Alex Philippidis Senior News Editor Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

Biopharma’s Biggest Stakeholders Got Even Richer over the Past Year

For more than a decade, GEN has been tracking what we like to call “molecular millionaires”—CEOs and other executives and relatives with the biggest stakes in biopharma drug development and tools companies.

With Wall Street and other financial markets still swooning over big biotech well into this year—but not lately—it shouldn’t be too surprising that this year’s list of molecular millionaires saw their stakes balloon over the past year. Seven executives had stakes in their companies that rose so high in 2014 that they could be called molecular billionaires—compared with just two on the GEN List published in 2014.

The highest-placing executives were those whose companies have launched new products over the past two years—as well as executives of companies that have grown during that period as much through mergers and acquisitions as through any new drugs or tools.

As in recent years, big pharma maintains only a small presence on this List, with only one executive ranked in the top 20—a retired CEO-turned-chairman (No. 20). Last year’s List saw four big pharma execs, with the highest-ranked person landing at No. 14. The slide reflects the fact the stock of traditional pharma giants did not rise as quickly as that of the biggest biotechs.

Following is an updated List of 20 executives of publicly traded biopharma drug developers and tools/technology companies, ranked by the total value of their shares of common stock as stated on the companies’ proxy statements or Form 20-F statements. Each executive is listed with their title and company, the total value of their shares of common stock, the number of shares of common stock (by category where available), and the closing share price of their company’s stock as of the “record date” for determining shareholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, their company’s annual meeting, with footnotes where applicable.

Not included on the List are executives from companies that do not derive at least a majority of their revenues from drug development or biopharma tools.

#20. Lamberto Andreotti

Chairman, Bristol-Myers Squibb1

Total value of all shares:  $190,903,7072

1,894,409 total shares of common stock and 1,324,335 shares underlying options or stock units as of February 11
 

#19. Seamus Mulligan

Director, Jazz Pharmaceuticals

Total value of all shares: $207,889,869

1,167,855 shares of common stock owned as of May 153

#18. Jay T. Flatley

CEO, Illumina

Total value of all shares: $226,661,428

1,220,973 total shares of common stock as of March 314

#17. Joshua Boger, Ph.D.

Founder and Director, Vertex Pharmaceuticals5

Total value of all shares: $254,829,238

1,983,570 shares of common stock as of April 106

#16. Jean-Jacques Bienaimé

Chairman and CEO, BioMarin Pharmaceutical

Total value: $268,806,455

2,147,531 shares of common stock owned as of March 207

#15. Leonard Bell, M.D.

Chairman and principal founder, Alexion Pharmaceuticals; Aditionally served as CEO from the company’s founding in January 1992 until he retired on March 31.

Total value of all shares: $312,668,757

1,690,924 shares of common stock as of March 98

#14. John F. Milligan

President and COO, Gilead Sciences

Total value of all shares: $431,552,485

4,168,381 shares of common stock as of February 289

#13. Robert J. Hugin

Chairman and CEO, Celgene

Total value of all shares: $440,726,636

3,840,755 shares of common stock as of April 2010

#12. Steven Schwartz

Shareholder, Bio-Rad Laboratories11

Total value of all shares: $588,250,25612

363,964 Class A shares of common stock13 and 4,076,666 Class B shares of common stock14 as of March 2

#11. Norman Schwartz

President, CEO, and Chairman, Bio-Rad Laboratories15

Total value of all shares: $651,820,09216

411,252 Class A shares of common stock17 and 4,509,259 Class B shares of common stock18 as of March 2

#10. Martine Rothblatt, Ph.D., J.D., M.B.A.

Chairman and Co-CEO, United Therapeutics19

Total value of all shares: $733,261,324

3,975,609 shares of common stock as of April 1120

#9. Jean-Paul Clozel

CEO, Actelion

Total value of all shares: CHF 730,494,795 ($763,895,483)21

6,335,601 total shares as of December 31, 201422

#8. Alice N. Schwartz

Co-founder and Director, Bio-Rad Laboratories

Total value of all shares: $981,083,81523

2,807,223 Class A shares of common stock24 and 4,598,860 Class B shares of common stock25 as of March 2

#7. John C. Martin

Chairman and CEO, Gilead Sciences

Total value of all shares: $1,097,283,307

10,598,699 shares of common stock as of February 2826

#6. P. Roy Vagelos, M.D.

Chairman, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Total value of all shares: $1,265,735,573

2,767,119 shares of common stock as of April 1627

#5. George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D.

Founding Scientist; President, Regeneron Laboratories; and CSO, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Total value of all shares: $1,372,483,67828

2,957,739 shares of common stock29 and 42,750 Class A shares as of April 1630

#4. Julian C. Baker

Director, Incyte31

Total value of all shares: $1,753,985,540

19,754,314 shares of common stock as of April 2

#3. J. Michael Pearson

CEO, Valeant Pharmaceutical Industries

Total value of all shares: $2,061,387,631

10,091,979 shares of common stock as of March 2032,33

#2. Leonard S. Schleifer, M.D., Ph.D.

President and CEO, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Total value of all shares: $2,518,561,83834

3,779,451 shares of common stock and 1,726,565 Class A shares35,36 as of April 16

#1. Phillip Frost, M.D.

Former Chairman, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries37; CEO and Chairman, OPKO Health; Founder and largest shareholder, ChromaDex

Total value of all shares: $3,408,348,71038

177,788,010 OPKO Health shares as of April 20; 14,596,504 Teva shares as of Dec. 31, 2014; 15,252,937 ChromaDex shares as of April 10

1 Mr. Andreotti became chairman effective May 5 upon retiring as CEO
2 Includes $112,357,398  in shares of common stock and $78,546,309 in shares underlying options or stock units
3 Includes 12,300 ordinary shares he had the right to acquire pursuant to options exercisable within 60 days of May 15.
4 Includes 375,973 shares of common stock excluding stock options; and 845,000 shares that include stock options that were exercisable as of March 31, and stock options that vested, or became exercisable, within 60 days of March 31.  Includes 6,000 shares owned by his minor children.
5 Served as CEO from 1992-2009, as Chairman from 1997-2006, and as President from the company’s inception in 1989 to 2000, and again from 2005-2009
6 Includes 1,461,300 shares acquirable through options that were exercisable within 60 days after April 10; and unvested shares of restricted stock as of April 10
7 Includes 2,090,734 shares subject to options exercisable and restricted stock units that will vest within 60 days following March 20—including 60,000 options held in trusts for Mr. Bienaimé’s children. 
8 Includes 1,218,245 shares of common stock that may be acquired upon the exercise of options that were exercisable within 60 days of March 9; and 9,000 shares held in a family trust.
9 Includes 3,180,819 shares subject to stock options exercisable within 60 days of February 28.
10 Consists of 1,184,131 shares of common stock, 2,524,000 shares of common Stock underlying stock options, 27,355 shares of common stock held in our 401(k) Plan for the benefit of Mr. Hugin, 95,669 shares of common stock held by a family foundation of which Mr. Hugin is a trustee, and 9,600 shares of Common stock owned by Mr. Hugin’s children
11 Son of company co-founder Alice N. Schwartz, ranked No. 8 on this List; and brother of Norman Schwartz, ranked No. 11.
12  Includes $48,214,311 in Class A shares of common stock and $540,035,945 in Class B shares of common stock that hold preferential voting rights, such as 10 times the voting power of Class As, and election of four directors, versus two for Class As, at the company’s Annual Meeting
13 Includes 1,818 Class A shares owned by his wife, as to which he disclaims any beneficial ownership. Includes 37,825 Class A shares pledged as security.
14 Includes 4,060,054 shares of Class B Common Stock held by Blue Raven Partners, L.P., where he shares voting and dispositive power with Alice N. Schwartz and Norman Schwartz. Includes 12,486 Class B shares owned by Steven Schwartz’s wife, as to which he disclaims any beneficial ownership.
15 Son of company co-founder Alice N. Schwartz, ranked No. 8 on this List; and brother of Steven Schwartz, ranked No. 12.
16  Includes $54,478,552 in Class A shares of common stock and $597,341,540 in Class B shares of common stock that hold preferential voting rights, such as 10 times the voting power of Class As, and election of four directors, versus two for Class As, at the company’s Annual Meeting
17 Includes 37,825 shares of Class A common stock pledged as security. He is among directors and officers who as a group have similar rights to acquire 57,470 Class A shares. 
18 Includes 4,060,054 shares of Class B Common Stock held by Blue Raven Partners, L.P., where he shares voting and dispositive power with Alice N. Schwartz and Steven Schwartz. Includes rights to acquire 264,213 Class B shares immediately or within 60 days of March 2 under the Company’s employee stock purchase plan and stock option agreements. Includes 12,486 Class B shares owned by Norman Schwartz’s wife, as to which he disclaims any beneficial ownership. He is among directors and officers who as a group have similar rights to acquire 264,213 Class B shares. 
19 Served as CEO from the company’s inception in 1996 through January of this year.
20 Includes currently exercisable options to purchase 3,411,700 shares. Also includes 563,743.05 shares held indirectly by trust, and 166 shares held by Dr. Rothblatt’s spouse.
21 Includes CHF 611,349,886 ($639,227,495) in shares of common stock, CHF 101,764,357 ($106,404,821) in options, CHF 10,040,093 ($10,497,957) in restricted stock units, and CHF 7,340,459 ($7,765,210) in performance stock units
22 Includes 5,302,254 shares of common stock, 882,605 options, 87,078 restricted stock units, and 63,664 performance stock units.
23 Includes $371,872,831 in Class A shares of common stock and $609,210,984 in Class B shares of common stock that hold preferential voting rights, such as 10 times the voting power of Class As, and election of four directors, versus two for Class As, at the company’s Annual Meeting
24 Includes 2,807,223 shares of Class A common stock, which are held in the following trusts, for which Alice N. Schwartz is the sole trustee: the David and Alice N. Schwartz Charitable Remainder Unitrust (34,311 shares); the David Schwartz Exemption Trust (90 shares); the David Schwartz Exempt Marital Trust (240 shares); the David Schwartz Non-Exempt Marital Trust (898,931 shares); and the Alice N Schwartz Revocable Trust (1,873,651 shares). Of the Class A shares, 853,175 shares have been pledged as security.
25 Includes 4,060,054 shares of Class B Common Stock held by Blue Raven Partners, L.P., where she shares voting and dispositive power with her sons Norman Schwartz and Steven Schwartz; and 497,630 shares of Class B common stock, which are held in the following trusts, for which Alice N. Schwartz is the sole trustee: the Alice N Schwartz Revocable Trust (440,630 shares); and the David Schwartz Non-Exempt Marital Trust (57,000 shares). Also includes 41,176 Class B shares held by DANSA Partners Limited, a California limited partnership, of which Alice N. Schwartz is a general partner. Of the Class B shares, 41,176 shares have been pledged as security.
26 Includes 6,450,815 shares subject to stock options that were exercisable within 60 days of Feb. 28
27 Includes 1,836,735 shares of common stock purchasable upon exercise of options granted pursuant to the Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  Second Amended and Restated 2000 Long-Term Incentive Plan (or the company’s 2014 Long-Term Incentive Plan), which were exercisable or became so within 60 days after April 16; and 2,282 shares of common stock held in an account under the Company’s 401(k) Savings Plan. Includes 154,804 shares of common stock held in a charitable lead annuity trust, of which he is the trustee; and 92,947 shares of common stock held in a trust for his grandchildren, of which Dr. Vagelos's wife is the trustee. Includes 1,203 shares of common stock held in trusts for his grandchildren, of which Dr. Vagelos and/or his wife are trustees. Includes 58,099 shares of common stock held by the Marianthi Foundation, and 251,956 shares of common stoc

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