Orfenix focuses on making innovative Life Sciences and Health solutions accessible and affordable. For example, they run projects to make specific medications available to patients affordably. They achieve this by developing strong business cases prioritizing a fair profit over profit maximization. But the question remains: Who decides what a reasonable profit is?
Ivo de Nooijer, Director of IP/Legal and Venturing, works at Orfenix and explains how Orfenix ethically brings medicine and other solutions to the market.
“We specialize in finding the balance between making treatments or innovations affordable while creating a fair profit and opportunities to research and develop further.” – Ivo de Nooijer.
Career path
Who is Ivo de Nooijer? Ivo is a married father of two with a passion for history, playing games with friends, and serving as a Royal Dutch Air Force reserve officer. Despite his busy personal life, he has also managed to build a successful career. After completing his master’s in bio-pharmacy, Ivo began his career at Unilever. Subsequently, he pursued a law degree and became a corporate lawyer specializing in intellectual property and patents. Until 2019, Ivo was managing director at LURIS, where he facilitated the commercialization of academic research from Leiden University and LUMC with high potential for real-world impact. For the last five years, he has worked on national programs for universities, charities, and companies. Examples include Socially Responsible Licensing and Biotech Booster. Of course, he uses all this experience for his work at Orfenix.
“At Orfenix, I don’t just offer advice; I roll up my sleeves and actively work alongside researchers and stakeholders to bring treatments to patients.” – Ivo de Nooijer.
How did you find out about Orfenix?
“When Vincent, the founder of Orfenix, approached me, he was still a student. I connected him to his first project, Patient One, and have been involved from the sidelines to offer advice where needed. However, I felt that I wanted to do more than give advice. At Orfenix, we don’t just preach about the right business case; we roll up our sleeves and get the work done.”
With his expertise in technology transfer and legal strategies, Ivo is responsible for multiple projects. Can you explain more about these projects?
“Currently, I’m involved in a project focusing on image-guided surgery. At the Leiden University Medical Center, they researched distinguishing between healthy and cancerous tissue during surgery. The separate tissues light up differently using fluorescent markers, resulting in more precise surgery. It’s easier to see how much tissue to remove, resulting in more precise surgery. Orfenix is involved in helping create a healthy business case, finding financing parties, and bringing this innovation to other hospitals.”
What does a healthy business case look like?
“On one hand, we want solutions to be as affordable as possible because it reduces barriers to availability and helps save lives. On the other hand, money is needed to provide these solutions. Development and production require people, materials, and time, all of which are expensive in the life sciences and health sector. Profits are necessary to build a sustainable company; resources are crucial to survive difficult times and unforeseen events, such as an economic crisis or, more recently, a pandemic. Expanding business activities and developing new products or services also comes with a price tag that needs to be anticipated.”
So, what is most important in these processes?
“Clear communication and effective project management is a must. Bringing innovation to the life sciences and health market involves lengthy processes, so meaningful collaboration and mutual understanding are crucial. Often, we only hear about major successes, like receiving approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or an innovation going to market. However, the small steps leading up to that achievement truly matter and pave the way for the treatment or solution to reach the market. For instance, we need to explore financing options, establish structure during development, and engage key opinion leaders and other interested parties. It often begins with appreciating the perspective of your partners and patients to enable an effective collaboration to develop. That is whatOrfenix can deliver.”
Looking ahead
With the right balance of ethics, collaboration, and business insights, Orfenix helps make life-saving treatments accessible to all. This approach not only ensures affordable treatments but also builds sustainable models to advance our healthcare further. Ivo de Nooijer concludes: “It’s about understanding that every piece of the puzzle is crucial and that together, we can build something truly impactful.”
Do you have an intriguing research project and want to explore options for introducing your innovation to the rest of the world?
