PTC UK: The Passion that Keeps Us Going

PTC UK was the first office to open in Europe and hire the first employees to serve our patients in the region. Today, 23 employees are based in the UK, leading regional and global functions. In the last 10 years, the PTC UK team have worked in partnership with the scientific and rare disease community to enhance access to medicines, improve diagnosis, boost public awareness and increase knowledge, and contribute towards promising developments in the industry.  

The decade has been filled with many rewarding achievements but not without challenges. When asked to reflect for #PTCEurope10 jubilee, employees share, “it is the passion that keeps us going”.   

Meet Jo-anna Allen, Senior Area Business Manager, at PTC for 10 years.

I was working as a nurse in an intensive care unit when I met a young boy with a rare disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, who sadly passed away thereafter. This touched me deeply.

When a former colleague approached me to join PTC, I immediately said yes.

My passion was to help every single patient to get diagnosed and receive appropriate care. I am proud to say that in the last 10 years, together with my teammates, we have achieved just that. We have helped every patient eligible for our medicines to get treatment, across all regions. We partnered with many stakeholders, an example is RCPCH* and RCGP* where we helped to develop an educational program to advance diagnosis. The program was highly utilized, so much so that it was accredited internationally. This was a very proud moment for all of us.

Feedback we receive from community is that ”PTC are real partners”.

Meet Ian Davidson, Regional Head, at PTC for 9 years.

Ian Davidson, PTC UK

I have worked in the Pharma industry for over 30 years, specifically helping patients with rare diseases over the last 15 years. In this time, I have come to realize exactly why we come to work each and every day and it is all about the patient and their family.

My top priority is to create access to our therapies for the patients, and this ethos is reflected in all members of the UK team. We all work together for this single purpose regardless of the hurdles that we may face each day.

Ian and PTC employee Luke at a wheelchair football match

Over the last 10 years, we managed to bring multiple life-transforming products to patients in desperate need of therapy, and secure access. We developed collaborative partnerships with medical experts, industry groups and the many and diverse patient support organisations. Working together we have been able to realize positive progress in the rare disease community in the UK, notably improving standards of care and prospects for people with rare diseases.

Over the years, we have supported various outreach efforts, including the Wheelchair Football Association. It makes us proud to see people thrive and a more inclusive experience for underrepresented groups in society.

We will continue to fight for all patients as we launch the next wave of products into our region.

Meet Jackie Flaherty, Office Manager, at PTC for 9 years.

PTC UK

I joined the UK team as the first Office Manager in the region and helped to establish critical processes and infrastructure during the company’s early growth phase. It was my first experience working in a Pharma company, and what resonated with me was the team’s deep commitment, passion and drive to help patients.

I too share that passion by supporting the team. Meeting families during World Duchenne Awareness Day particularly was truly inspiring and gave me a profound sense of purpose that I’ve never quite found in other jobs.

The last 9 years have been extremely rewarding for me. As we have scaled our operations in the UK and globally, I have been able to learn and grow working as part of the UK team and collaborating with colleagues across the globe. I look forward to the next decade!

Read more and follow #PTCEurope10 on social media for updates throughout this year.

*RCPCH – The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health; RCGP – The Royal College of General Practitioners