Lugano, Switzerland, April 29, 2021 – Helsinn, a Swiss pharmaceutical group focused on building quality cancer care and rare disease products, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Mary Lynne Hedley as a new member of its Board of Directors, effective April 28, 2021.
Dr. Hedley is an immunologist and cancer cell biologist, with a vast level of experience within the pharmaceutical industry, specifically within the field of oncology. Most recently, Dr Hedley was Director, President and Chief Operating Officer at TESARO, a biotechnology company she co-founded in 2010, focused on the development and global commercialization of oncology therapeutics. During her time at TESARO the team built up a pipeline of early and late stage drug candidates including the commercial product niraparib, a PARP inhibitor that changed the treatment paradigm for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The company was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline in 2019 for $5.1 billion.
Prior to founding TESARO, Dr. Hedley was Executive Vice President and CSO of the biotechnology company, Abraxis Bioscience, responsible for R&D, Operations, Medical Affairs and Business Development. Elsewhere she was Executive Vice President of Eisai Inc, with a focus on the global reorganization of its R&D program and building a global oncology strategy. She was also Executive Vice President, as well as CSO, responsible for R&D, at MGI PHARMA (MGI) until its acquisition by Eisai in 2008. In addition, she was Co-Founder, Director, President and CEO of ZYCOS prior to its acquisition by MGI in 2004. Dr. Hedley received her bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from Purdue University and her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Immunology from UT Southwestern Medical Center, USA. Following this, Dr. Hedley carried out her postdoctoral training at Harvard University in the areas of Immunology and Gene Regulation.
Dr. Hedley currently sits on the board at Veeva and Centessa Pharmaceuticals and is a board member of the Youville Assisted Living Communities and WITH (Women Innovating Together in Healthcare).
Riccardo Braglia, Helsinn Group Vice Chairman and CEO, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Dr. Hedley to Helsinn’s Board of Directors and look forward to benefitting from her many years of biopharmaceutical industry experience. Helsinn Group is a leading cancer care and rare disease product company and her scientific expertise, as well as her leadership and board level know-how, will be invaluable as we continue to progress and deliver our innovative pipeline of oncology and rare disease products to patients.”
Dr. Mary Lynne Hedley, newly appointed member of the Helsinn Board of Directors, commented: “Helsinn is a company that has proved its long-standing commitment to providing patients with first-in-class cancer care, whether that be through supportive care or therapeutics. The team’s dedication to improving patients’ quality of life is something I share, and I am thrilled to be working with Riccardo and the whole Board as we work towards this mission.”
About the Helsinn Group
Helsinn is a privately-owned Swiss Pharma Company which, since 1976, has been improving the lives of patients, guided by core family values of respect, integrity and quality. The Group has an extensive portfolio of marketed innovative cancer and rare disease therapies, a robust drug development pipeline and ambitions to further accelerate its growth through in-licensing and acquisitions to address unmet medical needs. Helsinn operates a unique integrated licensing business model, achieving success with long-standing partners in 190 countries, who share its values. The Group’s pharmaceutical business (Helsinn Healthcare) is headquartered in Lugano, Switzerland with operating subsidiaries in the U.S. (Helsinn Therapeutics US) and China (Helsinn Pharmaceuticals China) which market the Group’s products directly in these countries. The Group has additional operating subsidiaries in Switzerland (Helsinn Advanced Synthesis, an active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturer) and Ireland (Helsinn Birex Pharmaceuticals, a drug product manufacturer). 3B Future Health Fund (formerly known as Helsinn Investment Fund) was created to enhance the future of healthcare by providing funding and strategic support to innovative companies.
Helsinn Group plays an active and central role in promoting social transformation in favor of people and the environment. Corporate social responsibility is at the heart of everything we do which is reinforced in the company's strategic plan by a commitment to sustainable growth.
To learn more about Helsinn Group please visit www.helsinn.com
For more information:
Helsinn Group Media Contact:
Paola Bonvicini
Group Head of Communication
Lugano, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0) 91 985 21 21
Email: Info-hhc@helsinn.com
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