Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

Matt Herper’s article on NVS’ Joe Jimenez (formerly at Heinz) makes a nice bookend with the 2001 write-up in #msg-23784999 on Thomas Ebeling (formely at Pepsi); from Herper’s article:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2012/02/08/can-the-man-from-heinz-keep-novartis-on-top

When you ask around the drug industry who the best leader of the last two decades was, Daniel Vasella’s name always comes up. He built Basel-based Novartis from an also-ran into the most respected drug research laboratory in the pharmaceutical industry. His 14 years running the company are legendary, with a record of drug development successes unmatched by any other chief executive over the past decade. His string of hits included cancer treatments Gleevec, Zometa and Diovan, part of a stable of blockbusters that accounts for more than $16 billion a year in revenues and helps millions of patients a year fight illnesses like leukemia, diabetes and breast cancer.

So when he chose a successor in 2010, many were surprised that he picked the ketchup guy.