I haven’t found Jussi Hahtela’s Q1/25 blog post in the thread yet, so here it is. Updates from the lobbying trip at the beginning of the year and a recap of Biohit’s value creation logic.
CEO’s blog Q1/2025
Lobbying and breaking down silos
The CEO’s January largely revolves around the financial statements. This year, the choreography was slightly different, as an influence communication trip to Brussels was added to the steps.Influence communication, or more familiarly, lobbying, stems from the English word ‘lobby’. However, the Biohit delegation did not have to loiter in any lobbies or corridors. We met with Members of the European Parliament and other relevant EU decision-makers, and our message was clear. Biohit can help member states in planning and implementing gastric cancer risk screening.
Why should gastric cancer risk be screened, and why now?
Gastric cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the EU. 136,000 new cases are diagnosed annually, and 52,000 people die from gastric cancer in the region each year.
Gastric cancer is insidious because it can be asymptomatic for a long time. Diagnosis is often made too late. The five-year prognosis for breast and prostate cancers is around 90 percent. For gastric cancer, it is less than 30 percent, meaning less than a third of those diagnosed are alive after five years.
The Council of Europe has been alert. It added gastric cancer to the list of cancers to be screened in 2022. Unfortunately, movements regarding implementation have been very slow. Member states have not delivered what the Council ordered.
This is where Biohit comes in. We can help member states respond to the Council’s call, as Biohit’s GastroPanel is particularly well-suited for gastric cancer risk screening.
Ongoing pan-European research projects largely focus on Helicobacter pylori tests. Approximately 43 percent of the world’s population carries this class one carcinogen, which significantly increases the risk of gastric cancer. However, a Helicobacter pylori test only measures Helicobacter pylori. In addition to Helicobacter pylori, GastroPanel also identifies atrophic gastritis, i.e., atrophy of the gastric mucosa, which is the largest single risk factor for gastric cancer.
Atrophic gastritis is associated with malabsorption of vitamins and trace elements, which in turn are linked to osteoporosis, memory problems, and many other diseases that reduce an individual’s quality of life and increase societal costs.
So, the message in a nutshell: if you measure, measure the right things.
Health is always also about economics. Society’s gears won’t turn without a healthy and capable workforce.
The summary of the GastroPanel study by Homerton University Hospital in London, published in January, emphasized not only the test’s accuracy but also its significant economic and environmental impacts. Widespread use of GastroPanel can avoid unnecessary gastroscopies, and resources can be directed to patients with a high risk of gastric cancer.
The Council of Europe has also emphasized that when implementing cancer screenings, healthcare resources must be considered in terms of both funding and sufficient personnel.
Biohit’s strategic crystallization “Global solutions to global healthcare problems” is not just slick jargon. The claim is demonstrably substantiated, and so far, every decision-maker sitting on a treasure chest has bought into the idea of GastroPanel’s benefits. Unfortunately, when changing healthcare practices, the time from idea to implementation is measured in years. But there’s no point in complaining; all the more reason for health technology companies to tirelessly convey their message. The playing field must be known, and steps planned accordingly.
Politicians are part of that field. Politicians should not interfere with healthcare recommendations, but they have a duty to ensure that healthcare funded by tax revenues operates cost-effectively. Therefore, they must be kept informed of the benefits offered by health technology innovations.
Of course, Biohit’s first quarter was not just lobbying, even though it is emphasized in this blog. Traditional sales were also heavily invested in. Sales scalability was enhanced by eliminating overlaps and reallocating responsibilities.
Momentum for the leap was also sought by improving the flow of internal information. There is no room for silos, because in a market economy, every company ultimately has only two functions: sales and sales support.
Jussi Hahtela
CEO
Biohit Oyj