2025 Access to Medicines Intern with Roivant's Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control Team
Calla Lily Clinical Care, Med Aditus, Roivant Sciences, and Roivant Social Ventures (RSV) have partnered to host the Access to Medicines Internship and Fellowship Program, providing real-world drug development experience to talented PharmD students who are passionate about leveraging their career development to expand healthcare access to underserved patient groups.
This summer Ana Tan served as an intern for Roivant's Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control (CMC) team, where she:
Researched CMC strategies to change route of administration of drugs during clinical development.
Developed a playbook for changing from IV to Subcutaneous dosing.
Conducted comprehensive literature reviews on the impact of O-glycosylation on antibody structure and activity.
We sat down with Ana to learn more about what drives her work and how her summer internship at Roivant has impacted her career development.
What has inspired your interest in developing medicines?
"I had the unique opportunity to interact with patients in a rural hospital setting following my most recent clinical rotation experience in Greenville, NC. Many patients struggled to afford their medications despite having chronic conditions that demand consistent treatment. However, access to medicine is not only about affordability, but is also about limited health literacy, transportation, and distrust of the healthcare system. Working with patients regularly in a variety of different hospital units reminded me that it is not only patients who have chronic conditions that struggle with access to medicine, but also those who simply cannot make it to their clinic appointment due to a lack of transportation or inability to pick up their prescriptions due to price or lack of insurance."
"Beyond direct patient care, my research experience in biochemical sciences was what reinforced my desire to achieve pharmaceutical innovation. I have seen how scientific discovery can lay the groundwork for novel therapeutics. However, as I read more about new drugs and therapies that are developed and approved, I realize that these breakthroughs mean very little if they do not reach the patients who need them. That is my goal in the pharmaceutical industry: to bridge the gap between drug development and equitable healthcare access."
What type of impact do you hope to create with your work?
"I am passionate about making sure that all types of patients can have access to medicine. Access to medicine is both a global challenge and an issue that I have witnessed firsthand that has shaped my perspective as a future pharmacist. Through my experiences in patient care, I have witnessed how socioeconomic barriers prevent individuals from receiving not only life-saving treatments but also treatments that would drastically improve quality of life. A goal of mine in pharmacy has always been to be as innovative as possible while advocating for patients, particularly those in underserved patient groups."
What were some of your biggest learnings from your CMC Internship with Roivant this summer?
"During my time as an R&D CMC Intern, I had the privilege of working with a truly dedicated and supportive team that generously took the time to share their expertise with me despite their demanding schedules. I learned from people who are not only technical experts, but leaders who demonstrated a wide range of knowledge and capabilities that I aspire to achieve."
"Collaborating with various functional areas also provided valuable, unique insights and perspectives. Since this was my first industry internship, there was an initial learning curve, but the supportive environment allowed me to rapidly learn on the job."
"I am incredibly grateful to have worked on projects that were genuinely valuable and fulfilling, knowing they will contribute directly to Roivant’s future programs. I gained crucial skills in cross-functional strategy alignment, navigating complexity and nonlinear processes, and effective team communication. I now approach problems with greater flexibility, adaptability, and, most importantly, a growth mindset. This internship provided a nurturing environment where I could develop both technical and soft skills, enhancing my capabilities as an aspiring pharmacist and as an individual."
What type of impact has your experience with Roivant's CMC team had on your career aspirations and goals?
"My overarching career goal has always been to advance patient outcomes through advocacy, innovation, and research in healthcare. I’ve witnessed firsthand how scientific discovery lays the groundwork for novel therapeutics; however, these breakthroughs mean little if they do not reach the patients who need them. Given that my pharmacy school is more clinically focused, the Access to Medicines Internship Program has been an invaluable gift. It has not only firmly solidified my interest in pursuing a career within drug development in the biopharmaceutical industry but has also provided me with a tremendous amount of knowledge that I would not have learned in school."
Access to Medicines Internship/Fellowship Program
During the Spring 2025 semester the 2025 Access to Medicines PharmD Interns and Fellows all completed "Making Medicines" at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, the top ranked School of Pharmacy in the United States. This innovative course was designed to introduce PharmD students to the new drug approval process and key issues in drug discovery, pre-clinical testing, clinical trials, FDA approval, and global access to medicines.