Mark J. Alles became Chief Executive Officer and joined the Celgene Board of Directors in March 2016. The role of Chairman was added in February 2018.
Mr. Alles served as President and Chief Operating Officer from August 2014 until February 2016, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Hematology & Oncology from December 2012 until July 2014 and was also Celgene’s Chief Commercial Officer. Mr. Alles joined Celgene in April 2004 and was Vice President, Global Hematology Marketing until March 2009 when he was promoted to President of the Americas Region. Responsibility for commercial operations in Japan and the Asia Pacific Region was added in July 2011. Before joining Celgene, he was Vice President of the U.S. Oncology business unit at Aventis Pharmaceuticals and served in other senior commercial management roles at Aventis (Rhône-Poulenc Rorer) from 1993-2004.
Mr. Alles earned his B.S. degree from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania and served as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Alles began his thirty-year career in the pharmaceutical industry at Bayer and worked at Centocor before its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the European Federation of the Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) and serves on the Board of Gilda’s Club NYC, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping families of people living with cancer.
Celgene Corporation is an American biotechnology company that manufactures drug therapies for cancer and inflammatory disorders. It is incorporated in Delaware and headquartered in Summit, New Jersey. The company's major products are Thalomid (thalidomide), which is approved for the acute treatment of the cutaneous manifestations of moderate to severe erythema nodosum leprosum ("ENL"), as well as in combination with dexamethasone for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, and Revlimid (lenalidomide), for which the company has received FDA and EMA approval in combination with dexamethasone for the treatment of multiple myeloma patients who have received at least one prior therapy. Revlimid is also approved in the United States for the treatment of patients with transfusion-dependent anemia due to Low- or Intermediate-1-risk Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) associated with a deletion 5q cytogenetic abnormality with or without additional cytogenetic abnormalities. Both Thalomid and Revlimid are sold through proprietary risk-management distribution programs to ensure safe and appropriate use of these pharmaceuticals. Vidaza is approved for the treatment of patients with MDS. Celgene also receives royalties from Novartis Pharma AG on sales of the entire Ritalin family of drugs, which are widely used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
