Actelion joins Interpharma as associate member
Basel (ots)
Biopharmaceutical company Actelion has become the newest member of Interpharma, the Association of Pharmaceutical Research Companies of Switzerland. Headquartered in Allschwil, canton Baselland, Actelion was accepted as an associate member at Interpharma's most recent general assembly.
Associate member status gives Actelion a seat on the expanded Executive Board and on all of the association's task forces. Actelion's accession represents the first time a successful start-up has become an Interpharma associate member. The association's full members are pharmaceutical companies Roche, Novartis and Serono.
Thomas Cueni, Secretary General of Interpharma, says, "We are pleased that Actelion has joined Interpharma. This reflects Switzerland's potential as a leading biotechnology center in Europe. We must support that potential by creating favorable conditions for innovation."
Dr. Jean-Paul Clozel, CEO of Actelion, commented, "We are very glad to be able to work with three of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies as part of Interpharma. We were especially motivated to join Interpharma because of our interest in seeing Switzerland remain a strong center for the pharmaceutical industry. In the past five years, Actelion has created some five hundred jobs around the world, including about 250 at our headquarters in the Allschwil Innovation Center."
Founded in 1997, Actelion Ltd is a biopharmaceutical company based in Allschwil, Basel, Switzerland. Actelion's first drug, Tracleer, is a dual endothelin receptor antagonist approved for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Actelion distributes Tracleer through its own offices in the leading international markets, including the United States (with headquarters in South San Francisco), the European Union, Canada and Switzerland.
Interpharma, the Basel-based Association of Pharmaceutical Research Companies of Switzerland, works to promote an environment in Switzerland which supports innovation and pharmaceutical research through the use of both existing and new technologies. Swiss research-based pharmaceutical companies must maintain and expand their lead in the research and development of new, innovative and cost-effective medications for the prevention, treatment and cure of disease. Since drug research is a lengthy, increasingly costly and high-risk undertaking, Interpharma works as an association for the development of a positive social, political and economic environment for pharmaceutical research.
Contact:
Thomas Cueni
Secretary General, Interpharma
Tel. +41/61/264'34'17
Mobile +41/79/322'58'17