Championing Equity in Cancer Care: Spotlight on Erling Donnelly of Pfizer at the 2025 MBCGA Summit

Introduction

When the Male Breast Cancer Global Alliance (MBCGA) convenes its international medical summit this October 24–25, one of the most anticipated speakers will be Erling Donnelly, PhD, Vice President, US Breast Cancer Franchise & Portfolio Marketing Lead at Pfizer. Donnelly brings with him more than two decades of leadership in oncology, a career that has straddled research, development, and commercialization. His presence marks a milestone: for the first time, a senior voice from the pharmaceutical industry will address the MBCGA summit directly, underscoring both Pfizer’s and Donnelly’s commitment to advancing care for often-overlooked patient populations.

 

A Career Shaped by Innovation

Donnelly’s career at Pfizer began on the development side, where he led the creation of two lung cancer medicines before moving into the breast cancer space. There, he guided the landmark development of Ibrance (palbociclib), shepherding it from early clinical findings through U.S. approval and global adoption. That achievement alone would cement his reputation, but his contributions went further: Donnelly became a pioneer in leveraging real-world evidence (RWE) to expand drug indications.

He recalls how, in the mid-2010s, patient advocacy groups began raising urgent concerns: men with breast cancer were struggling to secure insurance coverage for Ibrance. Listening to those voices, Donnelly and his team mined existing claims data and built an evidence base showing the drug’s benefits for male patients. Working closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Pfizer secured regulatory approval to include men in Ibrance’s official indication—an outcome that has since become a new standard across Pfizer’s clinical trials.

Breaking the Barrier: Male Inclusion in Breast Cancer Trials

At this year’s summit, Donnelly will spotlight that breakthrough: how Pfizer shifted its own policies to ensure that all future breast cancer studies include men. “We didn’t see any biological nor equitable reason why males should be excluded from breast cancer studies,” he explained. Today, Pfizer’s trials also routinely include pre- and perimenopausal women—populations that were once neglected in research but whose inclusion is now the norm.

For Donnelly, this is not just a scientific correction but a matter of principle. Equity, he stresses, is fundamental to advancing oncology. By widening the scope of who participates in trials, companies like Pfizer can ensure that new therapies reflect the needs of the diverse patient populations living with cancer.

Global Partnerships and Real-World Impact

Donnelly emphasizes that progress in oncology depends on partnerships—across borders, institutions, and sectors. Pfizer collaborates with patient advocacy organizations to drive clinical trial participation, address real-world access challenges, and gather the data necessary to influence regulatory bodies and insurers.

“We know we need to partner again with advocacy groups, investigators in Europe, Asia, and Africa, and academic centers worldwide,” Donnelly said, reflecting on how new collaborations are uncovering unmet needs in previously undercounted regions such as Zambia, Uganda, and India.

This approach has already paid dividends. Pfizer’s strategy of pairing rigorous science with grassroots advocacy has enabled equitable access to breast cancer therapies and set a precedent for how pharmaceutical giants can work hand-in-hand with patient communities.

A Commitment to Screening and Early Diagnosis

While treatment innovation is at the heart of Donnelly’s portfolio, he is equally vocal about the need for early detection and screening. Pfizer has sponsored outreach initiatives across the U.S.—for example, in Texas, where they partnered with MD Anderson and local advocacy groups to counteract a post-COVID drop in cancer screenings. The company is now scaling such efforts to rural America, where disparities in access are especially stark.

But Donnelly stresses that screening is not enough. Patients must also undergo biomarker testing, which enables oncologists to match them with targeted therapies or clinical trials. “If patients know the oncogenic profile of their tumor, we can hopefully get them onto precision medicines that improve their chances of survival,” he said.

This vision aligns closely with the diagnostic community, and Donnelly has expressed enthusiasm for closer collaboration with radiologists and cancer imaging specialists such as Dr. Robert Bard, whose pioneering work in point-of-care ultrasound is already transforming detection of male breast cancer.

Engaging Rare and Underrepresented Cancers

The inclusion of men in breast cancer trials is part of a broader push by Pfizer to address rare and underrepresented cancers. Donnelly acknowledges that Pfizer has four main oncology pillars—breast, thoracic, genitourinary, and hematology—but he insists the company “follows the science.” That means exploring pediatric uses, partnering with academic institutions to run small but impactful studies, and expanding drugs into rare tumor types when evidence supports it.

Examples abound: drugs initially developed for large populations, such as lung cancer patients, have subsequently proven effective in rare pediatric tumors. Through investigator-sponsored research and collaboration with regulatory bodies, Pfizer ensures these niche populations are not left behind.

 

Reaching High-Risk Communities: Firefighters and Beyond

In the interview leading up to the summit, Donnelly was asked about cancer risks faced by firefighters—a community disproportionately affected by carcinogen exposure. While not yet tied to a specific Pfizer program, Donnelly acknowledged the importance of such partnerships and pointed to Pfizer’s extensive network of more than 300 advocacy group collaborations as a natural entry point. The company, he suggested, is open to aligning with occupational health advocates to ensure specialized populations receive the research attention and therapeutic access they deserve.

 

Why the Summit Matters

The MBCGA Summit is more than an academic gathering. It is a platform where survivors, clinicians, advocates, and industry leaders converge to reshape the landscape of male breast cancer. Donnelly’s participation is especially significant: for years, advocates have called for pharmaceutical companies to step forward and speak directly to both the medical community and patients. By doing so, Donnelly not only underscores Pfizer’s commitment but also validates the tireless work of advocates who pushed for male inclusion in research.

His talk will cover:

·        The story of Ibrance and how real-world evidence changed regulatory history.

·        Pfizer’s new standard of including men and underrepresented groups in all breast cancer studies.

·        The company’s outreach in screening, biomarker testing, and equitable access.

·        The expanding role of partnerships with diagnostics, advocacy, and global researchers.

·        How rare cancers and high-risk groups fit into Pfizer’s broader oncology vision.

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Conclusion

As the MBCGA Medical Summit approaches, Erling Donnelly embodies the bridge between science, industry, and advocacy. His career illustrates how one leader within a pharmaceutical giant can drive systemic change—ensuring that men with breast cancer are no longer invisible in research, that underrepresented patients have a seat at the table, and that real-world data can reshape policy and access.

In spotlighting Donnelly, the summit also highlights the evolving role of pharmaceutical companies in the fight against cancer. No longer confined to laboratories and boardrooms, leaders like Donnelly are engaging directly with advocacy groups, diagnostic pioneers, and global communities. This October, his voice will remind the world that equity in cancer care is not an aspiration but a responsibility—and one that requires collaboration across every corner of the medical ecosystem.

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SPOTLIGHT REVIEW

By Dr. Robert L. Bard

As a cancer imaging specialist who has spent over four decades navigating the evolving landscape of oncology, I find Erling Donnelly’s presentation and Pfizer’s leadership both timely and inspiring. His reflections on the journey of Ibrance, and particularly the bold use of real-world evidence to secure male breast cancer inclusion, mark a historic step forward. For far too long, men with breast cancer were written off as statistical anomalies, denied equitable access to treatments simply because they did not fit the traditional mold of a clinical trial participant. Pfizer’s willingness to challenge that precedent is nothing short of groundbreaking.

What I applaud most is Donnelly’s insistence on equity—ensuring that all patients, from men with breast cancer to pre- and perimenopausal women, are represented in trials and have a fair chance at life-saving therapies. This reflects the same ethos that drives my own work in diagnostic imaging: uncovering what is hidden, shining a light on underserved populations, and ensuring no patient is left behind.

Equally vital is Pfizer’s recognition of the role that diagnostics, screening, and biomarker testing play in the cancer pathway. Treatment and detection must move hand in hand if we are to defeat cancer in all its forms.

The MBCGA Summit thrives when industry, clinicians, and advocates unite to share the latest solutions. By stepping into this space, Pfizer affirms what many of us have long believed: that progress in cancer care depends on collaboration at every level.