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After Nektar Therapeutics buyout, Can Joerg Reinhardt replace Daniel Vasella at Novartis?

By Amarendra Bhushan for CEOWORLD Magazine Updated:October 21, 2008

After strong third-quarter results Swiss Pharmaceutical giant Novartis seems to be lining up a smooth management shakeup, may be now Joerg Reinhardt can replace chief executive, Daniel Vasella.
Daniel Vasella, who is both chairman and CEO of Novartis, has been at the head of the group since 1996, when the company was formed through the merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz.

In another news Pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG said Tuesday it will buy the pulmonary drug unit of California-based Nektar Therapeutics (develops drug products and candidates using its own drug delivery technologies, including PEGylation technology — a chemical process) for $115 million.

Novartis to acquire Nektar Therapeutics pulmonary business unit, strengthening respiratory drug delivery capabilities

Definitive agreement to acquire Nektar’s pulmonary business unit for USD 115 million in cash

Novartis gains access to advanced proprietary technologies and an experienced R&D team

Strengthens drug delivery development capabilities, particularly in life-threatening respiratory diseases. Additionally, Nektar will transfer manufacturing and royalty rights to the Tobramycin inhalation powder (TIP) program, already partnered with Novartis.

Nektar will retain ownership of its Bayer HealthCare-partnered program NKTR-061 (Amikacin Inhale), scheduled to enter Phase 3 clinical trials by year-end, and royalties to Ciprofloxacin inhaled powder (CIP), also partnered with Bayer HealthCare.

Likewise, Nektar will retain NKTR-063 (inhaled vancomycin), a proprietary program scheduled to enter Phase 2 development in the U.S. early next year, as well as all intellectual property specific to inhaled insulin.

Daniel Vasella, M.D

Function at Novartis AG Since 1996 Dr. Vasella has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Group and as executive member of the Board of Directors. In 1999, he additionally was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Other activities Dr. Vasella is a member of the Board of Directors of Pepsico, Inc.*, United States, a member of the Board of Dean’s Advisors at the Harvard Business School, and a member of the INSEAD Board of Directors. Dr. Vasella is also a member of the International Board of Governors of the Peres Center for Peace in Israel and a member of the International Business Leaders Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai. In addition, he serves as a member of several industry associations and educational institutions.

Professional background Dr. Vasella graduated with an M.D. from the University of Bern in 1979. After holding a number of medical positions in Switzerland, he joined Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corporation in the US in 1988. From 1993 to 1995, Dr. Vasella advanced from Head of Corporate Marketing to Senior Vice President and Head of Worldwide Development to Chief Operating Officer of Sandoz Pharma Ltd. In 1995 and 1996, Dr. Vasella was a member of the Sandoz Group Executive Committee and Chief Executive Officer of Sandoz Pharma Ltd. He received the Harvard Business School’s Alumni Achievement Award and the Appeal of Conscience Award as well as the AJ Congress Humanitarian Award and numerous other awards. Dr. Vasella was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Basel. He has also been honored with the Ordem Nacional do Cruzeiro do Sul (Brazil) and holds the rank of Chevalier in the Ordre National de la Légion d’honneur (France).

Joerg Reinhardt, Ph.D.

Joerg Reinhardt is CEO of the Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Division. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of Novartis. Previously, Joerg Reinhardt was Global Head of Development in the Novartis Pharmaceuticals Division, overseeing clinical, pharmaceutical, chemical and biotechnological product development, drug safety assessment and regulatory affairs. Under his leadership, Novartis achieved an outstanding record in development quality, speed and productivity, resulting in a full product pipeline recognized as one of the most successful in the industry.

He joined Sandoz, a predecessor company of Novartis, in 1982 and held various leadership positions in Research & Development for the company. In 1994 he was made Head of Corporate Development. He became Head of Preclinical Development and Project Management for Novartis in 1996, and took the position of Global Head of Development in 1999.

Joerg Reinhardt chairs the Board of Directors of the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Foundation in La Jolla, California. From 2001 to 2004, he served as a member of the Board of Directors of MorphoSys AG, Germany, a company specialized in research and development of monoclonal antibodies. He received his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Saarbrücken, Germany.

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