Ani
Sr. Manager, Drug Information, Medical Communications
A pharmacist by training, Ani, PharmD enjoys making a difference at Cubist, whether by assisting post-doctoral fellows to learn as much as possible about the pharmaceutical industry or by providing drug information to help a physician make the best choice for their patient’s care.
Q: What are your basic job responsibilities?
Ani: I manage the Drug Information group, which responds to unsolicited inquiries from health care professionals. We are responsible for providing scientifically balanced and accurate information about the drugs that Cubist markets (at this point, primarily CUBICIN® [daptomycin for injection]). Very rarely, we do get questions about our investigational agents. We receive the inquiries from either our toll-free number: 1-866-RXDAPTO (866-793-2786) or from our sales representatives [CBMs]. When the CBMs are in the field talking to physicians/health care professionals and receive a question that is too scientific or pertains to off-label use, they direct the question to us.
I am also a medical reviewer on the Clearance Committee (promotional materials review team) at Cubist. Whenever Marketing or Commercial develops a promotional piece for use by sales representatives or in a promotion, it must undergo a formal review process. Individuals from Commercial or Marketing, Corporate Communications, Legal, Regulatory, and Medical are part of that process. As the medical reviewer, I look at scientific accuracy and medical appropriateness of the material.
In my spare time, I run the Post-Doctoral Pharmaceutical Fellowship program here at Cubist. In doing so, I act as a liaison between Cubist and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) School of Pharmacy in Worcester/Manchester.
Q: How long have you worked at Cubist?
Ani: I started working at Cubist on June 21, 2004.
Q: Have you always held your present job?
Ani: I began in this department as a Drug Information Specialist and moved up to Senior Manager of Drug Information.
Q: What attracted you to Cubist?
Ani: I was living in New Jersey, having gotten my PharmD from Rutgers University and completed a one-year post-doctoral fellowship at Bristol-Myers Squibb. At that time, my family was living in Massachusetts, so I wanted to move here. I was looking at various companies in this area. What attracted me to Cubist the most were the people – it was a different culture than where I was coming from. I also liked the fact that Cubist was a smaller company, since I was still young in my career and wanted to be exposed to as much as possible. I felt that being in a smaller department in a smaller company would give me that exposure – and it did. CUBICIN had launched in 2003, so it was an exciting time to get involved with a product that was early in its life cycle. Now that CUBICIN has been on the market a while, I am looking forward to the next Cubist product.
Q: Growing up, at what point did you decide to focus on pharmacy?
Ani: When applying to colleges, I knew I wanted to go into a scientific field and considered entering either medical school or dental school. I went into pharmacy because it seemed the most straightforward path (six years to complete the program) and because I was interested in learning more about how drugs work and are discovered. I got into industry after having worked in a hospital setting and retail pharmacy setting and being intrigued by the role of the pharmacist in industry.
Q: What do you find is the most satisfying part of your job?
Ani: Two things - With my day-to-day job in Drug Information, I feel as though I have an impact on patient lives. When interacting with a physician who’s directly involved with caring for a patient, and I’m available to provide the information that helps the physician make the best choice for that patient, I feel that I’m indirectly involved with the patient’s care. As pharmacists, we are trained to get involved with the patient. So, even though I’m in industry, I still have access to the patient. Working for a company like Cubist, I feel that patients are a focus at all times.
Outside of my drug information role, I really enjoy working with the fellows in the fellowship program. Watching that enthusiastic person start on the first day of their fellowship, looking forward to learning as much as possible – I really like the program.
Q: Name one thing about yourself that most employees may not know about you.
Ani: I came to the States for college, but was born and raised in Abu Dhabi (capital of the United Arab Emirates), which is an hour-and-a-half from Dubai – the place everyone knows. I have an Armenian-Lebanese background and knew I wanted to come to the States for school because most of my older siblings had done that. I speak three-and-a-half languages [laughs]: I speak Armenian, English, and Arabic, and have a working knowledge of French. While I was born and raised in Abu Dhabi, I am Armenian and don’t consider myself from Abu Dhabi. The day before I interviewed with Cubist, I received my American citizenship.
Q: What are your favorite movies?
Ani: My favorite movie that I watch every holiday is Love Actually – I make my whole family watch it with me.
Q: What information might you share with prospective employees to help them decide to work at Cubist, or with new employees who have just started?
Ani: For new employees just starting, the biggest recommendation I have is to learn as much as you can about the industry and take advantage of the many training and development opportunities that Cubist offers. I think it’s very valuable, particularly for someone who is early in their career, to get a well-rounded experience.