Actelion announces changes to its executive team upon completion of the transaction with Johnson & J

Johnson & Johnson has appointed Jane Griffiths as the Global Head of Actelion, to take effect upon closing of the transaction.

Dr. Griffiths, PhD has served as the Company Group Chairman, Janssen EMEA, since January 2011. Prior to leading Janssen EMEA, she was responsible for the EMEA Market Access unit. She has also served as International Vice President for Janssen-Cilag Northern Europe; Vice President, EMEA Biopharmaceuticals; and Managing Director, Ortho Biotech UK & Ireland.

Otto Schwarz, PhD, will retire from his position as Chief Operating Officer, upon close of the transaction. He will work closely with Jane Griffiths as senior advisor for the 12 months following the completion of the transaction on the smooth integration of Actelion into Janssen/Johnson & Johnson and the seamless execution of Actelion's commercial strategies to maintain the strong momentum.

Jean-Paul Clozel, MD, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "I would like to thank Otto for his very significant contributions to the success of Actelion in the almost 9 years since he joined the company. Under his leadership Tracleer was built into a global brand with almost 1.7 billion Swiss francs in peak sales. He also led and managed the highly successful launches of Opsumit, Uptravi and Veletri, thus replacing the leading drug in the category with a diversified, outcome-based portfolio, which has a strong long-term growth potential to achieve leading positions in shaping the treatment paradigms in PAH, an achievement which is a rare feat  in our industry." 

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NOTES TO EDITORS
                   
Actelion Ltd.
Actelion Ltd. is a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative drugs for diseases with significant unmet medical needs.

Actelion is a leader in the field of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Our portfolio of PAH treatments covers the spectrum of disease, from WHO Functional Class (FC) II through to FC IV, with oral, inhaled and intravenous medications. Although not available in all countries, Actelion has treatments approved by health authorities for a number of specialist diseases including Type 1 Gaucher disease, Niemann-Pick type C disease, Digital Ulcers in patients suffering from systemic sclerosis, and mycosis fungoides in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Founded in late 1997, with now over 2,600 dedicated professionals covering all key markets around the world including the US, Japan, China, Russia and Mexico, Actelion has its corporate headquarters in Allschwil / Basel, Switzerland.

Actelion shares are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: ATLN). All trademarks are legally protected.