Novo Nordisk Israel (NNIL) established the Clinical Development Centre (CDC) in May 2024, headed by Noa Shalitin (NYPS). It places NNIL at the forefront facing HQ, alongside Turkey and Poland. It is a positive promotion that NNIL has earned based on its outstanding performance and its potential within clinical trials.
This new department brings a host of benefits, allowing us to be allocated to clinical trials in various therapeutic areas.
A total of six new pivotal roles have been created with Olga (OGKN) as the Diabetes, Obesity & OSCD Therapeutic Area Head, Ketty (KYWM) as CVD & RareD Therapeutic Area Head and Irena (IEMV) as the Clinical Excellence & Start-up Manager having already joined the CDC team. Additionally, Tsofia (TSDR) and Dana (DAZ) have been promoted to trial managers. The CDC has also seen the addition of three new positions - Feasibility Manager, Systems Implementation Manager and Contracts & Budgets Specialist.

• The CDC is divided into field based and office based employees. In the field, there are COMs (Clinical Operations Managers) who are the line managers of the CRAs (Clinical Research Associate) who work alongside the different medical centres, where one or more of our clinical trials are being executed.
• The TAs (Therapeutic Area heads) are office based and are all aligned with the CRAs, CTAs (Clinical Trial Administrator)and COMs within their specific therapeutic area -either CVD (cardiovascular disease) and RD (rare disease) or with diabetes, obesity and other serious diseases.
• Irena (IEMV) is the clinical excellence and start up manager, responsible for identifying the potential of the country to perform clinical trials and studies.
• Heli (HCOE) as the feasibility manager, identifies the potential of the medical centres in Israel to perform clinical trials and studies.
• Shai (SWQI) is the clinical systems & implementation manager in charge of innovations and digitalization of processes within the unit.
• Ayelet (ETKB) is the contracts & budgets specialist, responsible for maintaining these operations in the unit.
• Yael (YSIL) is the quality and training manager and ensures that training is meeting business needs.
• The CTAs – Ofir (OFMZ) and Kasanesh (EKRD) offer administrative support to the CRAs and TAs in the specific therapeutic area that is relevant to them.

While other global CDC’s were established in January 2024, due to our situation in Israel, our CDC began to operate in May 2024. Despite this relatively short timeframe, an audit conducted in July to evaluate compliance with Novo Nordisk requirements, Health Authority Regulations, and the current ICH GCP Guideline after only one month of operation, NNIL's CDC received a commendable grade of 'satisfactory'. This remarkable achievement is a testament to the dedication and expertise of the entire team.

Noa joined NNIL in January 2023 in the role of Clinical Trials head.

She expressed immense pride and admiration for her team's resilience and unwavering dedication amidst such challenging times. She also commended the hospitals and the Ministry of Health for their support and business continuity during this period.
Looking ahead, the CDC's vision is to evolve into a boutique CDC with specialized expertise in early phase settings, particularly in stage 1 trials, which will position NNIL as a significant point of contact for HQ in the allocation of studies. This potential development will serve in addition to the continuous focus on phase 2- 3 trials, and will allow the team to allocate more studies in all therapeutic ideas and identify new potential investigators.

Fun facts about Noa – she tries her best to avoid sport but loves ceramics and enjoys South Korean Netflix series!

Meet Eden - a sales rep in the diabetes unit who joined NNIL in June, 2023.

Can you describe a typical day in your role as a Diabetes Sales Representative?
My day is divided into 3 sections:
The first part of the day is usually dedicated to meetings with HCPs. I make sure to arrive at the clinic as early as possible in order to maximize the quantity and quality of my meetings with the doctors.
Midday, I attend meetings at specialized diabetic clinics.
Finally, I take care of any additional tasks such as writing up reports from meetings, emails, video calls with doctors or my team and completing any other administrative tasks.

What are some common challenges you face in your role, and how do you overcome them?
My role as a sales rep demands a balance of priorities. It also requires a flexible approach to face unexpected challenges, such as last minute cancellations of important meetings due to various different reasons.'

How do you handle objections or concerns from HCP’s?
In cases of any pushback from doctors regarding pricing and the unavailability of medications, I'm always tactful and adaptable, and choose appropriate responses to suit each situation.
If doctors are resistant to change, I stress the importance of patience, acknowledging that tangible results can often take time to manifest.

It is very important to ask for feedback from doctors and nurses at clinics to understand the impact of the medication on patients.

What do you find most rewarding about your job?
For me, the most rewarding and fulfilling aspect of my role lies in the stories of patient successes with our treatments. It fills me with pride to know I'm a part of this mission to help patients living with a chronic disease.

How do you see the role of a Sales Representative evolving in the next few years?
I believe that communication with doctors and clinics will become more digitalized, but will not replace the importance and relevance of a personal connection. My advice for future sales representatives is rooted in passion and patience, urging them to adopt a long-term approach to the position.

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