Max Link, chairman of Cheshire’s Alexion Pharmaceuticals, has died, the company announced Tuesday.
Link, 74, died unexpectedly on Oct. 5 while traveling on business, according to Alexion. He was a director in 1992 when the drug maker was established, and became chairman in 2002.
In a statement, CEO Leonard Bell said Link was an important part of the growth of Alexion, which did $1.55 billion in sales last year.
“As Chairman, he was a key guide in our transition, starting in 2007, from a development-stage firm to our current multinational commercial platform where we serve patients with life-threatening disorders across nearly 50 countries,” Bell said. “We join with his family and close friends in mourning our loss.”
The company said it will announce a new chairman in the coming days.
Link, who retired in 2003, previously held leadership positions with Novartis predecessor Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, Boehringer Mannheim parent Corange Ltd., and Centerpulse AG.
Besides his position at Alexion, he was also chairman of California’s CytRx and a director at Celsion Corp. and Discovery Laboratories Inc.
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