Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) elected new officers to its board of directors. Robert A. Bradway, chairman and CEO, Amgen was elected chairman-elect effective immediately. Olivier Brandicourt, CEO, Sanofi, will become chairman-elect and James Robinson, president, Astellas Americas, will assume the role of board treasurer effective February 7, 2018.

The board also acknowledged the leadership and contributions of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation CEO Joseph Jimenez who served as chairman-elect and announced his retirement from Novartis effective in 2018.

Bradway formerly held the position of board treasurer and will succeed Joaquin Duato, executive vice president and worldwide chairman, pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, as PhRMA board chairman, in February 2018.

"I am pleased to welcome Bob to the board as our chairman-elect," said PhRMA president and CEO, Stephen J. Ubl. "Our companies are developing therapies unimaginable just a decade ago, and these advances will help many patients with serious and debilitating diseases. Together, we will ensure this innovation continues by advancing a comprehensive set of market-based reforms that improve access and affordability for patients."

Bradway has been Amgen's chairman since 2013 and CEO since 2012. He joined the company in 2006 and served as the company's president and chief operating officer prior to the role of CEO. Bradway is a member of the board of directors of The Boeing Company. He serves on the board of trustees of the University of Southern California and the advisory board of the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at that university. Bradway is also chairman of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer. Bradway holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Amherst College and a master's degree in business administration from Harvard University.

"Now, more than ever, PhRMA member companies are bringing forth an unprecedented series of medical innovations to support human health. Our innovations promise to not only improve and extend the lives of millions of patients, but also to positively bend the cost curve by decreasing the financial burden of serious diseases on society," said Bradway. "I look forward to working together with stakeholders across the health care continuum to ensure a fertile environment for innovation and to encourage creative policy positions so that patients have access to the medicines they need."

Brandicourt has served as CEO, Sanofi, since April 2015. Brandicourt joined Sanofi from Bayer Healthcare AG where he served as CEO from 2013 until 2015. Prior to joining Bayer Healthcare, Brandicourt worked at Pfizer for 13 years, where he served as a member of the executive leadership team and as president and general manager of the emerging markets and established products business units. He is an honorary member of the Royal College of Physicians in London and a board member of the Children's Aid Society in New York. Brandicourt studied medicine at the University of Paris V where he specialized in infectious diseases and tropical medicine and holds an advanced degree in cellular and immunological pathophysiology from the Paris Descartes University. Brandicourt also received a master's degree in biology from the University of Paris XII.

Robinson has been president, Astellas Americas, since April 2016. Previously, he led the company's pharmaceutical commercial organization in the United States since 2013. Robinson joined the company in 2005 as vice president of health systems. Prior to joining Astellas, he served as vice president of hepatitis sales and managed care at the former Schering-Plough Corporation, which was acquired by Merck & Company in 2009. Robinson is a member of The Commercial Club of Chicagoand serves on the BioScience Council for ChicagoNEXT, a private-public partnership dedicated to expanding Chicago's business climate and driving growth and opportunity in science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship. He is a founding member and serves on the board of directors of MATTER, a group of leaders passionate about creating products and services that advance the health care industry. He also serves on the board of directors of the Chicago Botanic Garden and the board of trustees of the Museum of Science and Industry. Robinson is a graduate of DePaul University.

About PhRMA

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country's leading innovative biopharmaceutical research companies, which are devoted to discovering and developing medicines that enable patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. Since 2000, PhRMA member companies have invested more than $600 billion in the search for new treatments and cures, including an estimated $65.5 billion in 2016 alone.