Alexion Appoints William R. Keller to its Board of Directors
CHESHIRE, Conn., Dec 01, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALXN) today announced that Mr.
William R. Keller has been appointed a Director of Alexion, effective
immediately. With Mr. Keller's appointment, there are now eight members
of Alexion's Board of Directors.
About William Keller
Mr. Keller brings more than 30 years of international business and
management experience in the pharmaceutical industry to his position on
Alexion's Board of Directors. Currently, Mr. Keller is the General
Manager of Keller Pharma Consultancy, a pharmaceutical consulting firm
he founded in China. He is also a senior consultant to the Shanghai
Foreign Investment Development Board, and serves as the Deputy General
Manager of Zhangjiang Biotech & Pharmaceutical Base Development Co., Ltd.
From 1976 to 2003, Mr. Keller held various positions with Roche Group in
Asia and South America. For the last ten of these years, he was the
General Manager of Roche China Ltd. and Shanghai Roche Pharmaceutical
Ltd., where he played a key role in the development of the overall Roche
strategy and in the leadership of its business operations in China.
Mr. Keller is the Honorary President of the R&D-based Pharmaceutical
Association, and the Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Association of
Foreign Investment Enterprises. He is an Honorary Citizen of Shanghai.
Mr. Keller graduated from the School of Economics and Business
Administration (Zurich). He will serve as a member of the Compensation
Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee of Alexion's Board
of Directors.
"William's depth and breadth of experience in the pharmaceutical
industry, particularly in Asia and the rapidly growing market of China,
bring significant value to Alexion," said Max Link, Ph.D., Chairman of
the Board of Directors of Alexion. "His entrepreneurial and leadership
experience will continue to strengthen our international presence and
corporate governance."
"The Board has made an excellent choice in selecting William to augment
Alexion's commercial expertise as the worldwide introduction of Soliris
accelerates," said Leonard Bell, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of
Alexion. "The benefit of his guidance in new markets, especially in the
developing world, will be greatly appreciated by our executive team."
"With the global launch of Soliris, Alexion is in a unique position to
serve patients with unmet medical needs in a growing number of
countries," said Mr. Keller. "I look forward to employing my experience
in Asia and other very promising regions where Alexion is in the early
stages of commercialization."
About Alexion
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company working to
develop and deliver life-changing drug therapies for patients with
serious and life-threatening medical conditions. Alexion is engaged in
the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutic products
aimed at treating patients with a wide array of severe disease states,
including hematologic and kidney diseases, transplant, cancer, and
autoimmune disorders. Soliris(R) (eculizumab), Alexion's first marketed
product, is approved in the U.S., European Union, Australia and Canada
as a treatment for patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria
(PNH), a rare, debilitating and life-threatening blood disorder. Alexion
is evaluating other potential indications for Soliris as well as other
formulations of eculizumab for additional clinical indications, and is
pursuing development of other antibody product candidates in early
stages of development. This press release and further information about
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. can be found at: www.alexionpharma.com.
[ALXN-G]
This news release contains forward-looking statements, including
statements related to the commercial prospects for Soliris in Asia and
other regions. Forward-looking statements are subject to factors that
may cause Alexion's results and plans to differ from those expected,
including, for example, decisions of regulatory authorities regarding
marketing approval or material limitations on the marketing of Soliris,
delays in establishing commercial infrastructure, delays in developing
or adverse changes in commercial relationships, the possibility that
results of clinical trials are not predictive of safety and efficacy
results of Soliris in broader patient populations, the possibility that
initial results of commercialization are not predictive of future rates
of adoption of Soliris, the risk that third party payors (including
governmental agencies) will not reimburse for the use of Soliris at
acceptable rates or at all, the possibility that Alexion will not be
able to expand the use of Soliris into new markets, and a variety of
other risks set forth from time to time in Alexion's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the
risks discussed in Alexion's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
period ended September 30, 2009 and in our other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Alexion does not intend to update
any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or
circumstances after the date hereof, except when a duty arises under law.
SOURCE: Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Irving Adler
Sr. Director, Corporate Communications
203-271-8210
or
Makovsky & Company
Kristie Kuhl (Media)
212-508-9642
or
Rx Communications
Rhonda Chiger (Investors)
917-322-2569
Copyright Business Wire 2009