With a background in international relations, she began her career in international organizations before joining Santen’s Cell & Gene Therapy team in 2020, focusing on Public Affairs and Communications. In 2024, she moved to Santen’s EMEA organization, where she established the regional public affairs function.
Protecting sight is about more than vision. It’s about preserving independence, learning, connection, and quality of life. Yet despite how much vision shapes our everyday experience, eye health still receives far less attention than life-threatening conditions such as cancer or cardiovascular disease.
While not life-threatening, the long-term impact of untreated or poorly managed eye conditions can be life-changing. This is especially true for children living with myopia (short-sightedness), a condition that is becoming alarmingly common, developing earlier and progressing faster than ever before.
At Santen, we believe eye health deserves a stronger place on policy agendas. To make that happen, Santen’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) operations have established a dedicated public affairs function, an important step in our mission to protect sight and improve patients’ access to treatment.
Our Stories sat down with Santen EMEA’s Nadiya Deferne, Senior Manager, Public Affairs, and Etienne Regulier, VP-Market Access, Pricing & Public Affairs, to learn more about the significance of public affairs and their personal commitment to protecting children’s vision.
Why Eye Health Can’t Wait
Myopia, or short-sightedness, often begins in early childhood and can progress rapidly.*1 If left unmanaged, it increases the risk of severe eye conditions later in life.*2-3 It can impact a child’s overall well-being, including their ability to participate in daily activities and learning.*4-5 Up to 50 percent of the world’s population will be myopic by 2050, and school-leavers in Europe are expected to have already reached this threshold by 2035.*6 While the devastating effects of many diseases are well-known, eye health is often neglected despite its profound impact on long-term quality of life.
“Vision is taken for granted in so many ways—especially with diseases like myopia, where there is an assumption that glasses have already solved the problem,” Nadiya explained. “Our task has been to help change this mindset and demonstrate that recent lifestyle changes, including increased screen time and reduced outdoor activity, have made eye health a growing public health issue.”
Added Etienne: “Some very young patients—usually diagnosed between ages three and 14—are progressing super-fast, often needing new glasses every six or eight months. This places a significant burden on patients and their families. Still, the lack of recognition of myopia as a disease means less funding by healthcare systems and ultimately decreases the likelihood of treatments being reimbursed.”
Turning Awareness into Action
Public Affairs is about connecting science and policy – shaping the policy environment to enhance the patient journey and promote better access to care.
For Santen EMEA, this means helping internal teams understand and navigate external policy, engaging with policy and decision makers to address health system challenges, identifying common ground for joint advocacy, elevating patient and stakeholder voices, and strengthening reputation.
This function builds on years of work by Santen’s market access and health economics teams, who have demonstrated the value of treatments and highlighted unmet needs. Now, adding a public affairs capability allows Santen to go further: to raise eye health on policy agendas and help shape practical, long-term solutions that improve access to care.
Building Coalitions for Change
In 2024, Santen’s public affairs team focused on one key goal: putting children’s eye health firmly on Europe’s policy map. To do this, the team led a collaborative effort to develop a Joint Policy Statement on myopia and children’s vision.
“Early on, we realized that success would depend on building a coalition beyond the eye health community,” says Nadiya. “We needed to connect with those already working on related issues — like screen time, outdoor activity, and children’s wellbeing.”
A comprehensive landscape analysis identified potential partners, from professional societies and patient groups to NGOs and technology organizations. Soon, a coalition began to take shape. Partners included the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, the European Parents’ Association, and the World Organization of the Scout Movement.
Santen and 13 co-signatories developed the statement “Adapting to the Digital and Sedentary World: Addressing the Growing Crisis of Children’s Eye Health,” launched on April 28, 2025. The document highlights the growing crisis in eye health, outlines its links to modern lifestyles, and proposes practical steps for change, from awareness campaigns to school-based vision screening programmes.
A Santen-led survey among parents in key EU markets revealed that most children are only diagnosed with myopia once symptoms appear, typically when teachers or parents notice difficulties seeing the board. “School screenings are a simple and cost-effective way to identify myopia early and act before it progresses,” Nadiya explains.
Bringing Eye Health to the Policy Table
With the statement in place, the coalition approached Members of the European Parliament, stakeholders from the European Commission, and other individuals and organizations who shape healthcare policy.
“Since the policy statement announcement, we have held many bilateral meetings,” said Nadiya. “We usually try to involve three or four coalition members in these meetings. We each voice our perspective and then try to understand the current initiatives being worked on to ensure that eye health is included.”
One highlight included an awareness walk in the EU quarter in Brussels, in collaboration with our partners and a local school. This walk brought together schoolchildren, Members of the European Parliament, including Commissioner Mr. Micallef (Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport), and other policymakers to raise awareness of the importance of outdoor time for eye health. More than 70 participants joined in Brussels and across our Santen offices, more than 90 employees took part the walks.
Impact Already Taking Shape
Santen’s public affairs work is still young, but its impact is already evident, not just in policy discussions, but in a growing recognition that eye health is a vital part of public health.
Eye health has recently been referenced for the first time in EU Council conclusions, a significant milestone that mirrors the language and intent of the coalition’s policy statement.
“The inclusion of eye health in EU Council conclusions*7 shows that our messages are being heard,” says Nadiya. “It’s an important signal that policymakers recognize the issue and are willing to act.”
Beyond policy wins, the initiative has helped raise awareness of Santen’s commitment to eye health across Europe and strengthen relationships with key stakeholders in healthcare and education. “I have been encouraged by how familiar policymakers are with Santen now,” Nadiya reflects. “They see that we’re a company genuinely focused on improving eye health, not just talking about it.”
Looking ahead
“There is still a lot to do,” says Etienne. “We need continued dialogue and collaboration to ensure eye diseases are recognized for their true impact on individuals, families, and society. Our goal is to secure sustainable access to treatment for all patients who need it.”
For Santen, this is part of a long-term commitment: to ensure that sight, one of life’s most precious senses, receives the attention, protection, and investment it deserves.
“Your sight is precious,” concluded Nadiya. “The eyes you’re born with are all you’ve got. I hope readers will be mindful of their own eye health and make simple adjustments to their lifestyles to help ensure their eyes serve them throughout their lives.”
- Karuppiah, Vijaya, et al. Singapore medical journal. 62.2 (2021): 63.
- Morgan IG et al, Lancet. 2012;379(9827):1739-48.
- Haarman A et al, Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2020;61(4):49
- Congdon N, et al. Community Eye Health. 2019;32:7–8.
- Dudovitz RN, et al. Matern Child Health J. 2016;20:974–83
- George AS, et al. PUIRJ. 2023:136.
- EU Council conclusions: Official documents that outline a political position, express political consensus, or state the strategic priorities of the European Union, particularly on specific issues or policy areas.
Profile
Nadiya Deferne
Senior Manager, Public Affairs EMEA Market Access
Santen EMEA
Etienne Regulier
VP Market Access, Pricing and Public Affairs EMEA Market Access
Santen EMEA
With 20 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry including 16 years in Market Access & Pricing, he joined Santen Pharmaceutical in 2021 as Global Head of Patient Access Cell and Gene Therapy. In 2024, he joined Santen's EMEA organization as Head of Market Access, Pricing and Public Affairs. He is currently VP Market Access, Pricing and Public Affairs EMEA since 2025.
Official SNS
