Copenhagen, Denmark, March 1, 2021 – Orphazyme A/S (ORPHA.CO; ORPH) (“Orphazyme”), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the Heat-Shock Protein response for the treatment of neurodegenerative orphan diseases, today announced the appointment of Christophe Bourdon as the company’s Chief Executive Officer, effective as of April 1, 2021, following approval from the Board of Directors.
Christophe Bourdon has a strong track record in launching and commercializing rare and non-rare disease products in Europe and the United States. He has a deep knowledge of patient journey, market access, and payer dynamics on both sides of the Atlantic. During his 25 years in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry working in three continents and holding several leadership positions, Christophe initiated and accelerated significant strategic transformations and has proven experience building successful multi-cultural and cross-functional teams. He is adept at fostering an environment focused on innovation with one constant driver in mind: Making a meaningful difference for patients. He successfully launched a variety of products in demanding environments, making him an ideal candidate to lead Orphazyme as it prepares for a potential commercial launch of its investigational product candidate, arimoclomol, in the United States and Europe.
Christophe Bourdon comes to Orphazyme from his position with Amgen, Inc. as Senior Vice President, General Manager, U.S. Oncology Business, where he led commercialization planning and execution for several products. Prior to Amgen, Christophe was Senior Vice President of Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Canada at Alexion as the company launched two breakthrough ultra-orphan drugs and negotiated payor access across UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Canada. Christophe Bourdon holds an MBA from IMD business school (Switzerland) and a BA from ISG (France).
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Georges Gemayel, states “I am delighted to announce Christophe Bourdon will join our leadership team as Chief Executive Officer starting April 1, 2021. This is an important time for Orphazyme, with numerous near-term milestones that will shape the company’s future direction. Our Board conducted an extensive search for a leader who can guide not only our near-term execution, but also align the company around a vision for impact and scale for our long-term growth ambitions. With his strong track record on growth over two decades in relevant roles, Mr. Bourdon will bring his dynamic leadership and skillset to successfully build out and integrate our organization as we prepare for the anticipated commercial launch of our investigational product candidate, arimoclomol, in the United States and Europe. As an authentic and result-oriented leader, he believes in building a transparent and inclusive corporate culture and is the right choice to lead Orphazyme into its next growth phase.”
Christophe Bourdon states “The opportunity to join Orphazyme was compelling for me, not only based on its purposeful mission, but also the incredible near-term opportunities to create impact for patients. It is both exciting and humbling to assume this role at such a pivotal time,” said Mr. Bourdon. “Building on the learnings I have gained from my invaluable experience at Amgen and the rare disease experience garnered at Alexion, I look forward to championing this talented team to advance the mission on behalf of our patient communities and deliver value for our shareholders. I am also very much looking forward to relocating to Copenhagen.”
For additional information, please contact
Orphazyme A/S
Anders Vadsholt, Interim CEO and CFO +45 28 98 90 55
