WASHINGTON, March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Peter R. Dolan, chief executive officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb, was elected chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) today at the trade association’s annual meeting. Also elected were Amgen Chief Executive Officer and President Kevin Sharer as PhRMA board’s chairman-elect and Pfizer Vice Chairman Karen Katen as PhRMA board’s treasurer.
Mr. Dolan was named chief executive officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb on May 1, 2001, and is the seventh CEO since the company was founded in 1887. He joined the company in 1988 in the over-the-counter products division and has since held senior leadership positions in various Bristol-Myers Squibb businesses, including consumer medicines, nutritionals, medical devices and pharmaceuticals. He became president of the company and a member of its board of directors in January 2000, and served as chairman of the board from 2001- 2005. Mr. Dolan is a member of the board of directors of the American Express Company, C-Change (formerly the National Dialogue on Cancer) and the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. He is a trustee of Tufts University and a member of the Board of Overseers at the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He is also a member of the Business Council and the Business Roundtable.
In assuming the chairmanship of PhRMA, Mr. Dolan outlined a number of important priorities for the industry over the next year. “I look forward to further strengthening our partnership with patients and raising awareness of the vital importance of innovation to the future of medicine and health care in general,” said Dolan.
“The research-based pharmaceutical industry is in a unique position to address some of the pressing issues in health care today. Just as we did with the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, we’re committed to listening to what patients need and working with them to find solutions. Building on the excellent work by my predecessors we will continue to find ways to improve access to medicines and develop an industry-wide formalized pandemic response plan for rapid delivery of medicines and other support. Together with Chair- Elect Kevin Sharer and Treasurer Karen Katen, we will focus on consistent, long-term solutions to today’s health care challenges that will deliver the maximum benefit to patients.”
Mr. Sharer has been Amgen’s chief executive officer and president since May 2000 and has been chairman of the company’s board of directors since December 2000. He served as Amgen president and chief operating officer from October 1992 to May 2000 and has been a director of the company board since November 1992. Before joining Amgen, Mr. Sharer was president of the Business Markets Division of MCI Communications and served in various executive positions at General Electric and was a consultant for McKinsey & Company. He serves on the board of directors of Northrop Grumman Corporation, 3M and the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation, and is chairman of the board of trustees of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History and a member of the Business Council.
Mr. Sharer, in becoming chairman-elect of the PhRMA board, said he is looking forward to working with other key PhRMA executives on an array of important goals. “I look forward to working with Chairman Peter Dolan and PhRMA President Billy Tauzin in helping PhRMA move ahead,” he said.
Ms. Katen, who in 2005 was named among the top ten in Fortune Magazine’s “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” for the 8th consecutive year, is vice chairman of Pfizer, president of Pfizer Human Health and a member of the company’s Executive Committee. As head of Human Health -- Pfizer’s principal operating group -- she leads the business responsible for the discovery, development, manufacture, distribution and commercialization of prescription medicines.
Ms. Katen, who joined Pfizer in 1974, is a director on the boards of General Motors and the Harris Corporation. She also serves on the Catalyst Board and the RAND Corporation’s Health Board of Advisors. She is on the boards of several other health care organizations, including the National Alliance for Hispanic Health and the Health Leadership Council. Ms. Katen is also a Trustee for her alma mater, the University of Chicago, and is a council member of the school’s Graduate School of Business.
“PhRMA’s primary mission remains as vital as ever: finding ways to benefit patients. Under Billy Tauzin’s leadership, we’ve made real progress towards accomplishing this on many fronts, including promoting medical innovation, improving access to quality care, and enhancing our industry’s credibility and trust. There are still many ways we can better meet patient needs in these critical areas, and I look forward to working with the PhRMA leadership team to meet our goals,” said Katen.
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 $39.4 billion in 2005 in discovering and developing new medicines. Industry wide research and investment reached a record $51.3 billion in 2005.
PhRMA Internet Address: http://www.phrma.org
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
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
CONTACT: Ken Johnson, Senior Vice President, or Wanda Moebius,+1-202-835-3460, both of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers ofAmerica
Web site: http://www.phrma.org//
