Pharma rings the changes as CEO shake-up continues

Bavarian Nordic’s announcement that Paul Chaplin volition measurement down arsenic CEO has marked the latest high-profile alteration astatine a pharmaceutical institution successful 2026.

Chaplin, who has been astatine the helm of the Danish vaccine specializer since 2014, is leaving for idiosyncratic reasons. Over his tenure, helium has overseen Bavarian’s improvement from a tiny research-based institution to a publically listed vaccine shaper with approved products successful aggregate regions.

Chaplin volition proceed to service arsenic CEO for the remainder of 2026, unless a successor is identified earlier. The company’s committee is presently initiating a hunt for a caller CEO.

The outgoing exec said successful a statement: “We person achieved a batch and created a beardown instauration for the aboriginal of the company. My household wants to relocate backmost to Australia, but I stay afloat committed to the institution for the remainder of the twelvemonth to let for a unchangeable modulation to its adjacent CEO.”

The departure of Chaplin marks the latest successful a caller shakeup astatine pharmaceutical companies. Doug Ingram revealed past period that helium volition permission uncommon illness biopharma Sarepta. After a decennary overseeing the improvement of therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) arsenic CEO, Ingram said helium would discontinue for idiosyncratic reasons.

Speaking successful an capitalist telephone connected 25 February, Ingram said: “In a shocking and surely ironic twist of fate, my idiosyncratic committedness to muscular dystrophy deepened, arsenic 2 members of my contiguous household person been diagnosed present with myotonic dystrophy, DM1.

“By the extremity of 2026, the clip volition person travel for maine to walk much clip successful California focusing connected household commitments and addressing the realities of DM1.”

Ingram’s successor volition person a acold from casual task connected their hands. Sarepta has endured a tumultuous past twelvemonth amid information and regulatory issues for its DMD cistron therapy Elevidys (delandistrogene moxeparvovec). Like Bavarian Nordic, Sarepta has begun a hunt for a caller CEO, and Ingram volition enactment connected until either the extremity of 2026 oregon erstwhile his replacement is found.

Earlier successful February, Sanofi announced it would not beryllium renewing CEO Paul Hudson’s contract. Since February 2025, Paris-listed Sanofi, which is reliant connected its expansive vaccine portfolio for a proportionality of its revenue, has seen its stock terms slump by much than 20%. The enactment alteration astatine Sanofi brings a adjacent to a six-year tenure nether Hudson.

Outgoing Merck KGaA CEO Belén Garijo is acceptable instrumentality the helm astatine Sanofi from 29 April. Garijo has been CEO astatine Merck KGaA since 2021 – astatine the clip she became the archetypal pistillate to pb a large German blue-chip company. Despite Garijo remaining successful a apical role, pistillate practice successful CEO roles astatine large pharma companies is limited.