The message from new Genzyme CEO David Meeker: We’re back.
In an exclusive Herald interview this week, the Vermont native who took over in October at the Cambridge-based biotech discussed new parent company Sanofi, the departure of longtime CEO Henri Termeer and the manufacturing problems that forever changed the company.
“That was a devastating moment for Genzyme,” said Meeker, a pulmonary critical care specialist who joined Genzyme in 1994. “The inability to supply patients with the medication they need was something that affected us profoundly and, obviously, has and continues to be our number one focus going forward.”
The manufacturing trouble turned the Cambridge firm into a target for Sanofi, but Meeker said the French drug giant has helped Genzyme get back on track.
“There’s some burden that comes with the larger size, but there’s also a significant advantage that comes with being part of a larger company,” he said. “For example, their resources are helping us significantly resolve the manufacturing problems.”
Genzyme plans to begin releasing Fabrazyme, a drug for the genetic disorder Fabry disease, from its new Framingham plant by March, said Meeker, who speaks at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce breakfast today.
“Sanofi has made it very clear that they are looking to make the Boston area their (research and development) hub,” Meeker said, adding that Sanofi has made it possible for Genzyme to “reactivate” some programs. “(We) are very much back as part of the community.”