Healthcare Industry News: idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
News Release - March 27, 2012
InterMune Appoints Mr. Jean-Jacques Bienaime and Dr. Frank Verwiel to Board of Directors
BRISBANE, Calif., March 27, 2012 -- (Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network) -- InterMune, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITMN ) today announced that Jean-Jacques Bienaime, Chief Executive Officer of BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc., and Frank Verwiel, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Aptalis Pharma, have been appointed to InterMune's Board of Directors."We are very pleased to welcome Mr. Bienaime and Dr. Verwiel as directors of InterMune. They bring to our board extensive and successful experience in the development and commercialization of specialty products in global markets and have demonstrated success in building valuable companies," said Dan Welch, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of InterMune. "Today's announcement completes the expansion of our board begun in October 2011 with the appointment as a director of Angus C. Russell, Chief Executive Officer of Shire plc. We look forward to benefitting from their talents and experiences and those of our other directors as we execute the launch of Esbriet® in Europe, prepare to launch Esbriet in the U.S. and beyond and advance our other programs focused on pulmonary and orphan fibrotic diseases."
Jean-Jacques Bienaime
Chief Executive Officer, BioMarin Pharmaceutical
Mr. Bienaime joined BioMarin in May 2005 as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, bringing more than 25 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. From November 2002 to April 2005, Mr. Bienaime served as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Genencor, a biotechnology company focused on industrial bioproducts and targeted cancer biotherapeutics. Under his leadership, Genencor's revenues increased substantially, culminating in the sale of the company to Danisco in the spring of 2005 for an enterprise value of more than $1.2 billion. From 1998 to late 2002, Mr. Bienaime served as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Sangstat Medical Corporation, an immunology-focused biotechnology company that he guided to profitability prior to its acquisition by Genzyme Corporation. From 1992 to 1998, Mr. Bienaime held several senior management positions at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals (now Sanofi-Aventis), including Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and Business Development, with responsibility for the launch of Lovenox® (for the prevention of pulmonary embolism and treatment of unstable angina) in the United States and Taxotere® (for breast and lung cancer) worldwide. Earlier in his career, he worked at Genentech, Inc. where he was involved in the launch of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) for the treatment of heart attacks.
Mr. Bienaime received an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree in economics from the Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Paris.
Frank Verwiel, M.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Aptalis Pharma
Dr. Verwiel joined Aptalis Pharma (previously known as Axcan Pharma) in 2005 with more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Privately-held Aptalis manufactures, markets and distributes a broad line of specialty pharmaceutical products and services used in the treatment of cystic fibrosis and gastrointestinal disorders in more than 40 countries. As President and CEO, Dr. Verwiel defined and implemented a strategy to achieve Aptalis' vision to become the reference GI specialty pharma company and leveraged Aptalis' assets to more effectively position the company in its targeted field of gastroenterology. Dr. Verwiel also led the LBO that resulted in Aptalis to be acquired by TPG Capital and its affiliates in an all-cash transaction with a total value of approximately $1.3 billion. Formerly with Merck & Co. Inc. in various international senior management positions including Vice President, Hypertension, Worldwide Human Health Marketing, Dr. Verwiel concurrently served as a leader of Merck's Worldwide Hypertension Business Strategy team. Dr. Verwiel was also Managing Director of Merck's Dutch subsidiary and manufacturing operations. During his tenure with Servier Laboratories he was amongst others responsible for Servier's Western European operations.
Dr. Verwiel holds a Medical Doctor (M.D.) degree from Erasmus University, Rotterdam in the Netherlands and an MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau in France.
About InterMune
InterMune is a biotechnology company focused on the research, development and commercialization of innovative therapies in pulmonology and orphan fibrotic diseases. In pulmonology, InterMune is focused on therapies for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive and fatal lung disease. Pirfenidone, the only medicine approved for IPF anywhere in the world, is approved for marketing by InterMune in the EU as Esbriet® and is currently in a Phase 3 clinical trial in the United States. Pirfenidone is also approved for the treatment of IPF in Japan, where it is marketed by Shionogi & Co. Ltd. under the trade name Pirespa®. InterMune's research programs are focused on the discovery of targeted, small-molecule therapeutics and biomarkers to treat and monitor serious pulmonary and fibrotic diseases. For additional information about InterMune and its R&D pipeline, please visit www.intermune.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that reflect InterMune's judgment and involve risks and uncertainties as of the date of this release, including statements related to the commercial launch of Esbriet and InterMune's clinical development plans. All forward-looking statements and other information included in this press release are based on information available to InterMune as of the date hereof, and InterMune assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements or information. InterMune's actual results could differ materially from those described in InterMune's forward-looking statements.
Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in detail under the heading "Risk Factors" in InterMune's most recent annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 29, 2012 and other periodic reports filed with the SEC, all of which are available via InterMune's web site at www.intermune.com.
Source: InterMune
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