At a time when France’s healthcare landscape is being reshaped by regulatory change, market pressure, and shifting patient expectations, Fabrice Ruggeri, Country Manager of Organon France, is steering the affiliate through a new phase of purposeful growth. Under his leadership, Organon France is strengthening its long-standing commitment to women’s health while expanding into new therapeutic areas and building strategic partnerships. In this conversation, Fabrice Ruggeri reflects on Organon’s evolution, the challenges of market access and biosimilars, and the importance of rebuilding trust in reproductive health.
How would you describe your transition into the role of Country Manager for Organon France and the priorities guiding this new phase?
Having joined Organon in 2021, this appointment represents a natural evolution of the journey I have undertaken since the company’s inception. Over the past few years, I have held several roles of increasing responsibility, most recently serving as France Commercial Lead.
When the regional structure was reorganised in 2025, taking on the leadership of the French organisation was a logical next step, one that comes with greater responsibility, a new learning curve, and above all, the opportunity to build on what has already been achieved. My focus is to ensure continuity while strengthening agility, collaboration, and alignment across the organisation.
We now operate as an integrated management team covering 15 countries, which requires clarity of roles and seamless coordination.
How does Organon’s global commitment to women’s health translate within the French context?
Organon’s mission to advance women’s health has found a particularly strong echo in France, where it resonates not only with patients and partners but also deeply within our own organisation. Nearly 70 percent of our team members are women, and every candidate who joins us highlights this clear sense of purpose as a decisive factor in their motivation. The notion of improving women’s lives through science and access to care is both inspiring and unifying, shaping an internal culture built on pride, empathy, and shared responsibility.
While the global message aligns closely with French values, the local dynamics present unique challenges. Contraception use has been steadily declining, even as the need for fertility treatments continues to grow, supported by one of the world’s most comprehensive reimbursement systems. Our task is therefore to adapt, translating a global ambition into locally relevant initiatives that sustain awareness, access, and trust.
Since Organon’s creation in 2021, we have cultivated what we call a “founder mindset,” rooted in the entrepreneurial energy of those who joined at the outset. This spirit continues to define how we operate today: open to ideas, unburdened by hierarchy, and focused on collective progress. As a mid-sized pharmaceutical company, we balance the structure of an international organisation with the agility to act quickly, ensuring that our purpose in women’s health remains both authentic and deeply embedded in everything we do.
Could you walk us through the composition and strategic balance of Organon France’s portfolio today?
Our portfolio rests on women’s health, and general medicines, comprising around 70 brands that together form a well-balanced and resilient foundation.
While Organon France historically had a strong cardiovascular focus, the affiliate has evolved into a more evenly structured organisation capable of delivering growth across multiple therapeutic areas.
How would you characterise the evolution of the biosimilars market in France?
The biosimilars landscape in France is undergoing a fundamental shift, shaped by both regulatory evolution and structural market change. It is important to distinguish between two distinct segments: hospital-based products, which are primarily managed through tenders, and retail biosimilars distributed via pharmacies. The hospital model remains relatively stable; a transparent, well-defined system where tenders are awarded to suppliers offering the best combination of price and quality. It is predictable and efficient, enabling manufacturers to plan with confidence and ensuring patients continued access to high-quality therapies.
The retail segment, however, is transforming rapidly. Until recently, substitution depended on prescriber choice, which limited adoption to around 30 to 40 percent, far below the government’s 80 percent target. To address this, authorities have now authorised pharmacists to substitute biologics directly for selected biologic groups, mirroring the generic medicines model. While this reform aims to improve accessibility and affordability, it also redefines commercial strategy.
How is Organon France adapting to this new commercial reality?
This evolution is prompting the entire industry to rethink its commercial model. Pharmacists, well accustomed to substitution practices in generics, will now play a central role in expanding access to biologic treatments. For manufacturers, this shift means that traditional promotional approaches focused on prescribers are no longer sustainable. At Organon France, our strategy is to concentrate on the hospital segment, where we possess deep expertise and clear visibility over demand.
In the retail space, competitiveness increasingly depends on scale and portfolio breadth, key factors that influence both pricing and rebate structures. To address this, we are actively pursuing partnerships with established players that have strong pharmacy networks and complementary portfolios.
How would you characterise the current state of market access in France and its implications for your portfolio?
Market access in France remains among the most challenging and tightly regulated environments in Europe. Pricing negotiations are consistently constrained by the government’s long-standing philosophy of reducing the cost of established medicines to fund innovation. While this approach has historically enabled the reimbursement of new therapies, it has now reached a breaking point.
The result is an alarming increase in both product withdrawals and shortages, particularly for older essential medicines such as antibiotics. Because of France’s low-price levels, manufacturers maintain limited inventories, making the country especially vulnerable to supply disruptions.
Pharmaceuticals account for approximately 13 to 15 percent (net spend) of total healthcare spending, a reasonable proportion compared to other countries. The real issue lies in the disproportionate level of savings expected from the sector: despite representing less than one-fifth of total healthcare costs, the pharmaceutical industry contributes nearly half of the mandated budgetary savings. This imbalance not only strains manufacturers but also threatens supply security and long-term innovation. Ultimately, sustaining access to quality medicines will require a more balanced approach that recognises the essential role of both affordability and industrial viability.
How is Organon strengthening education and awareness in women’s health across France?
Education and awareness form a cornerstone of our commitment to women’s health In contraception, our priority is to restore confidence by ensuring that women receive clear, evidence-based medical information. We are actively working with healthcare professionals and partners to promote scientific literacy and help women make informed, confident decisions about their reproductive health.
Fertility represents the second major pillar of our awareness efforts, and France occupies a distinctive position globally with one of the most supportive access frameworks. The national health system reimburses up to four cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and fully covers egg preservation, providing unparalleled opportunities for individuals seeking reproductive care. In some centres, the waiting time for egg preservation appointments can reach two years, highlighting the need for systemic improvement.
To address these challenges, we are working closely with the French Federation for the Study of Reproduction (FFER), patient associations, and health authorities to expand capacity and improve the organisation of fertility services. Through these collaborations, our ambition is to make access timelier and more equitable. Ultimately, our work in contraception and fertility reflects Organon’s broader mission: to empower women through accurate knowledge, scientific trust, and fair access to care, helping them make informed choices at every stage of life.
Looking ahead, what opportunities do you see for Organon in France and across Europe?
France holds a pivotal role within Organon’s global network, a testament to the depth of our expertise and the strong trust we have built with healthcare professionals and patients alike. In fertility, France ranks third worldwide, behind only the United States and China, highlighting its strategic importance as both a growth driver and a benchmark for access to reproductive care. With these solid foundations, a diverse pipeline, and a clear focus on innovation that is both impactful and responsible, we see France continuing to set the pace for how science, access, and sustainability can advance together in modern healthcare.
