Pharmaceutical industry
Which data to generate before the next stage, and in what order?
Medical strategy · launches · expert committees
Physician · Strategic Advisory, Pharma & Biotech
Better decisions on your assets
Independent advice on clinical development, medical strategy and clinical due diligence, for the pharmaceutical industry, biotechs, investors, foundations and research institutions.
More than 20 yearsin the pharmaceutical industry
15 yearsleading global medical teams
Novartis · GSK · Pfizerprevious employers
HEC Paris · MSc Biostatisticsphysician, biostatistician, business-trained
01 · Who it is for
What each counterpart needs to decide
Four counterparts, four starting questions
Biotech
Which indication, which clinical plan, and who holds the medical function until then?
Clinical development · fractional CMO
Investors
Do the data hold, is the asset differentiated, and where are the risks in the plan?
Clinical due diligence
Foundations and research institutions
Which projects to support, with which experts, and how to judge the results?
Scientific committees · calls for proposals · methodology
02 · Experience
From molecule to patient
First-hand experience of every stage of a medicine's development
01
Preclinical
02
Early clinical
03
Late clinical
04
Launch
05
Lifecycle
03 · Practice
Seven areas of practice
Every engagement starts with a defined question and ends with a recommendation your team can act on.
01
Clinical development
Indication selection, development plans, trial methodology; data to generate and decisive milestones
02
Medical affairs & launches
Medical strategy, evidence generation, launch and life-cycle preparation; academic partnerships
03
Scientific committees & advisory boards
Objectives, expert selection, moderation, synthesis of recommendations
04
Clinical due diligence
Critical review of an asset's data, clinical relevance and differentiation; development-plan risks
05
Fractional CMO
Part-time medical leadership: clinical strategy, steering teams and partners, representation to the board and investors
06
Product & business strategy
Asset positioning and differentiation, launch preparation with marketing and market access teams; assessment of partnering and business development opportunities
07
Congresses & competitive intelligence
Congress coverage, critical reading of the data presented and what it changes for your asset and its competitors
Each of these topics can also be delivered as training for your teams or as a talk at an event.
04 · Approach
Agree the outcome first, then choose the scope
1
Agree the outcome
In a first conversation, we agree what you need to decide, how you will judge a good result and why it matters to your organisation. If we cannot agree on those three points, I will say so rather than send a proposal.
2
Choose your option
You receive a short proposal with three options of increasing depth, each with a defined scope. You choose the level that fits the decision and the timetable.
3
Receive a usable recommendation
I do the work myself. Every finding is sourced, every unknown is named, and I discuss the recommendation with the people who decide.
Please keep initial information non-confidential; a secure route for documents is agreed before any are shared.
05 · Background
Clinical context, statistical scrutiny, business perspective
Dr Rafik Fellague-Chebra, MD, MSc
Physician, biostatistician and former global medical executive at Novartis, GSK Vaccines and Pfizer, I bring more than 20 years of experience in developing innovative medicines and leading global medical strategies in oncology, at the interface of the pharmaceutical, academic and hospital worlds, in France and internationally.
An HEC Paris graduate, I work with pharmaceutical companies and biotechs on clinical development, medical and business strategy, and with venture funds on asset evaluation.
You work directly with me, from framing the question to discussing the recommendation.
Career
- Novartis Oncology2014–2024Global medical affairs in haematology, chronic myeloid leukaemia (2014–2021), then created and led the global medical affairs activity in gastrointestinal oncology (2021–2024)
- GSK Vaccines2009–2014Global clinical lead for the MAGE-A3 programmes in gastrointestinal and bladder cancers; set up an academic alliances and collaborative research department
- Pfizer Oncology2005–2009Contributed to the launch of Sutent in France; medical lead for irinotecan (Campto) in colorectal cancer and its programme of more than 200 studies, with sales at an all-time high over four years
- GERCOR2003–2005Methodological design and statistical analysis of academic clinical trials in gastrointestinal oncology, including OPTIMOX
Education
- Executive MSc in Innovation and EntrepreneurshipHEC Paris
- MSc in Biostatistics and Clinical ResearchUniversité Paris XI
- Doctor of Medicine (MD)Faculty of Medicine, Algiers
- University diploma (DU), Artificial Intelligence applied to HealthcareUniversité Paris Cité
- University diploma (DU), Microbiota & HealthSorbonne Université
Selected publications
- Mahon FX, … Fellague-Chebra R, … Hughes TP. Treatment-free remission after second-line nilotinib in chronic myeloid leukemia. Ann Intern Med 2018;168:461-70
- Cortes JE, … Fellague-Chebra R, le Coutre PD. Switching to nilotinib versus imatinib dose escalation (LASOR). Lancet Haematol 2016;3:e581-91
- Matchaba S, Fellague-Chebra R, et al. Early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer via machine learning on a national electronic medical record database. JCO Clin Cancer Inform 2023;7:e2300076
- André T, … Fellague-Chebra R, … de Gramont A. OPTIMOX2 with celecoxib in metastatic colorectal cancer: a GERCOR study. Ann Oncol 2007;18:77-81
06 · Contact
What decision is ahead of you?
Tell me what you are considering, when you need to decide and where independent clinical judgment would help. I aim to reply within two working days.
Please share non-confidential information only. Do not include patient data or documents.