10 Years of Pharmacovigilance Partnership: Excelya and UCB

Author: Excelya Marketing Department
Published on: 26/05/2026

Estimated Reading Time: 4 min

Partnership reimagined

Introduction

For 10 years, Excelya and UCB have worked side by side in pharmacovigilance services, building a partnership rooted in trust, transparency, and teamwork. What began as operational collaboration has grown into a mature model for drug safety services, uniting local PV teams across countries and cultures around open communication, shared responsibility, and continuous improvement. To mark this milestone, Maria Alarcón, Head of International Pharmacovigilance Northern and Eastern Europe at UCB, reflects on a collaboration that has evolved from service delivery into a true one team partnership supporting patient safety across Europe.

Jump to section

1Pharmacovigilance Partnership

2Communication Builds Trust

3Proactive PV Partnership

4Built Together, Better

5FAQ

Pharmacovigilance Partnership

Decade of Trust in Pharmacovigilance Services

This year marks a significant milestone for Excelya and UCB: 10 years of collaboration in pharmacovigilance services. Beyond operational delivery, this partnership reflects trust built over time, open dialogue, and continuous improvement across countries, cultures, and teams.

10
Years of collaboration

24
Local PV professionals

1
One team mindset

Voice of the partnership

Maria Alarcón

Head of International Pharmacovigilance Northern and Eastern Europe at UCB

To reflect on this journey, we spoke with Maria, who has worked closely with Excelya for almost 10 years and has experienced the collaboration from both sides of the partnership.

From collaboration

Maria’s relationship with Excelya began before her current role. Earlier in her career, she worked as a local Safety Officer in Spain, alongside Excelya teams as close operational partners in pharmacovigilance and drug safety.

To one team

Five years ago, Maria took on a regional leadership role at UCB. Today, she leads PV teams across Northern and Eastern Europe, with approximately 24 pharmacovigilance professionals supporting UCB locally, including Excelya PV team members.

Maria Alarcón, UCB

“Today, Excelya is not just a service provider; we are one team.”

Communication Builds Trust

Building Strong Foundations: Communication in PV Services

One of the defining strengths of the partnership today is structured, transparent communication. Over the years, Excelya and UCB have put in place monthly operational meetings to cover workflows, team evolution, logistics, and country specific challenges across PV services.

Monthly operational meetings

Regular touchpoints create space for alignment, anticipation, and shared responsibility across teams and countries.

Faster alignment

These discussions help ensure decisions are well informed, acted upon efficiently, and supported by both sides.

Maria shares

“Thanks to open communication, we can discuss with honesty and find a solution for the issues.”

Overcoming early challenges

Maturity was built through honest dialogue and shared action

The difficult start

Reaching this level of maturity did not happen overnight. Maria openly reflects on the early challenges of the collaboration, particularly during her initial experience in Bulgaria, where integration between local teams proved difficult.

The shared response

At the time, Excelya teams struggled to feel fully embedded within UCB, decision making was slow, and frustration grew on both sides. What made the difference was the shared willingness to address these difficulties together.

Maria recalls

“It was a hard time. The teams had integration issues, and the situation was challenging for everyone involved.”

How trust was rebuilt

Open dialogue

Mutual listening

Joint solutions

Through open dialogue, mutual listening, and a strong desire to make the partnership work, Excelya and UCB created solutions together, adjusted operating models, and rebuilt trust.

PProactive PV Partnership

A Mature, Proactive and High Performing PV Partnership

Five years on, the collaboration looks very different. The relationship between UCB and Excelya’s PV leadership is now defined by high satisfaction, responsiveness, and proactivity.

What changed

Challenges still exist, as they naturally do when operating across multiple countries, cultures, and regulatory environments, but they are now anticipated rather than endured.

The shift

From reactive support to proactive PV partnership

Anticipation

Potential challenges are identified earlier, giving both teams more time to prepare and act.

Responsiveness

Operational decisions are supported by a mature relationship built on trust and transparent communication.

Proactivity

The partnership now focuses on prevention, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

Maria explains

“Today, Excelya brings challenges to us proactively, in advance, so we can take preventive actions before issues arise.”

Predictive collaboration

This evolution reflects a pharmacovigilance partnership that has moved beyond reactive problem solving to a predictive, collaborative model.

Patient safety alignment

It also shows what successful pharmacovigilance outsourcing can become when both organizations remain aligned around trust, transparency, and patient safety.

Built Together, Better

Proud of What We’ve Built Together

At Excelya, we are extremely proud of our 10 year partnership with UCB, not only because we value their mission and values, but because this collaboration has helped shape a robust PV operating model that truly works.

A model built on

Trust and transparency,
open and honest communication,
shared ownership of outcomes,
and a true one team mindset.

As we celebrate this milestone, we look forward to continuing this journey with UCB: strengthening our collaboration, supporting patients together, and shaping the future of pharmacovigilance across Europe.

This partnership reflects what can be achieved when two organizations remain aligned around quality, trust, and a shared commitment to patient safety.

Because the strongest partnerships are not measured in years alone, but in what we build together.

Interview with

Maria Alarcón

Head of International Pharmacovigilance Northern and Eastern Europe | UCB

Raquel Aguayo

Director of Marketing & Communication | Excelya

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes the Excelya and UCB pharmacovigilance partnership significant?

The Excelya and UCB pharmacovigilance partnership is significant because it reflects 10 years of collaboration in PV services, built on trust, transparency, open communication, and continuous improvement. Over time, the collaboration has evolved from operational service delivery into a mature one team model supporting patient safety across Europe.

How has the Excelya and UCB PV collaboration evolved over time?

The collaboration has evolved from early operational challenges into a proactive and high performing pharmacovigilance partnership. Today, Excelya and UCB work through structured communication, monthly operational meetings, shared responsibility, and preventive action to manage PV activities across multiple countries and regulatory environments.

What role does communication play in successful pharmacovigilance outsourcing?

Communication is central to successful pharmacovigilance outsourcing because it supports alignment, faster decision making, issue prevention, and trust between teams. In the Excelya and UCB partnership, open and transparent communication has helped both organizations address challenges, adapt operating models, and build a stronger PV service framework.

What does this partnership show about effective PV services in Europe?

This partnership shows that effective PV services in Europe depend on more than operational delivery. A strong pharmacovigilance model requires local expertise, shared ownership, proactive risk management, regulatory awareness, and a one team mindset focused on quality, compliance, and patient safety.