Henri Termeer

Henri Termeer
Termeer 2012
Born(1946-02-28)February 28, 1946[1]
Tilburg, Netherlands[1]
DiedMay 12, 2017(2017-05-12) (aged 71)
Marblehead, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materErasmus University
Occupation(s)Executive
Biotechnology entrepreneur
Board member ofVerastem
Genzyme (1983–2011)
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
ABIOMED Inc
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Corporation
Massachusetts General Hospital
Partners HealthCare System[2][3]
Fellows of Harvard Medical School
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America[2]Biotechnology Industry Organization[4]
Moderna Therapeutics (2013-)
SpouseBelinda Termeer
ChildrenNicholas, Adriana
Parent(s)Jacques and Mary (Van Gorp)

Henri A. Termeer (February 28, 1946 – May 12, 2017)[5] was a Dutch biotechnology executive and entrepreneur who is considered a pioneer[6] in corporate strategy in the biotechnology industry for his tenure as CEO at Genzyme.[7] Termeer created a business model[6] adopted by many others in the biotech industry by garnering steep prices— mainly from insurers and government payers— for therapies for rare genetic disorders[6] known as orphan diseases that mainly affect children. Genzyme uses biological processes to manufacture drugs that are not easily copied by generic-drug makers. The drugs are also protected by orphan drug acts in various countries which provides extensive protection from competition and ensures coverage by publicly funded insurers. As CEO of Genzyme from 1981 to 2011, he developed corporate strategies for growth including optimizing institutional embeddedness[8] nurturing vast networks of influential groups and clusters: doctors, private equity, patient-groups, insurance, healthcare umbrella organizations, state and local government, and alumni.[9] Termeer was "connected to 311 board members in 17 different organizations across 20 different industries"[8]: 296 [1][10] He has the legacy of being the "longest-serving CEO in the biotechnology industry.[6]

He was an "advocate for the Massachusetts biotech industry." "To generate revenues to fund the research, Termeer entered into a number of side ventures including a chemical supplies business, a genetic counseling."[11]: 344 

Termeer was named as one of the top fifty leaders of thought in orphan drugs and rare diseases in a list published by Terrapin for the World Orphan Drug Congress which included "eminent personalities that have advanced rare disease research."[12] The congress described him as an "inspiration and pioneer", many of whose protégés have gone on to lead other successful companies in the rare disease and biotech sector.[12]

  1. ^ a b c Gavin Rynne; Mark Jones, eds. (2013), Conversations with Henri Termeer (PDF), The Life Sciences Foundation Oral History Program, San Francisco, archived from the original (PDF) on July 21, 2015, retrieved July 7, 2015{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) Oral history conducted by Ted Everson, Jennifer Dionisio, Pei Koay, and Arnold Thackray, May 23, December 7, 2006, August 2, 2007, December 18, 2008 & September 30, 2011
  2. ^ a b "Board of Directors", Verastem, 2015, retrieved July 9, 2015
  3. ^ "Board of Directors", Partners HealthCare System, archived from the original on July 12, 2015, retrieved September 24, 2015
  4. ^ Terrapinn Holdings Ltd (2015). Mr Henri Termeer: Chief Executive Officer, Former Genzyme. Orphan Drug Congress. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  5. ^ Marquard, Bryan; Weisman, Robert (May 13, 2017). "Henri A. Termeer, key biotech leader who built Genzyme into an industry giant, dies at 71". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on May 15, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Bloomberg_Private_equity_2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Genzyme's Termeer, Biotechnology Pioneer, May Sell, Bloomberg, September 1, 2010, retrieved July 17, 2015
  8. ^ a b Porter, Kelley; Kjersten Bunker Whittington; Walter W. Powell (2005). "The institutional embeddedness of high-tech regions: relational foundations of the Boston biotechnology community". In Stefano Breschi; Franco Malerba (eds.). Clusters, networks, and innovation. Vol. 261.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference McBride_2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Verastem Inc (VSTM:NASDAQ GM), Bloomberg, August 30, 2023
  11. ^ Hill, Charles; Jones, Gareth; Schilling, Melissa (2014), Strategic Management: Theory & Cases: An Integrated Approach, Cengage Learning
  12. ^ a b "The top 50 thought-leaders in orphan drugs and rare disease" (PDF), World Orphan Drug Congress USA, 2013, retrieved July 20, 2015