Perceptions of Board Members on the Presence of Pharmacists as Strategic Leaders of Manufacturing Pharmaceutical Companies Operating in South Africa: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Life-saving medicines are produced by manufacturing pharmaceutical companies (MPCs) with operations worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in unequal access to vaccines, which led to advocacy around health rights and MPCs needing to prioritise saving lives over profits. This study aimed to determine the perceptions of board members of the largest listed MPCs in South Africa regarding the presence of pharmacists in the strategic leadership of MPCs, as custodians of medicines. A snowball sampling method was used to identify board members of the listed MPCs on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The board members were approached and requested to participate in their capacity. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Transcription, coding and narrative thematic analysis was applied under five (5) themes with emerging themes identified. A theoretical framework was developed to describe pharmacists at the strategic leadership of an MPC. The data collected were from five (5) respondents (80% male and 20% female), with a mean age of 57 years (SD±=2,24), from medical, business and pharmacy professional backgrounds. The respondents indicated a limited presence of pharmacists in the strategic leadership of MPCs, especially the larger ones. The reasons for the limited presence included the narrow diversity of corporate and leadership skills necessary to lead at a strategic level by pharmacists. Some of the barriers to entry into strategic leadership by pharmacists included the lack of recognition of pharmacy specialisations by the regulator of the pharmacy profession, a mismatch of skills of a graduate and what the industry needs and inadequate governance of the pharmacy profession in South Africa. The respondents agreed that having a pharmacist with ambition, business skills, and experience would benefit the MPC and users of products manufactured. The role and need for pharmacists in the strategic leadership of MPCs was established. It is clear, however, that while pharmacists have value in the leadership of MPCs, their entry should be supported by diversifying their skills in business, leadership and corporate management to extend their value beyond the technical level.

Pharmacists as Strategic Leaders of Manufacturing Pharmaceutical Companies with Operations in South Africa

“…The role of boards of companies varies across industries, but it typically includes determining the strategy for the organisation. The study further found that the industry offers pharmacists opportunities to enter strategic leadership positions (Mayimele et al, 2023). According to the respondents, all candidates have equal opportunity to be considered for these positions.…”

“…Mayimele, Demana, and Keele (2023) conducted a qualitative study that had board members of MPCs as key informants in South Africa. The study found few pharmacists in strategic leadership positions in listed medicine product companies (MPCs) in South Africa (Mayimele et al, 2023). However, the respondents of the study, who are in strategic leadership positions, valued the presence of pharmacists.…”

“…To be in a strategic leadership position in an MPC, the respondents indicated that one needs specific skills and experience beyond what a Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) degree can offer. The respondents described how boards of directors are essential for large companies that are listed and traded publicly (Mayimele et al, 2023).…”

“…Pharmacists have a variety of skills mix, which, in addition to being product experts, includes expertise in pharmacovigilance, antimicrobial stewardship, comprehensive medication analysis, and disease state management by following a patient-centred approach. Expanded pharmacist roles are delivered through pharmaceutical care services to provide optimal patient outcomes (Sakeena et al, 2019;Mayimele et al, 2023).…”

Public health and national security proxies: Case of European countries

“…Singh (2022) notes that the economic growth is based on attracting investment resources to the country. Innovative activity, technological development and improvement of organizational and business processes with the transition to digital technologies are also identified by some researchers as determinants ensuring the economic security of the state (Arivazhagan et al, 2022;Dias et al, 2023;Khalifa et al, 2023;Kliuchnikava, 2022;Houfaf Khoufaf, & Nouiri, 2023;Mayimele, Demana, & Keele, 2023;AL-Hashimi, AL-Toobi, Ahmed, 2023). Some researchers also define the food provision and sufficiency as an important component of the economic security of the state (Irtyshcheva et al, 2023;Čermák and Ligocká, 2022).…”