Pharmaceutical company Amarin Corp. PLC, which has its U.S. headquarters in Bridgewater, said this week that its CEO and president is retiring, and announced its succession plan for the role.
John F. Thero, the company’s CEO and president, will retire effective Aug. 1, also stepping down from the board at that time, Amarin said in a news release. Karim Mikhail, Amarin’s senior vice president and head of commercial for Europe, has been named Thero’s successor as CEO, president and a board member, as of that date.
“With our unique therapeutic solution and deep bench of internal talent, I believe that now is an ideal time to transition leadership to Karim as we work to realize Amarin’s full potential,” Thero said in a prepared statement. “Since Karim joined Amarin last year, he has proven himself to be an invaluable member of the leadership team and a true partner to me as we prepare for the commercialization of Vazkepa in Europe.”
Amarin’s lead product is known as Vascepa in the U.S. and Vazkepa in Europe. It is a drug for high-risk patients with persistent cardiovascular risk after statin therapy.
Thero will remain an adviser to the company through the end of the year, Amarin added.
“John and the entire board have taken a thoughtful approach to succession planning designed to ensure that Amarin is best positioned to both continue its progress in the United States and accelerate its growth trajectory globally,” Chairman Lars Ekman said in a statement.
Mikhail joined Amarin in 2020 from Theodon, a consultancy he founded in 2018. Prior to that, he had a more than 20-year career with Merck, including serving as global commercial leader for its lipid franchise, among other roles.
“I joined Amarin last year because I was inspired by the company’s entrepreneurial spirit in addressing such a large unmet medical need an the potential to set a new standard of cardiovascular care,” Mikhail said in a statement. “I am honored to take on this new role.”
