Pfizer

Pfizer Global R&D president Dr. John LaMattina will retire from Pfizer by the end of this year, after 30 years with the company. Pfizer has begun a search both inside and outside the company for his successor, and Dr. LaMattina will remain during this period to ensure a smooth transition, according to the company. Chief financial officer Alan Levin has resigned to “pursue career opportunities outside Pfizer” after 20 years with the company.

Speaking on Dr. LaMattina’s retirement, Jeff Kindler, Pfizer’s chairman and chief executive officer, remarked, “Pfizer now has a significant array of early- and mid-stage product candidates across a range of important therapeutic areas, and John has made a critical contribution to building this foundation. With that in place, John felt it was the right time to retire as we look to the future and accelerate the development of our most promising compounds so that they will be ready for commercialization as rapidly as possible.”

Mr. Kindler added, “During John’s tenure we have grown our pipeline in oncology while substantially increasing our investment in biologics and vaccines, where we see attractive opportunities to combine our science with new technologies. Our progress in oncology, which was a relatively small program just 10 years ago, is especially noteworthy, and we are now in an excellent position to deliver important new cancer medicines.”

Departing CFO Alan Levin commented, “I have been fortunate to work with many outstanding colleagues at this great company. Pfizer has grown in ways that none of us could have imagined, but always with a keen focus on serving patients and doing everything we can to address unmet medical needs. My colleagues in Finance, both in the U.S. and around the world, do an extraordinary job of managing the array of financial issues and challenges that come with a global corporation of Pfizer’s size and complexity. I am proud of their dedication and of our many accomplishments. With a strong finance organization in place, and after 20 years of service with Pfizer, I feel that now is the appropriate time for me to explore career opportunities outside of the company. I have the deepest admiration for Pfizer and look forward to its success in the future.”