Biogen names former Sanofi head Chris Viehbacher as new CEO
Aksana Kavaleuskaya


Biogen (NASDAQ:BIIB) announced on Thursday that Christopher Viehbacher, the former global CEO of French pharma giant Sanofi (SNY), would become the companyâs new President and Chief Executive Officer as well as a board member effective Nov. 14.

During his leadership, Sanofi (SNY) addressed issues of loss of exclusivity in its portfolio, targeted new avenues for growth such as atopic dermatitis therapy Dupixent and focused on rare, specialty medicines with its 2011 acquisition of Genzyme, Biogen (BIIB) said.
Viehbacher, who has also served GlaxoSmithKline for 20 years, will replace outgoing Biogen (BIIB) CEO Michel Vounatsos, who has led the company since 2017.
âI am confident that Chris will be an excellent new leader of Biogen. With several potential breakthroughs in areas of high unmet needs on the horizon, I believe the best is yet to come for Biogen and its patients,â Vounatsos remarked.

Biogen (BIIB) shares surged in late September after announcing that lecanemab, the Alzheimerâs therapy it developed with Eisai (OTCPK:ESALY) (OTCPK:ESALF), met the primary endpoint in a large late-stage study.