FLICKR, WORLD ECONOMIC FORUMHenri Termeer, an influential biotech entrepreneur, died after collapsing in his home in Marblehead, Massachusetts, last Friday (May 12), according to the Boston Globe. He was 71.
Termeer grew up in the Netherlands and studied economics at the Nederlandse Economische Hogeschool before attending the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, where he received his MBA. Termeer joined Genzyme, a Boston-based biotech company, in 1983 when it was only a few years old. He served as the company’s chief executive officer until 2011, when it was bought by Sanofi, the French pharmaceutical giant, for more than $20 billion.
During his time at Genzyme, Termeer focused on developing drugs for rare illnesses, including Gaucher disease and Fabry disease, which are both inherited disorders. According to the Boston Globe, the patient-centric business model Termeer developed helped create hundreds of rare disease medications.
“His vision was to cure rare diseases, and he always ...
