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Late last week, Merck appointed Ken Frazier, a lawyer, to be the company’s next CEO. Frazier’s appointment, while expected, was historical because he was the first African American tapped to be the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company. Industry insiders contend that Frazier’s unlikely ascension is a tribute to his affability, PR prowess and ability to successfully use his considerable legal skills to navigate Merck through its troubled Vioxx era. 

On the other hand, industry analysts and Pfizer shareholders have been less enamored of the performance of Jeffrey B. Kindler, another lawyer, who has led the company since 2006 when its former CEO Hank McKinnell Jr tried to single-handedly destroy the world’s largest drug maker. Kindler joined Pfizer in 2002 as its chief counsel after working at General Electric and McDonalds—clearly a man with little or no previous pharmaceutical industry experience. While critics contend that Kindler did a laudable job after stepping into the breech, there was consensus among a majority of Pfizer shareholders that it was time for a change at the top.

In a statement Sunday, Kindler announced that he wanted to “recharge my batteries, spend some rare time with my family and prepare for the next challenge in my career.” During his tenure, Kindler oversaw the acquisition and merger of Pfizer and Wyeth and successfully oversaw a settlement for illegal marketing of the painkiller Bextra which included a $1.3 billion criminal fine: the largest health care fraud case and criminal fine for a pharmaceutical company in US history.

The reason for Kindler’s unexpected and sudden departure is likely the impending patent expiry (2011) for its top selling cholesterol drug Lipitor (Pfizer acquired Lipitor after purchasing Warner Lambert Pharmaceuticals in the mid 1990s). Recent financial reports indicate that Lipitor accounted for $11.4 billion of Pfizer’s $50 billion in sales last year or 23% of its revenue. Most industry analysts agree that navigating Pfizer in a world without Lipitor will require an individual with many years of pharmaceutical industry experience and moxy.

To that end, Pfizer announced that Ian Read, currently head of the company’s biopharmaceutical operations will immediately take over as CEO. According to a profile on Forbes.com, Read is:

Senior Vice President; Group President, Pfizer Biopharmaceutical Businesses since October 2009. Previously, he was President Worldwide Pharmaceutical Operations from August 2006 until October 2009. Mr. Read has held various positions of increasing responsibility in pharmaceutical operations. He previously served as Area President for the Europe, Canada, Africa and Middle East and Latin America regions and Senior Vice President of the Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Group. Mr. Read was elected a Vice President of Pfizer Inc. in April 2001.

Also, Pfizer’s board of directors said that it would elect a new chairman (another position vacated by Kindler’s departure) at a meeting within the next two weeks.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!

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Billy Tauzin, a former Congressman and high profile lobbyist, unexpectedly resigned as President of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, (PhRMA), a pharmaceutical industry lobby and trade organization. According to a report in today’s New York Times, his resignation resulted from internal disputes over PhRMA’s pact with the White House to trade political support for favorable terms in the proposed health care reform bill. The trade group issued a news release on Thursday night confirming Mr. Tauzin’s departure, effective June 30.

When he first took the helm at PhRMA in 2005, Tauzin’s publicly-stated goal was to improve the group’s image and reduce the “number of its enemies.” Prior to Tauzin’s arrival at PhRMA, it was an obscure lobbying group that was little more than a “rubber stamp” for the agenda set by pharmaceutical companies. Under Tauzin's tutelage, the trade group adopted a more progressive strategy and tried to set a new agenda for the pharmaceutical industry.

In exchange for favorable terms in the original Obama healthcare reform package, PhRMA spent more than $100 million on ads to promote the overhaul. But after healthcare reform stalled, some industry leaders felt the trade group had gone too far giving concessions and could lose on some important legislative issues without gaining the political protection it had sought.

Despite publicly accusing the White House of reneging on its original deal, Tauzin’s willingness and zeal to help to reform healthcare ultimately led to his demise. I suspect that the next person chosen to lead PhRMA will likely be a pharma insider willing to "tow the party line."  While I wasn’t originally keen on Tauzin’s appointment, he proved to be an extremely effective  leader, who unlike most of his PhRMA predecessors, was forward-thinking and had a clear vision for the future of an industry currently in transition.

Tauzin’s departure signals that many pharma executives believe that healthcare reform is dead and companies can continue with “business as usual.” While failed healthcare reform may be beneficial to big pharma in the short term, it ultimately may lead to pharmaceutical price control legislation. This is because—in the absence of healthcare reform— drug and devices prices will continue to skyrocket and  legislators will have little choice but to regulate and cap drug and devices prices.

Until next time,

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

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