5 Highest Paid Biopharma CEOs of 2016

5 Highest Paid Biopharma CEOs of 2016 February 6, 2017
(Last Updated: February 7, 2017 at 10:05am PT)

By Mark Terry, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff

The New York Times recently published the list of the 200 highest paid CEOs in the U.S. as pulled together by Equilar, a leading provider of board intelligence solutions. Let’s take a look at the top five biopharma CEOs on that list.

1. Leonard Schleifer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Leonard Schleifer, the chief executive officer of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals ranked #7, with $47.5 million in total compensation. This represents a 13 percent change in compensation. On November 4, 2016, the company reported its third-quarter earnings. Total revenues for the quarter were $1.22 billion, with $854 million of those coming from Eylea (aflibercept). Overall revenues were up 7 percent for the quarter, with Eylea sales up 16 percent.

“In the third quarter, we saw continued U.S. sales growth with Eylea in retinal diseases and with Praluent in hypercholesterolemia,” Schleifer said in a statement at the time. We are preparing for a potential approval and launch for Dupixent in atopic dermatitis and continuing to advance our pipeline at all stages.”

2. Jeffery Leiden, Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Jeffery Leiden ranked #20 with $28.1 million in total compensation, down 23 percent. According to Vertex , these figures reflect 2015 compensation. On January 25, Vertex Pharmaceuticals released its full-year financial results. It reported $1.7 billion in total revenues for the year, up from $1.03 in 2015. Net loss for the year was $112 million, down from $556.3 million the previous year.

“2016 was a very important year for Vertex,” Leiden said in a statement. “It was marked by significant CF revenue growth from approximately $980 million in 2015 to approximately $1.7 billion in 2016. Additionally, our progress toward treating more people with CF continued in 2016 with the approval of Orkambi for children ages six to eleven in the U.S., the advancement of two next-generation correctors into Phase II development, and identifying two additional next-generation correctors for Phase I development”

3. Robert Hugin, Celgene

Robert Hugin ranked #36 with $22.5 million in total compensation, down 7 percent. Hugin is currently Celgene ’s executive chairman. He took on that role on March 1, 2016. Prior to that, he was the company’s chief executive officer and chairman. Mark Alles is currently Celgene’s chief executive officer. Celgene reported its 2016 financials on January 26. 2016 total revenue was $11.2 billion, up from $9.3 billion in 2015. Net income was $2.0 billion for the year, up from $1.6 billion the previous year.

4. Brent Saunders, Allergan

Brent Saunders ranked #43 with a total compensation of $21.6 million. Allergan ’s 2016 earnings will be reported on February 8. The company reported its third-quarter earnings on November 2, 2016. Total net revenues for the quarter were $3.62 billion, up 4 percent from $3.47 billion the same quarter the previous year.

“Allergan continues to be among the best positioned biopharmaceutical companies to deliver long-term growth,” Saunders said in a statement. “Our top global products powered our performance in the third quarter, including Botox, Restasis, Linezess/Constella and Fillers. Our R&D teams continued to deliver exceptional results and build our pipeline with our Open Science R&D approach, including the six new stepping stone acquisitions we announced this quarter.”

5. Alex Gorsky, Johnson & Johnson

Alex Gorsky ranked #46 with $21.1 million in total compensation, up 3 percent. Johnson & Johnson reported its 2016 financials on January 24. Full-year sales of $71.9 billion increased 2.6 percent, and the full-year earnings per share was $5.93.

“We are pleased to report that we accelerated our adjusted growth for 2016 over the prior year, and delivered a strong total shareholder return of greater than 15 percent,” Gorsky said in a statement. “The strong adjusted sales and EPS growth was driven by the impressive performance of our Pharmaceutical business and continued momentum in our Medical Device business and share gains while improving profitability in our Consumer business. Looking forward to 2017, we expect to continue driving sustainable, long-term growth through the new products, science and innovation that our talented colleagues and partners of Johnson & Johnson are advancing to positively impact human health.”

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