Christopher A. Viehbacher
President and Chief Executive Officer
2022 – Present
4 years (current)
Legacy
Viehbacher is leading Biogen's portfolio reset, cost discipline, business development, and focus on sustainable neuroscience growth. A former CEO of Sanofi, Viehbacher took over Biogen in November 2022 following the disappointing commercial launch of Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm, and has since focused the company on its newer Alzheimer's drug Leqembi (developed with Eisai) along with a broader pipeline restructuring and cost-cutting program. During his time at Sanofi from 2008 to 2014 he was known for an aggressive acquisition strategy including the purchase of Genzyme, experience that shaped his approach to reshaping Biogen's portfolio through both internal pipeline prioritization and external business development. He has pursued a more disciplined capital-allocation approach than his predecessor, cutting Biogen's research and development spending in some areas while prioritizing the commercial ramp of Leqembi and pursuing selective business-development deals rather than large, transformative acquisitions. Before Sanofi, he spent nearly two decades at GlaxoSmithKline in senior pharmaceutical roles, giving him experience across three of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies prior to taking on the turnaround challenge at the considerably smaller Biogen.