Wing In a tribute to the late Ronald Arthur Wing (PJ, 17 September, p355), SUSAN BEWS writes:
Those of us who knew Ron in a work context all have our own individual memories of that great man which span over 55 years. A common thread through those diverse memories is a memory of a caring individual who put benefits to patients at the top of his agenda. He strove hard to ensure that his staff, his industry, all his contacts and government did the same.
It was surely the best tribute to his successful life and career that so many gathered at his funeral to say thank you to a unique man for his contribution to health care and to those who had the privilege of working with or for him.
I say his life was successful. How else could you describe someone who was awarded an honorary doctorate from Hull university, was a fellow of his beloved Royal Pharmaceutical Society, was made a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, was chairman of East Riding Health Authority, was a member of council of Hull University and was president of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, steering the industry through the turbulent negotiations with government on the NHS prescribing “black list”?
Additionally he was chairman of Reckitt & Colman pharmaceutical division, he was chairman of the Central Blood Laboratories Authority, he set up the UK company for Sanofi and he was adviser to a number of companies, including the Japanese company Otsuka, which he particularly enjoyed. He also worked with a number of patient groups, including six years as vice-chairman of the Epilepsy Research Foundation.
In recognition of these and many other achievements he was awarded a CBE. Typically, he wrote to Margaret Thatcher to thank her on behalf of the industry and she replied, rather pointedly, informing him that it was awarded solely to him for his own personal contribution.
This list of successes could continue. However, I believe that if we asked Ron to list his successes, his list would be equally long but very different. Ron judged success by a contribution to patient care, not titles. He was driven by an all-consuming desire to improve health care. When he was able to introduce a new and beneficial medicine, improve service delivery to patients (as with his work with the transfusion services) or within the NHS (for example, with ambulance services or the building of a new oncology unit), those he would consider successes.
The story that led to those successes has an almost fairy-tale quality. It starts when one asks why Ron entered pharmacy and the industry. At the age of 13, after years struggling with asthma, missing a lot of school and remaining near the bottom of a large class, Ron developed pneumonia. He was treated with M&B693 (sulfapyridine) and made a miraculous recovery. Not unreasonably, at a follow-up visit with a newly appointed GP, Ron asked whether M&B693 would help his asthma attacks. The answer was “no” but for the first time the medical profession thought about treating his asthma and prescribed an elixir of ephedrine. The consequences were what dreams are made of and Ron moved rapidly up the class and ultimately became top of the class and head boy. He never forgot how different he had felt and could still remember the energy he gained from not suffering from constant debilitating asthma attacks.
As a result he committed himself to a career aligned to medicine. As his parents could not afford for him to study medicine he became an apprentice pharmacist. When he completed his training he was too young to be licensed to practise and had to wait until he was 21.
As a result of a conversation with a Burroughs Wellcome representative, Ron decided to join the industry — a fortunate decision for patients and for the industry. He consequently joined Wellcome as a representative, rapidly progressed into product management and was instrumental in bringing a number of products to market, including co-trimoxazole (Septrin) and allopurinol (Zyloric).
He then moved to Boots and became convinced that its new drug ibuprofen could have a major place in the treatment of pain and arthritis. Even highly controversial negative study results and a jubilant opposition did not deter him. He investigated the study results in detail and realised that the placebo group had used an excess of rescue medication. He then succeeded in bringing ibuprofen to market and it has been a fantastic success. As always he used his experience as a teaching exercise — in this case not to take anything at face value, especially if it goes against your instincts.
Ron then moved to Reckitt & Colman to head the world-wide pharmaceutical division. He took with him an unresolved problem — that of finding a licence for a product that he believed could be useful in epilepsy, namely sodium valproate. He had been unable to persuade Boots or anyone else to take on this rather peculiar compound from an unknown French company. Not least of a variety of reasons was that it was “only” a laboratory solvent. Commercial colleagues also had a blinkered approach to the apparently small epilepsy market, not realising that many patients remained untreated through stigma and because the side effects of the available therapies were often worse than living with the disease. However, in his senior position at Reckitt, Ron was able to create a joint venture with the French company, oversee the drug’s development and launch it, as Epilim, himself. Many patients’ lives have been greatly enhanced by his unwavering vision.
Ron, or “RAW” as he was affectionately known by his staff, accepted that he could be autocratic at times and sometimes his colleagues realised that the only way to do something was Ron’s way. While at Reckitt, Ron insisted that an elevated walkway was built across a warehouse to give his relocated staff reasonable access to the canteen. The walkway became known as Wing’s Way and even had its own street sign. When he left, Ron was given the street sign and it is now on his garden fence in Hythe. I wonder how many other people would have been prepared to have a daily reminder of their autocracy. But it is also a reminder of his caring nature.
It was the consequence of management changes at Reckitt that gave Ron the exciting opportunity to establish what is now Sanofi Aventis in the UK with Epilim as the cornerstone. Here Ron picked up another challenge, the rather toxic compound amiodarone (Cordarone). Thanks to his cussed perseverance, he eventually managed to persuade the authorities to license it. His driving goal was the life-saving benefit this product could bring to patients with arrhythmia if correctly used. The importance of using medicines correctly was one of Ron’s passions and nowhere was this better exemplified than with Cordarone. He insisted that the company’s representatives talked openly about side effects, often as the opening gambit. This was complete anathema to most marketing people but, as with so many of Ron’s proposals, it was a successful strategy resulting in correct usage and patient benefit.
Those who worked with and for Ron Wing know the truth of the old adage that if you want something done, you ask a busy man. Without compromising his commitments, he had an insatiable capacity to take on more and more work in diverse fields or to give help guidance and time to his staff and colleagues. He was a mentor to many of us but, as we knew sometimes to our own cost, he was not blessed with patience for fools or complex rhetoric. Many a time he admonished staff with “Don’t confuse me with the facts.” He sought succinctly justified proposals.
Perhaps the story that sums up his life’s contribution is when he saw a consultant only a couple of months ago. Inevitably the pharmaceutical connection came up and on hearing what medicines Ron was instrumental in launching, the consultant informed him that he owed his life to him for putting Zyloric on the market. He had a rare metabolic disorder which this product, really intended for gout, kept under control. One could say it was an ironic finale but Ron described it as a happy and rewarding encounter as he saw, yet again, a success of his endeavours.
If he leaves a message for us, it must surely be that patients must come first and then success will follow. What a wonderful exemplar of that he was! |
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