PharmaShots Interview: Merz Aesthetics' Dr. Terri Phillips Shares Insight on GP Campaign for Xeomin

In an interview with PharmaShots, Dr. Terri Phillips, Chief Medical Affairs Officer at Merz Aesthetics shared her views on the new campaign with Gwyneth Paltrow for its flagship product Xeomin. She also shed light on Medical Aesthetic treatments during the pandemic and how Merz is working to meet the demand.

Shots:

Merz Aesthetics collaborates with Gwyneth Paltrow for the launch of the company's first global campaign for Xeomin (incobotulinumtoxinA). The campaign is the first medical aesthetics partnership for Gwyneth Paltrow
The heart of the campaign comes from Gwyneth's philosophy that women should give themselves permission to look and feel their best. Inspired by this way of thinking, the campaign encourages women to be unapologetic about self-care and the decisions that make them happy
Xeomin is the first FDA-approved anti-wrinkle injection for frown lines uniquely purified to remove unnecessary proteins. Gwyneth encourages women to seek uniquely purified products in their self-care routines

GP Campaign

Tuba: What is this campaign with Gwyneth Paltrow?

Terri: In partnership with Oscar and Emmy award-winning actor, author and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow, the new global campaign for Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA) is about standing with women who choose beauty on their own terms and do so with proven products.

Source: Merz Aesthetics

Xeomin is the first FDA-approved anti-wrinkle injection for frown lines uniquely purified to remove unnecessary proteins. Gwyneth encourages women to seek uniquely purified products in their self-care routines.

This is the first global integrated campaign for Merz Aesthetics, the worlds largest dedicated medical aesthetics business.

Tuba: Why did Merz Aesthetics launch this campaign, and why Gwyneth Paltrow and during a global pandemic?

Terri: A passion for knowledge and learning, and a deeply personal perspective on beauty and aging - these are qualities we at Merz Aesthetics admire in Gwyneth Paltrow, and values we share.

It's easy for women to forget about themselves, especially during a time like this when there are so many things to be worried about. The heart of the campaign comes from Gwyneth's philosophy that women should give themselves permission to look and feel their best. Inspired by this way of thinking, the campaign encourages women to be unapologetic about self-care and the decisions that make them happy.

Xeomin celebrates this message, standing with women who choose beauty on their own terms. At Merz Aesthetics, we have a long history of empowering health care professionals, patients and employees. We exist to fuel confidence by helping people look better, feel better and live better.

COVID-19

Tuba: What is Merz Aesthetics seeing and hearing in customer offices about the return of patients to Xeomin, fillers, etc.?

Terri: The aesthetics business is recovering much faster than many expected. For instance, in many areas our performance is exceeding where we were last year this is partially a function of pent-up demand, but many of our customers are seeing unprecedented interest from patients who haven't had treatments before. The medical aesthetics market overall is resilient, and this is consistent with what we've seen in previous years. People are eager to get back to a sense of normalcy, and for many, that means a self-care routine that includes Xeomin, Belotero, or Radiesse. Medical aesthetics has become an integral part of self-care routines.

Tuba: What support services is Merz Aesthetics providing to customers to help them safely deliver treatments?

Terri: We are committed to supporting our customers in safely reopening and have developed comprehensive programs customized to meet their needs, including a white paper about safe office reentry practices. Another example is that recently, Merz Aesthetics launched an immersive new US Merz Aesthetics Virtual Platform (MVP), featuring digital event spaces for live demos, meetings and symposia, and virtual rooms to learn more about each of our products. The portal can be accessed at https://merz-virtual-platform.com/.

From a global perspective, we have maintained a strong presence by virtually attending and presenting key data at recent virtual medical meetings and conferences including the Aesthetic & Anti-Aging Medicine World Congress (AMWC), the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) annual meeting and the International Master Course on Aging Science (IMCAS) world congress.

Tuba: Where do you see the market going over the next few months?

Terri: Over the coming months, Merz Aesthetics will continue our focus on helping customers navigate the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We expect the market to continue to increase to the point where by the end of this calendar year we are back to 2019 levels of treatments or greater in all four regions. The last several months have taught us that during a time of high uncertainty, self-care and personal health are top of mind, so we will continue to provide our customers the tools to empower patients in their personal quests to be their best selves.

Tuba: Based on your own experience, how would you describe your leadership style during this unprecedented time? Any key learnings you could share on how youve adapted?

Terri: Fortunately, I have had a range of experience in both the military and medical worlds in addition to the pharmaceutical industry that taught me about leadership through challenges and uncertainty. My time in the military in particular taught me some really valuable leadership lessons: how to rise to action; how to build a diverse and inclusive atmosphere; how to encourage opportunity for all members of a team. I also recognize that flexibility, a willingness to be open to new methods of doing and new situations, have all been essential during this time in particular. Looking at the big picture, I would describe this year as a challenging one but one when I had the opportunity to break down more of those invisible barriers among team members, move groups to action, and provide my perspective on navigating some rather tumultuous changes. I won't say there haven't been any tough days, but overall, I think we've seen tremendous growth across the Medical Affairs function of our business, and I'm very proud of what we've accomplished together.

Merz Institute of Advanced Aesthetics (MIAA)

Tuba: What is the Merz Institute of Advanced Aesthetics, and why was it created?

Terri: We are known for building unique connections with customers who feel like family, and we will continue to provide our customers the tools to empower patients in their journey to look better, feel better and live better. This is why we created the Merz Institute of Advanced Aesthetics (MIAA) a platform for hosting large-scale online training events.

Essentially, MIAA is a collection of expert-led educational resources designed to provide healthcare professionals with cutting-edge skills to compete in the medical aesthetics space, something we've seen increased demand for during this unprecedented year of virtual learning and remote interaction.

Tuba: What types of resources are offered through MIAA, and who is the main audience?

Terri: Combining academic and practical topics, MIAA helps providers develop customized training plans tailored to their specific needs or skill levels and has attracted almost 19,000 health care professionals to date. This online resource is available 24/7, offering a truly flexible and accessible learning opportunity.

Merz Aesthetics Portfolio

Tuba: What approved medical aesthetics products and treatments are currently being offered by Merz Aesthetics? Can you tell me a little bit about each?

Terri: We have a clinically proven and category-leading product portfolio that includes injectables, devices and skin care treatments designed to meet each patient's needs with the highest standards of safety and efficacy.

On the injectables side, for 10 years, patients have been using Xeomin (also marketed as Bocouture and Xeomeen in some countries), an FDA-approved anti-wrinkle injection for glabellar frown lines that are uniquely purified to remove unnecessary proteins and gives frown lines a smoother, natural-looking appearance. We also have RADIESSE®, which is used for smoothing moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds (the folds or wrinkles that extend from the corner of your nose to the corner of your mouth) and for correcting volume loss in the back of the hands, and BELOTERO, a prescription injection approved to temporarily smooth out and fill in moderate to severe nasolabial folds.

Additionally, our portfolio includes devices such Ultherapy, the only FDA-approved, non-invasive procedure to lift the neck, chin, and brow and to improve lines and wrinkles on the upper chest. Using ultrasound therapy, Ultherapy stimulates the production of your body's own collagen and elastin, for natural-looking results.

From a skin care perspective, we offer NEOCUTIS in the US, designed to support natural healing by stimulating processes that regenerate and restore key building blocks of skin structure.

Tuba: What's next for Merz Aesthetics?

Terri: I've been so impressed with the resiliency of our internal team. We've been actively engaged in planning to invest back in the market when the time is right, and we have some really exciting initiatives that we expect to roll out in the months ahead.

For example, we recently launched the Innovation Forum, a global call-to-action for the next generation of researchers and clinicians in medical aesthetics to submit their most creative and inventive original abstracts, which will be reviewed by a highly-esteemed international Scientific Committee. Five finalists will be selected with one winner announced next year. All five will have the opportunity to attend MEXS (Merz Expert Summit) in the fall of 2021, and the winner will present his or her submission on the main stage in front of key healthcare professionals and media.

About Author:

Dr. Phillips joined Merz in January 2018 and is the Chief Medical Affairs Officer for Merz Aesthetics. In this role, she leads the global medical affairs strategy, providing operational oversight to robust medical research, scientific engagement, publication, and medical training and educational programs.

Note: The interview was conducted in 2020