Norman Ng, Director of Patient Advocacy and Public Affairs at Healthcare Thinkers, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Thirty Years in Pharmaceuticals, One Handwritten Letter, A Fulfilling Mission of “Bringing Good Medicines to Hong Kong”
Reading through the heartfelt thank-you letter handwritten by Sandy, a stage 4 colorectal cancer patient, I am overwhelmed with indescribable emotion with every word.
For over thirty years, I have worked in pharmaceutical commercialization , external affairs and market access across multiple multinational pharmaceutical companies. In all these decades, I have never received a personal handwritten thank-you letter from a patient. I never imagined that on the eve of my retirement, fruquintinib – the anti-cancer drug I helped introduce – would genuinely bring relief to end-stage colorectal cancer patients trapped in despair, just like Sandy.
This life-saving targeted therapy secured registration in Hong Kong via the city’s 1+ innovative drug registration pathway. I am deeply grateful to Secretary Professor Lo Chung-mau and the Chief Pharmacist team of the Hospital Authority for approving fruquintinib’s inclusion in the HA Special Drug Formulary. This lifted the crippling medical financial burden off countless families battling late-stage cancers, allowing patients who once faced bankruptcy and hopelessness to access sustainable, affordable, effective treatment. The drug has now benefited numerous local colorectal cancer patients, and being part of bringing this innovative anti-cancer therapy into Hong Kong’s healthcare system stands as the greatest honor of my career.
This journey of “Bringing Good Medicines to Hong Kong” could never have been achieved alone. I am profoundly thankful to my supervisor Caron Li for her unwavering trust, compassion and guidance over the years. I also owe a debt of gratitude to the entire HUTCHMED team, who stood side by side to overcome countless hurdles and deliver this life-changing outcome for patients.
Today marks my final day with the HUTCHMED Hong Kong team, filled with gratitude and reluctance to leave. I hope the pharmaceutical industry will keep investing in R and D to develop more groundbreaking anti-cancer therapies. I also look forward to continuous policy improvements to make “Bringing Good Medicines to Hong Kong” a lasting norm, unlocking more treatment options for Hong Kong’s oncology patients and restoring hope to families suffering from cancer.
I will treasure Sandy’s tender, grateful handwritten letter forever. It is the most precious and touching gift I have received throughout my thirty-year career in pharmaceuticals.”
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