Here at Teva Pharmaceuticals, diversity isn’t just a cornerstone; it’s a driving force for developing novel therapies that serve global populations. From understanding the impact of culture on patient care to designing inclusive clinical trials, Teva’s R&D global team leaders share their insights on why diversity is a superpower in medicine development.

Understanding Schizophrenia Through a Diversity Lens

Eran Harary, Head of Global Early Clinical Development

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that affects about 1% of the global population, profoundly influencing how individuals think, feel, and behave. One of the most striking features of schizophrenia is the loss of touch with reality that patients often experience. However, factors such as ethnicity, age, gender, and socioeconomic status significantly shape how the disorder is diagnosed, treated, and manifests itself.

Cultural differences play a pivotal role in how symptoms are perceived. In some cultures, delusional patients may be seen as possessed by spirits or demons, while in other cultures, delusions often involve themes like aliens or technology. This variability underscores that while the disorder’s core symptoms remain consistent, its manifestations can differ greatly.

Gender also influences the presentation of schizophrenia. Men typically experience their first psychotic episode earlier—in their late teens to mid-20s—and often exhibit more cognitive decline and lack of motivation. Women tend to develop symptoms later and are more likely to experience depressive symptoms.

Even the act of diagnosing schizophrenia can be influenced by culture. Studies show that physicians are more likely to diagnose schizophrenia in patients from cultural backgrounds different from their own, leading to higher rates of diagnosis in immigrant populations. This is why cultural competence is essential—without it, we risk misdiagnosing patients or misunderstanding their needs.

Why Diversity in Clinical Trials Is Essential

Anna Elgart, Psychiatry Disease Area Head

Imagine taking a medication and realizing it doesn't work for you. Or worse, it has adverse effects simply because the studies it was based on did not include people like you.

People from different backgrounds often respond to medications differently. Gender, environmental factors, and age play a role. This means diversity isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s essential to scientific accuracy, ethical responsibility, and the development of safe and effective treatments. By including diverse populations in studies, we avoid the skewed results that can arise when certain groups are overrepresented.

At Teva, we’re actively addressing this challenge. For example, in developing Teva medication for schizophrenia, we conducted focus groups and surveys in the U.S. and Europe with patients from diverse backgrounds. These sessions provided insights that helped us shape study designs and operational strategies before trials began. We also increased training for clinical workers on diversity, and materials were culturally inclusive and translated into multiple languages to ensure accessibility.

These efforts led to significant results. In one study, for example, African Americans, a group often underrepresented in clinical trials, comprised approximately 70% of participants (Correll CU et al., 2024). However, we recognize there is always more to do, and our ultimate goal is to create therapies that serve the broad spectrum of individuals who will use them.

Building Diverse Teams: The Heart of Innovation

Eric Hughes, EVP, Head of Global R&D and CMO

One of my “aha moments” has been understanding how a lack of appreciation for diversity among investigators affects who gets enrolled in clinical trials. If we want to ensure that our studies reflect real-world populations, we need investigators who appreciate and understand the diversity of the people we want to include. This is something we must actively work on, and it’s an operational challenge we can solve.

Of course, diversity doesn’t stop with our trials. Pharmaceutical development is incredibly complex; it’s not an assembly line where we tell people what to do. To succeed, we need experts, input from every level, and the collective knowledge of our teams. Good leaders—maybe even great leaders—are the ones who realize they don’t have all the answers. They understand that only by listening to and leveraging the perspectives of the people around them can we achieve great things.

Diversity can be our superpower at Teva, but it’s not automatic—it requires focus. Our teams—the people driving the complexity of drug development bring their own unique backgrounds, ideas, and ways of thinking. We have to double down on building a culture of inclusivity and belonging, where every voice is heard, and every idea is valued.

Heather De Luca, SVP, Head of Global Program Leadership

At Teva, when we talk about diversity in the workplace, we should view it as a team characteristic or group composition and not an individual one. Everyone brings unique perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds, contributing to the team’s strength and overall diversity. For example, one of our global program teams here at Teva has members spread across 12 countries and three continents, speaking nine native languages. Team members span across 35 distinct line functions and bring anywhere from one to 25 years of pharmaceutical experience to the table.

However, simply assembling a diverse group of people doesn’t guarantee success. In fact, diversity often introduces friction or discomfort. Our brains naturally seek patterns, so working in homogeneous groups might feel easier because everyone thinks alike. But is that really leveraging the power of diversity and fostering innovation?

The real strength of diverse teams comes from constructively challenging one another. Research shows that diverse teams perform better and are more innovative, but this only happens when there’s space for open dialogue, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Inclusive leadership is key to fostering this environment. It’s about creating a space where team members feel comfortable sharing opposing ideas or perspectives. We must actively create spaces where diversity thrives.

Looking Ahead: Unlocking the Power of Diversity

Irit Hovich, Global I&D Lead

At Teva, we see diversity as a defining characteristic of successful teams. Yet, we also understand that diversity can bring challenges. Embracing and mastering these challenges is crucial to unlocking our teams’ full potential and achieving sustained high performance.

To support this vision, we recently introduced an innovative AI-based learning program designed to empower our managers. This program equips managers with the critical skills needed to navigate the complexities of diverse work environments, resolve conflicts effectively, and address interpersonal challenges with confidence and sensitivity.

By cultivating inclusive teams where diverse perspectives are not only welcomed but actively valued, we unleash the true power of our people. This approach strengthens our ability to deliver life-changing solutions and serve patients worldwide.

NPS-ALL-NP-01472

References

Correll CU et al. Presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress; September 21-24, 2024; Milan, Italy

Find out more

• Discover the neuroscience behind why inclusion and diversity drive performance
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