Waltham, Mass., USA - April 17, 2014, Waltham, Mass., USA - AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, announced that its director Gino Santini has been named chairman of the board of directors.
Article continues below
Mr. Santini has been a director since February 2012. In 2010, he retired from distinguished career with Eli Lilly and Company that spanned nearly 30 years.
During his tenure at Lilly, Mr. Santini held various leadership positions of increasing responsibility, including manager of various international regions, senior vice president of corporate strategy and policy, president of the women's health franchise and president of U.S. operations.
Mr. Santini capped his career at Lilly as a member of the company's executive committee and as the senior vice president of corporate strategy and business development.
Mr. Santini currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Allena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Sorin S.p.A. and Finanziaria Saccarifera Italo Iberica S.p.A. He is fluent in four languages and holds an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Bologna and a master's in business administration from the University of Rochester.
The company also announced that current chairman Mike Narachi has decided not to stand for re-election at this year's annual shareholder meeting in May 2014.
Mr. Narachi currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. He has 29 years of biotechnology and pharmaceutical experience across a broad range of functions including clinical development, commercialization, strategic business development and planning.
Prior to joining Orexigen, Mr. Narachi served as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Ren Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a private biotechnology company and Executive Chairman of the Board of Naryx Pharma, Inc., a private pharmaceutical company. In 2004, he retired as an officer and Vice President and General Manager of Amgen's Anemia Business.
Throughout his 20 years at Amgen, Mr. Narachi held various positions including: Product Development Team Leader for NEUPOGEN; Director of Clinical Operations in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Cambridge, U.K.; Vice President of Development and Representative Director for Amgen Japan; Head of Corporate Strategic Planning; Chief Operations Officer of Amgen BioPharma; and Vice President, Licensing and Business Development.
Mr. Narachi is a member of the Board of Directors at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
Mr. Narachi received a BS in Biology and an MA degree in Biology and Genetics from the University of California at Davis. He received an MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at University of California, Los Angeles.
The company also announced that James R. Sulat has been elected to serve as a new member of the board of directors.
Since December 2008, Mr. Sulat has served as chairman of the board of directors of Momenta Pharmaceuticals. He also currently serves as a director of Valneva SE. From October 2009 to June 2013, he served as chief executive officer and chief financial officer at Maxygen Inc., a biopharmaceutical company.
From May 2005 to January 2009, Mr. Sulat served as president and chief executive officer and then as chief financial officer of Memory Pharmaceuticals Corp., a biopharmaceutical company. He also previously served on the board of directors of both Maxygen and Memory. ■