit, responsible for leading and executing Pfizer’s commercial and cultural strategy in Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Before this role, Patrick worked as the Emerging Asia Cluster Lead for the Pfizer Essential Health business.

In other news, The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed concerns over the planned resumption of academic activities next week, saying the institutions were not ready for safe reopening.

ASUU said although its members were ready to start work, the FG had not put measures in place for the safe reopening of the schools.