Future of Medicine Archives - Executive Platforms: Thought Leader Series

Navigating the Modalities Landscape: Adapting Manufacturing Strategies for Future Therapeutic Advances

November 27, 2024

Sanat Chattopadhyay is responsible for the company’s (approx. $64 billion revenue) worldwide manufacturing and supply operations across a global network of sites for pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biologics and animal health products. Merck is known as MSD outside of the U.S. and Canada.

Sanat joined Merck in 2009 as Senior Vice President of Global Vaccines & Sterile Manufacturing Operations, spearheading the transformation of manufacturing and supply chain to grow and globalize its Vaccine business. Under Sanat’s leadership, Merck is currently executing a significant expansion of its biologics and vaccines manufacturing capacity with planned capital investments of more than $20 billion from 2020 through the end of 2024, to reach more patients around the globe.

Before joining Merck, he served as Senior Vice President, Technical Operations & Product Supply, for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Previously, he worked at Aventis and its predecessor companies as Senior Vice President, Industrial Operations, having served in many positions with increasing responsibilities for global supply chain, technology and manufacturing sites across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Sanat started his career with Hoechst Pharmaceuticals in 1983 and worked in many senior leadership assignments.

Sanat is a graduate in Chemical Engineering and holds a post-graduate degree in Industrial Engineering from India.

Outside of Merck, Sanat is a member of the Board of Directors of Ashland Inc.

LIFE SCIENCES, VIDEO, LIFE SCIENCES

Operational Excellence, Innovation & Teamwork as Enablers for Reimagining Medicine

May 25, 2023

As President, Operations, Steffen Lang leads a team of 35,000 associates dedicated to manufacturing and supplying high-quality medicines to patients, and providing operational support to the entire Novartis enterprise. Novartis Operations incorporates the company’s manufacturing, quality, and supply organization, as well as information technology, data and digital, procurement, environmental sustainability, facility services, and other global services.

Prior to taking on this role, Steffen was Global Head of Novartis Technical Operations (NTO). Under his leadership, NTO underwent a transformation to become one of the leading manufacturing and supply organizations in the industry, providing agile, efficient support to the business, and reliably delivering life-changing medicines to patients around the world. During this time, the unit adapted its manufacturing capacity and capabilities to the changing needs of the Novartis strategy and product portfolio, maximizing the potential of its assets and expertise. As well as delivering technological innovation to enable the production of advanced therapeutic platforms, the unit collaborated with industry partners to support global demand for COVID-19 vaccines and therapies.