Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has announced that Dr. Yitzhak Peterburg, who has served as Chairman of the Teva Board of Directors since January 2015, has been appointed Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. This follows the mutual agreement between the Board of Teva and Erez Vigodman that Mr. Vigodman is stepping down. Mr. Vigodman’s service on the Teva Board of Directors has also ended.
In accordance with the Israeli Companies Law, Dr. Yitzhak Peterburg has stepped down from his role as Chairman in order to serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer. Prior to rejoining Teva’s Board of Directors in 2012, Dr. Peterburg led the Company’s innovative R&D efforts as Teva’s Group Vice President, Global Branded Products, from October 2010 until October 2011, after serving on Teva’s Board of Directors from 2009 until July 2010. Previously, he served as President and CEO of Cellcom Israel Ltd. from 2003 to 2005, Director General of Clalit Health Services, the leading healthcare provider in Israel, from 1997 to 2002 and CEO of Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, from 1995 to 1997.
The Board has elected Dr. Sol J. Barer, who has been a member of the Teva Board since January 2015, as Chairman. Dr. Barer brings deep knowledge of the global pharmaceutical industry. He was a founder of the biotechnology group at Celanese Corporation, later spun off as Celgene Corporation, where he served in top leadership roles from 1987 to 2011, including as Chairman and CEO from 2007 to 2010.
The Company's Board of Directors is undertaking a search to identify a permanent Chief Executive Officer with the assistance of a search firm.
“I believe that now is the right time for me to step down,” said Mr. Vigodman. “It has been a privilege to lead Teva, and I am proud of all we have accomplished. I am confident that the Company’s future is bright.”
Dr. Yitzhak Peterburg said, “The Company is focusing on executing its strategic priorities to transform Teva, with immediate focus on realizing the cost synergies and strategic benefits of the Actavis Generics acquisition. I look forward to working with the entire Teva team to conduct a thorough review of the business to find additional opportunities to enhance value for shareholders. Teva has a deep bench of talented leaders and today’s announcement has no impact on our ability to execute going forward. With the strength of our generics pipeline, unique R&D capabilities and unparalleled footprint, coupled with our existing assets and growing pipeline in specialty medicines, I believe in Teva and the Company’s long-term growth prospects.”
Dr. Barer said, “We are grateful to Yitzhak for taking on the role of interim CEO. Teva’s Board of Directors, with its decades of collective pharmaceutical industry experience, will continue to play an active role in driving the Company’s strategy, and I look forward to working with the management team to execute on the value creation opportunities ahead. We intend to conduct a comprehensive search to identify the best person to lead the Company for years to come. On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Erez for his many contributions to Teva over the years and wish him well in the future.”
2016 Financial Results
As previously announced, Teva will release its fourth quarter 2016 financial results on Monday, February 13, 2017 at 7:00 a.m. ET.
About Dr. Yitzhak Peterburg
Dr. Yitzhak Peterburg became Teva’s Chairman of the Board of Directors on January 1, 2015, after rejoining Teva’s Board of Directors in 2012.
Dr. Peterburg was Teva’s Group Vice President, Global Branded Products from October 2010 until October 2011, after serving on Teva’s Board of Directors from 2009 until July 2010.
Previously, he served as President and CEO of Cellcom Israel Ltd. from 2003 to 2005, Director General of Clalit Health Services, the leading healthcare provider in Israel, from 1997 to 2002 and CEO of Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, from 1995 to 1997. Dr. Peterburg currently serves as a director on the board of Rosetta Genomics Ltd. and is also the Chairman of Regenera Pharma Ltd, a phase 3 clinical-stage pharmaceutical startup company.
Dr. Peterburg received an M.D. degree from Hadassah Medical School in 1977 and is board-certified in Pediatrics and Health Services Management. Dr. Peterburg received a doctoral degree in Health Administration from Columbia University in 1987 and an M.Sc. degree in Information Systems from the London School of Economics in 1990. Dr. Peterburg is a professor at the School of Business, Ben-Gurion University. With his experience as a leader in Israeli healthcare and as a former executive officer of Teva, expertise in health information technology and knowledge transfer within large-scale, fragmented networks, as well as his leadership of large Israeli companies, Dr. Peterburg provides healthcare, management and operational expertise as well as knowledge about Teva and its global operations.
About Dr. Sol J. Barer
Dr. Sol J. Barer joined Teva’s Board of Directors in January 2015.
Dr. Barer spent most of his professional career with the Celgene Corporation. He was Chairman from January 2011 until June 2011, Executive Chairman from June 2010 until January 2011 and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from May 2006 until June 2010. Previously he was appointed President in 1993 and Chief Operating Officer in 1994 before assuming the CEO position. He also served as Senior Vice President, Science and Technology, and Vice President/General Manager, Chiral Products, from October 1990 to October 1993, and Vice President, Technology, from September 1987 to October 1990. Dr. Barer was the founder of the biotechnology group at the Celanese Research Company which was subsequently spun out to form Celgene.
Dr. Barer serves as Chairman of the Board of the public companies Edge Therapeutics, InspireMD and Aevi Genomic Medicine and private company Centrexion, is Lead Director of ContraFect and is on the Board of Directors of the public company Amicus Therapeutics. He is a Venture Advisor to the Israel Biotechnology Fund as well as an advisor to biopharma companies.
In 2011 Dr. Barer was Chairman of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Governor’s Advisory Committee which resulted in sweeping changes in the structure of New Jersey’s medical schools and public research universities. He previously served as a Commissioner of the NJ Commission on Science and Technology. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Rutgers University (until 2013). He also served two terms as Chair of the Board of Trustees of BioNJ (2010-2012) the New Jersey biotechnology organization.
Dr. Barer was named to the “Worldview 100” (Scientific American’s 100 most influential figures in today’s world of biotechnology) in 2015, named one of “25 Leadership Legends of NJ” (NJBiz) in 2012, “The 50 Most Powerful People in N.J. Health Care,” in 2012, inducted into the NJBiz Hall of Fame in 2011 and was named as one of NJ’s top 10 scientists by New Jersey Business in 2008.
Dr. Barer received a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 1974 from Rutgers University where he was an NDEA Graduate Fellow and a B.S. in 1968 from Brooklyn College (City University of New York) where he was an NSF Undergraduate Fellow and Regents Scholar.