Actavis appoints Dr Claudio Albrecht

Icelandic generics company Actavis has appointed Dr Claudio Albrecht as its new chief executive.

He formerly led Ratiopharm and has over 20 years experiences in the generics industry, starting with Sandoz in 1987.

At Sandoz he rose to managing director for the Netherlands, Germany and the US, before joining Ratiopharm as global chief executive.

In 2008 Dr Albrecht established Cometh, a consultancy that has advised pharmaceutical companies on their growth strategies, including Actavis.

Dr Claudio Albrecht said: “I am very pleased to be joining a Group that is so well positioned for the future. Actavis has one of the best R&D pipelines in the industry, but we still need to grow our market presence in many of the big markets.

“Strong geographic expansion and better market penetration, especially in southern Europe and the emerging markets, will be our goal for the future. I am looking forward to the challenges ahead and working with my new colleagues and building our future together.”

He replaces Sigurdur Oli Olafsson who is leaving the company after seven years in senior management roles, during which time Actavis has grown exponentially to become one of the world’s leading generics companies.