Otsuka in the U.S.: Reaching Patients Through Inclusion And Creativity
At Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI), delivering products to serve unmet medical needs in the areas of neuroscience and nephrology is an endeavor that requires creativity on the part of each employee. As such, employees at all levels of the organization are encouraged to solve problems and to persevere until they find answers. “No one is pigeonholed here. If you have an idea, you are welcome to share it, even if it is not within your functional area of expertise,” reports April Mitchell, vice president, U.S. and global CNS marketing. “Otsuka embraces diversity in the largest sense of the word. Each of us has much more than a seat at the table, and I felt it even before I started at the organization. We all have a voice, so we have robust discussions that yield informed decisions to ultimately benefit the patients we seek to help.” The idea that everyone has something to contribute is informed by Otsuka’s value of humility, which involves putting individual needs, and pride, aside to serve the greater good. Together, more is possible. “Our goal is to find more and more innovative ways to help patients,” reports Sanket Shah, senior director, OAPI channel strategy and patient support. “Empowering our people to push boundaries and be as creative and innovative as they can be makes us a magnet for talent. We all listen to each other.” Shah, a 10-year veteran, has been a part of this inclusiveness as the company has grown: “I’ve been able to help design some of our support programs to really help patients appropriately access our products. We’ve always had people of different backgrounds, but there’s more. The company’s culture is to make sure everyone is included.” Embracing a culture of inclusion and creativity from its vast tapestry of different cultures, professions and backgrounds, Otsuka has seen employees deepen their engagement and its bottom line grow while, most importantly, addressing unmet patient needs.