BioPharma

Larger-than-life biotech figure Henri Termeer dies at 71

A shining light for the biotechnology industry, for Kendall Square, and for patients with rare diseases has passed away. Henri Termeer founded and led Genzyme for close to 30 years, greatly influencing the rise of biotech and bringing a patient-centric approach to the business.

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 3: Henri Termeer, left, president and CEO of Genzyme and James C. Mullen, CEO and president of Biogen Idec participate in a "fireside chat" at the MassBio annual meeting, on Wednesday, March 31, 2010. The chat is moderated by Deborah Dunsire, president and CEO of Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company. (Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Henri Termeer, left, with former CEO and president of Biogen Idec James C. Mullen, at a “fireside chat” at the MassBio annual meeting, March 31, 2010. 

One of the most revered characters in modern drug development, Henri Termeer, has passed away at age 71.

Termeer founded Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Genzyme in 1983. With a focus on rare diseases, it grew to become a pillar of Kendall Square and the field of biotechnology. His tenure ran through to 2011 when Genzyme was sold to Sanofi for just over $20 billion — among the largest biotech acquisitions ever.

According to the Boston Globe, Termeer died after collapsing in his Marblehead home late Friday night. Tributes from the industry have since flooded in, following the unexpected news.

Genzyme was a pioneer in rare disease research and, for many in the industry, a cultural leader. Termeer championed a patient-centric approach to drug development and company conduct, regularly meeting with patients and families afflicted by the rare diseases Genzyme sought to treat.

“His vision was to cure rare diseases, and he always had time to meet with the people dependent on our treatments,” David Meeker, president of Sanofi Genzyme told the Boston Globe. “He had the ability to forge such an intense relationship with everyone he met, and he made everyone in the industry feel like he cared about them as an individual.”

Despite the status of Termeer and Genzyme, its final years were messy. Contamination issues at its manufacturing plant, beginning in 2009, seriously undermined shareholder confidence in the leadership. That led to several high-stakes feuds with activist investors, including Carl Icahn. Icahn publicly called for Termeer’s replacement just two months before Sanofi voted to move forward with the acquisition.

In a Saturday LinkedIn post, founder, chairman and CEO emeritus of Ariad Pharmaceuticals Harvey Berger noted that the activists may have cut short Termeer’s vision for Genzyme’s patients.

“At Genzyme, he did what others only dreamed about,” Berger wrote. “Patients throughout the world owe their lives to Henri and the legions of executives and scientists who followed him at Genzyme and more recently at other companies that he helped found… Investor activists may have achieved what they wanted in forcing Genzyme’s acquisition, but, I believe, that patients lost in the end.”

In his post-Genzyme years, Termeer cofounded or advised early-stage companies such as Arrakis, Moderna Therapeutics, X4 Pharmaceuticals, and Aura Biosciences. He also helped launch Lysosomal Therapeutics, which aimed to develop small molecule drug candidates for neurodegenerative conditions. In January 2017, Allergan announced an options agreement to acquire the company for an undisclosed sum.

The startups are just one of the myriad ways that Termeer’s legacy will live on, within the biotech community and healthcare more broadly. In 2012, the Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies opened its doors at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center courtesy of a $10 million donation by Termeer and his wife.

Genzyme also continues to deliver, for patients and new owner Sanofi. Shares of the latter are trading at record highs, following strong Q1 sales, fueled in large part by Genzyme’s biotech programs.

Photo: Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

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