Full Press Release Details
CRANBURY, N.J., June 20, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amicus Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:FOLD), a biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of developing therapies for rare and orphan diseases, today announced the appointment of Robert Essner to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.
John F. Crowley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "I am pleased to welcome Bob as the newest addition to Amicus' board of directors. He is an industry veteran who grew Wyeth into a multi-billion dollar global pharmaceutical company. His expertise will be invaluable to Amicus as we move toward becoming a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company."
Mr. Essner is Senior Advisor to the global healthcare group at The Carlyle Group, a global private equity firm. Mr. Essner retired as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Wyeth, now part of Pfizer, in 2008. During his 32-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, he held several prominent leadership positions, including Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA). Prior to Wyeth, Mr. Essner spent more than a decade in various management positions at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corporation and as President of Sandoz Consumer Healthcare Group.
Mr. Essner is currently a Director at MassMutual Financial Group; NBTY, Inc., a leading nutritional supplement company; and Pharmaceutical Product Development, LLC (PPD), a major contract research organization. In addition, he is a trustee of the Children's Health Fund and Mote Marine Laboratories. Mr. Essner is also an Executive-in-Residence and Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, where he teaches courses in healthcare management. He received a Bachelor's degree from Miami University and a Master's degree from the University of Chicago.
About Amicus Therapeutics
Amicus Therapeutics (Nasdaq:FOLD) is a biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of developing therapies for rare and orphan diseases. The Company is developing orally-administered, small molecule drugs called pharmacological chaperones, a novel, first-in-class approach to treating a broad range of diseases including lysosomal storage disorders and diseases of neurodegeneration. Amicus' lead program migalastat HCl is in Phase 3 for the treatment of Fabry disease.