Injecting New Life into Ailing Bodies and Companies: Dr. Sherry Ku
Dr. Sherry Ku, the chairman and CEO of Savior Lifetec, is an experienced pharmaceutical chemist. Across her forty years of experience working at renowned American pharmaceutical firms, she has developed over 170 new drugs, 8 of which are commercialized and publicly listed brands. An example of this is the antibiotic, Tazocin. Since its commercialization in 1993, Tazocin remains a widely used medicine across the world.
In 2009, Dr. Ku joined TWi Pharma as its president and chief scientific officer. In 18 months, Twi filed 6 high barrier abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) and established a pipeline of 6 new drugs, including 3 biological drugs. An ANDA contains data which is submitted to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for the review and potential approval of a generic drug product. Once approved, an applicant may manufacture and market the generic drug product to provide a safe, effective, lower cost alternative to the brand-name drug it references.
In 2012 she co-founded Ruen Huei Biopharmaceutical Company and served as the company’s president. In 2014, Ku was elected chairman of the board of Savior Lifetec Corporation, where she also serves as its chief executive officer.
After her return from the U.S., she has become an expert in rescuing ailing drug companies, leading the transformation of Savior Lifetec into a leading manufacturer of US-marketed injectable drugs.
You only start learning after school
While studying in high school and preparing for the joint entrance examination, she was motivated by a teacher to study the biological sciences. “It was an extraordinary discovery for me,” she says. “I thought it was a relevant field of study. I also realized that real learning starts only after graduation.” With this belief, she is indeed a life-long learner.
She received her B.S. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from National Taiwan University (NTU) and then earned a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmaceutics with a minor in pharmacology at Ohio State University. Since then, she has filed 70 patent inventions and written 62 academic papers. She belongs to the committee of experts in United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and was elected to serve as the chair of the Physical Pharmacy and Biopharmaceutics Commission of the American Association of the Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS). She also served as the head of Early Pharmaceutical Development at Wyeth/Lederle (now Pfizer), overseeing discovery interfaces through clinical proof of concept.
“Developing new drugs is a complex process,” she says. “It is time-consuming and labor-intensive. An R&D team could be comprised of 30 to 300 scientists engaged in biological processes, drug testing, statistical analysis, and physical and chemical procedures before actual manufacturing can start.” In the U.S., Tazocin is called Zosyn, a third-generation antibiotic. It is not used to treat common cold or aches. Doctors prescribe it when first- and second-generation antibiotics prove to be ineffective treatments. Considered a drug of last resort, Zosyn is also used as a life-saving cure for patients in intensive care units. It is one of three lifesaving injectable antibiotics used in hospitals worldwide.
“I may be helping drug companies rake in money,” she laughs, “But, drug development is not just about profit; the satisfaction of having produced a cure for those who need one is the biggest return.”
Ku grew up in a family of scholars. Her grandfather was a lawyer and a local government official. Her older siblings graduated from Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School and Taipei First Girls High School. With a high level of expectation for herself, she was always in the top five of her class. Finding herself in a company of equally talented peers made her work even harder.
Excelling in speech and debate, she had originally wanted to be a lawyer until she read an issue of Scientific American that gradually caused her to have a change of heart. After a biology teacher at Taipei First Girls High School inspired within her an interest in biochemical genetics, she chose what is called the Third Stream (Sciences) in the domestic high school system. Her first choice for university studies was at National Taiwan University College of Medicine.
“That school usually took in over twenty students annually from my high school,” she says. As she was always among the top students in her school, she thought that her admission was certain. However, she was heartbroken when she found that she was not included in the list of students admitted to National Taiwan University College of Medicine. She had to take on a different path: pharmaceutical chemistry.
Time is short, use it well
Science is still a mainly male-dominated field. When she worked at Wyeth/Lederle, there was only one woman out of every seven employees. But, her audacious nature never made her feel inferior, even though she rarely talked about sports, nor did she go out for drinks with male colleagues. She once went on a business trip to Japan in which she was the only woman to meet with Japanese counterparts. “Do not worry,” they said, “We will consider you a man.”
Calm and composed in manner, Ku exhibits a certain elegance. While this characteristic might seem to have its advantages, she is quick to reply that, “For scientists, a pleasing disposition is certainly not an advantage; it can draw contempt and prejudice. While studying in the U.S., someone once told me, ‘You’re too pretty to be doing a doctorate. You should get married and have children.’”
Time is limited, she says. Immersing yourself in work will affect the time you spend with your family. Fortunately, she has a very supportive husband who believes that her career is as important as his own. They met at university in the U.S. With a Ph.D. in Mathematics, he works for Citibank and IBM. She advises young people to consider the practical issues in a marriage, and how each spouse will be able to achieve a work-life balance.
Love and communication are the keys to success
“I love my work,” she says when looking back at her more than 30 years of professional achievements. This love has driven her to continue learning and improving herself. “Young women must discover their true interest and know how to leave a job they don’t enjoy doing,” she says. They shouldn’t limit themselves just because they’re women. They should have the resilience to show that they’re just as good as anyone else.
A willingness to learn is just as important. Young women need to continuously update themselves on the latest developments in their fields, while acquiring good communication skills. “The ability to communicate determines at least 50 percent of success,” she says, “This is vital in R&D team work. You need to exert the proper effort to communicate and consider the viewpoints of others. Only then can you serve others and work together to achieve an objective.”
The ability to speak a foreign language is also crucial. Taiwan is a small market that relies on exports. Mastery of a foreign language is a power you can use to break through the barriers built around your life and work on this small island.
Other articles in this issue
Technology with a Gender Perspective: Smart Agriculture
Technology and digital tools can help lighten the burden for women to participate in the agricultural sector. Let’s take a look at how digitalization can benefit women in agriculture in Taiwan!
Be Not Afraid of Science: Dr. Chia-Li Wu
Being a scientist and a feminist at the same time, Dr. Wu has been encouraging young women and girls into science. She is also one of the founders of the first network of women scientists in Taiwan.
NGOCSW 64: Taiwan Gender Equality Week
Taiwan will be holding Taiwan Gender Equality Week in New York during NGOCSW 64. Don’t miss the chance to know more about Taiwan’s recent achievements on women’s rights and gender equality!
This article is derived from Fifteen Role Models for Women and Girls in STEM, which is published by APEC Policy Partnership on Women and Economy.
This booklet shows how these women thrive to succeed in the traditionally male-dominated STEM areas. Click here to read more.
