Pfizer's Jeffrey Kindler Becomes PhRMA Board Chairman; Christopher Viehbacher, John Lechleiter Assume New Posts
WASHINGTON, March 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jeffrey B.
Kindler, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer, was elected
board chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of
America (PhRMA) today at the trade association's annual meeting.
Also elected were sanofi-aventis Chief Executive Officer
Christopher Viehbacher as chairman-elect of the PhRMA Board of
Directors, and John C. Lechleiter, Ph.D., Chairman, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Eli Lilly and Company, as board
treasurer.
Mr. Kindler succeeds David R. Brennan, Chief Executive Officer
and Executive Director of AstraZeneca, as PhRMA's chairman.
"Great leadership requires patience, decisiveness, intelligence,
execution and compassion. David encompasses all of these qualities
and much more. He is a tireless advocate for patient-centered
policies here in the U.S. and abroad and has set the bar high for
his peers," said PhRMA President and Chief Executive Officer Billy
Tauzin. "During David's tenure as our chairman, PhRMA broadened its
scope by welcoming several smaller biopharmaceutical companies as
members, we continued to highlight the critical work being done to
develop new innovative treatments for orphan and rare diseases, and
we reaffirmed our commitment to strengthening the U.S. health care
system by supporting comprehensive health care reform."
"I am proud of the accomplishments of PhRMA over the past year.
During a year of many changes and uncertainties, PhRMA and its
member companies worked diligently to address the health care
challenges facing the United States while remaining committed to
our goal of promoting solutions for patients," said David Brennan,
Chief Executive Officer of AstraZeneca. "As we moved forward in
promoting sustainable healthcare reform, our work helped change the
direction of the debate to one that will lead to improved American
health care."
Mr. Kindler was named Pfizer's chief executive officer in July
2006 and has served as chairman of the company's board since
December 2006. He joined Pfizer in 2002 as executive vice president
and general counsel, with responsibility for Pfizer's legal
division. He was named vice chairman in 2005, joining the company's
four-person executive committee and assuming responsibility for
Pfizer's corporate affairs division.
Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Mr. Kindler served
as vice president of litigation and legal policy at General
Electric. He also served as executive vice president and general
counsel at McDonald's Corporation before moving into line
management at McDonald's Corporation as president of partner
brands. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Mr. Kindler began his
legal career as an attorney at the Federal Communications
Commission. He later served as law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court
Justice William J. Brennan, Jr.
"I am excited to lead this organization during such a dynamic
time for our nation's healthcare system," Kindler said. "The
biopharmaceutical industry can be a catalyst for change by creating
a future with good jobs and good health in the U.S. Our member
companies employ many of the world's best scientific minds to
challenge the most feared diseases of our time. By advancing
wellness, treatments, prevention, and cures, our member companies
play a vital role in this country's healthcare system. This role
brings us many responsibilities. That's just one reason why we are
actively working to help identify solutions in the U.S. health care
reform debates. We aim to be a leading voice for improving
everyone's ability to have reliable and affordable health
care."
"Never before have I been more proud of an industry that not
only helped save my life, but has touched the lives of millions of
other patients battling disease around the world," said Tauzin. "I
also have been heartened to see the enormous amount of support -
through donated medical supplies and medicines - that America's
biopharmaceutical research companies have given to communities in
America and other countries suffering from devastating natural
disasters."
Tauzin added, "As I prepare to hand over the reigns to PhRMA's
next leader, I want to encourage the millions of employees who are
employed either directly or indirectly by the biopharmaceutical
sector to continue to reach out to others - particularly their
elected officials - and talk openly and honestly about the critical
need for policies that support our industry, one of the most
research-intensive industries in the U.S. After all,
patient-centered policies that encourage medical innovation support
American jobs."
Mr. Viehbacher was named chief executive officer of
sanofi-aventis in December 2008. He serves on the sanofi-aventis
board and Strategy Committee. After beginning his career at
PriceWaterhouseCoopers, between 1988 and 2008 he acquired broad
international experience in Europe, the U.S. and Canada in various
roles with GlaxoSmithKline. In his last position, Mr. Viehbacher
was President, Pharmaceutical Operations North America, a member of
the board and Co-Chairman of the Portfolio Management Board.
"Reforming our health system to provide quality care to more
Americans remains a top priority on the national agenda," said
Viehbacher. "As an industry, we need to continue putting patients
first by delivering innovative, difference-making medicines that
address unmet medical needs. Given the increased prevalence of
chronic disease, we as an industry need to work with other
healthcare stakeholders to encourage the prevention and better
management of chronic disease which also gives rise to 75 percent
of our healthcare spend. I look forward to working with my PhRMA
colleagues and with others across the health system to advance
policies that recognize the strategic importance of our industry
both in terms of better health for patients, but also in terms of
jobs."
Dr. Lechleiter has served as chief executive officer of Eli
Lilly and Company since April 2008 and as chairman since January
2009. He became president and chief operating officer of Lilly in
2005, when he also joined the company's board. His career at Lilly
began in 1979 as a senior organic chemist in process research and
development, a department he later led in 1982. He was named
executive vice president for pharmaceutical products and corporate
development in 2001, and in 2004, he became Lilly's executive vice
president for pharmaceutical operations.
From 1984 to 1998, Dr. Lechleiter rose steadily within the
company, serving, among other positions, as director of
pharmaceutical product development for the Lilly Research Centre
Limited in Windlesham, England; manager of research and development
projects for Europe; vice president for regulatory affairs; and
senior vice president of pharmaceutical products. A graduate of
Xavier University, he subsequently was awarded master's and
doctorate degrees in organic chemistry from Harvard University and
an honorary doctorate of business administration from Marian
University in Indianapolis. Dr. Lechleiter joined the PhRMA board
in February 2008.
"I'm very pleased to join PhRMA's leadership team," said
Lechleiter. "Our trade association will continue to play a
constructive role in the pursuit of policies that will help ensure
access to our medicines and create an environment that will help
generate future medical innovation for the benefit of patients in
the United States and around the world."
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)
represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research and
biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines
that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive
lives. PhRMA companies are leading the way in the search for new
cures. PhRMA members alone invested an estimated $45.8 billion in
2009 in discovering and developing new medicines. Industry-wide
research and investment reached a record $65.3 billion in
2009.
PhRMA Internet Address: http://www.phrma.org/
For information on stories of hope and survival, visit:
http://sharingmiracles.com/
For information on how innovative medicines save lives, visit:
http://www.innovation.org/
For information on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance,
visit: http://www.pparx.org/
For information on the danger of imported drugs, visit:
http://www.buysafedrugs.info/
For more information on public health emergencies, visit
http://www.rxresponse.org/
Source: Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
CONTACT: Jennifer Wall, +1-202-835-3460
Web Site: http://www.phrma.org/
Posted: March 2010
