Hans Büller
Prof. Hans Büller (1952) was trained as a paediatrician in Amsterdam and Boston, and is one of the directors and founders of Fair Medicine. In 1997, he was appointed Professor of Paediatric Medicine and head of the Paediatrics department in the Sophia Children’s Hospital/Erasmus MC. In 2005, the Erasmus MC named him as Chairman of the Executive Board. He founded Fair Medicine after leaving that post. Prof. Büller is driven by his many years of experience as a physician and a board chairman. “Just criticising classical pharmaceutical companies is a waste of time. Come up with something better.”
hans@fairmedicine.eu
Frans de Loos
Biologist and chemist Dr. Frans de Loos (1957) is one of the directors and founders of Fair Medicine. He has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for more than 20 years, including in the post of Corporate Manager. He is involved throughout the entire chain of development, from research to production of biotech products, and has conducted scientific research on embryology and artificial reproduction techniques at Utrecht University’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. “When research institutions, a diverse group of investors and pharmaceutical companies in the Netherlands truly work together, we can offer many more patients effective, safe and affordable medication for the same amount of money.”
frans@fairmedicine.eu
Simon van der Schans
Simon van der Schans (1991) first got interested in the complex issues regarding availability of medicines when studying Medical Pharmaceutical Science. During his master study “Science, Business and Policy” he was an intern at Fair Medicine where he developed and implemented a model for pricing of pharmaceutical drugs. He started working at Fair Medicine in August 2017 and focuses on the scientific aspects of costs, pricing and investments of pharmaceutical drug development. “The discussion on medicines primarily focuses on pricing of pharmaceutical products. A clear insight is thus crucial to induce positive change.”
Vincent van der Wel
Vincent van der Wel (1990) founded his first company when studying Medicines. He believes in the power of (social) entrepreneurship to solve complex issues and uses his background in medicine and business to proactively contribute to Fair Medicine’s mission and vision. As Director of Patient One, the first private company based on Fair Medicine’s business model, he works on to the (sustainable) development of patient-driven fair priced medicines. “The only way to innovate is by actually putting new models into practice and testing them.”
Luigi Jonk
Dr. Luigi Jonk (1962), molecular biologist, has been active in industrial biotech for more than 20 years. Before that he worked as a scientist at the Hubrecht Institute (KNAW) and the University of Groningen for 10 years to unravel the underlying mechanisms of cancer development. He has broad experience in research and drug development, from initial idea to final product. Driven by curiosity, he is fully dedicated to the development of meaningful therapeutic products for patients. “Medication should be accessible to all. This should be the primary focus of healthy pharmaceutical companies, operating in an efficiently regulated environment.”
Hein Coolen
Though trained as a chemist, Dr. Hein Coolen (1964) prefers to call himself a Life Science Professional. For more than 15 years, he worked as a Senior Scientist in R&D in the pharmaceutical industry. After a colourful career as a freelancer, an educator and a health care entrepreneur, he has finally returned to his original passion. One of his most important motivations is his fascination for new concepts and the urge to see them realised. “It’s time for a change; we need new paths to move forward and to make innovative medication accessible. I see it as a challenge to help find those paths.”
Frans-Joseph Sinjorgo
Frans-Joseph Sinjorgo (1959) worked within the pharmaceutical industry for more than 25 years. The next three years, he was associated with the iLSBE (Institute of Life Sciences and Business Economics) of Erasmus University and in 2008 he first encountered the idea of repurposing of existing molecules, together with and for doctors and patients. In collaboration with ZonMw, this resulted in the report ‘Stimulating Drug Rediscovery’ early 2012. Following an extensive joint effort of many parties, the first drug rediscovery innovation is now being delivered at patients. As Project Manager at Fair Medicine, Frans-Joseph fully focuses on rediscovery projects. “Drug rediscovery is not like old wine in new bottles but an innovative concept of great social value.”
Margo Bource
After completing her studies in health education, Front Office Manager MargoBource (1969) worked in both primary and referral care, as well as for organisations such as the Ministry of Education, Culture & Science, the EVA Foundation and Erasmus MC. For the past 20 years, she has mainly been active as a project assistant, project leader and office manager. She has a unique talent for planning and organising, so when Fair Medicine crossed her path, she didn’t hesitate to join the organisation: “A fun team, working together on a worthy cause; it’s great to be able to be a part of that!”
Marjolein van Helmond
Marjolein van Helmond (1969) works in the pharmaceutical industry for more than 25 years. She started her career at the Erasmus MC doing academic research. She worked at Pharming, in research and communication positions, and at Facio Therapies as office and communication manager. She has broad experience with both basic and applied research of pharmaceutical drug development. This provides her with a solid background to fulfil her role as Back Office Assistant at Fair Medicine. “To help out other people and to contribute in making this world a bit more beautiful. That’s Fair Medicine. And that’s me!”
Bob Witman
In his career as a journalist, Bob Witman (1959) has become an expert in the field of public relations and strategic communications. He was one of the Editors-in-Chief at the Volkskrant, and his field of expertise is digital innovation in PR and journalism, which he continues to hone through his consulting bureau Come Amsterdam. “To me, what makes Fair Medicine different is that it doesn’t just criticise the existing system; instead, it rolls up its sleeves and gets to work. Good medicines are too important, and social and sustainable initiatives are vital in order to restore balance to the pharmaceuticals market.”
Cathy Hassels Mönning
Communications strategist Cathy Hassels Mönning (1970) is one of the founders of Fair Medicine. She has developed innovative care programmes for a wide range of commercial organisations in Canada and the Netherlands. Cathy is the owner of True Blue – Creative Healthcare Communications. “The common theme in my work is to use the patient’s input to design communications tools to make his or her life more pleasant. At a broader level, I am also involved in projects to make healthcare more innovative and sustainable.”
Mathijs Koper
Social entrepreneur Mathijs Koper (1980) is one of the founders of Fair Medicine and director and co-founder of startup accelerator World Startup Factory, as well as corporate entrepreneurship agency Outside Inc. As an entrepreneur and active citizen, Mathijs has a passion for impact-driven technology, corporate social responsibility, innovation and startups. “A major transition is needed in the system, but achieving that has been a challenge for many years. As a social business, Fair Medicine shows that together with the patient, it is possible to do things differently, with transparency and at far lower cost.”