• Dr. Sang-Jin Pak takes over the management of the Biopharma business at Fresenius Kabi
• Dr. Michael Schönhofen, Head of Biopharma and member of the Fresenius Kabi Management Board, leaves the company after more than 30 successful years

Dr. Michael Schönhofen, Head of the Biopharma business on the Fresenius Kabi Management Board, will leave the company on June 30, 2024, after more than 30 successful years. His responsibilities will be taken over by Dr. Sang-Jin Pak. The Supervisory Board has appointed him to the Fresenius Kabi Management Board with effect from June 1, 2024, thus ensuring a smooth transition.

Michael Sen, Fresenius CEO and Chairman of the Fresenius Kabi Supervisory Board: “Biopharma performed excellently in the first quarter of this year. With the rapid launch of our biosimilar Tyenne for the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases in the EU and the USA, we have also recently achieved two major milestones. I would like to thank Dr. Michael Schönhofen from the bottom of my heart for his tireless commitment and his excellent work and wish him all the best for the future. At the same time, I am delighted that we have been able to appoint Dr. Sang-Jin Pak, a recognized and proven biopharma expert with extensive international management experience, to help us further develop the innovative strength and momentum of our Biopharma platform.”

“Dr. Michael Schönhofen has made an outstanding contribution to the expansion of our Biopharma business into one of the three #FutureFresenius growth platforms. The seamless transition at the top of our Biopharma platform will provide the continuity needed to further increase our innovative strength and momentum,” added Pierluigi Antonelli, Fresenius Kabi CEO and member of the Fresenius Management Board.

Dr. Michael Schönhofen began his career in 1991 as head of the dialyzers business unit at Fresenius Medical Care. After working in St. Wendel in Saarland, Germany and in Ogden, Utah, USA, where he was responsible for setting up the plant, he took over responsibility for the disposables business unit for Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America in 2000. Dr. Michael Schönhofen has been a member of the Fresenius Kabi Management Board since 2004.

Dr. Sang-Jin Pak will join the Fresenius Kabi Management Board on June 1, 2024, and will be based in Bad Homburg, Germany. Dr. Sang-Jin Pak joins the company from Samsung Bioepis, a leading biopharmaceutical company based in Seoul, Korea. He has been Executive Vice President of the Global Commercial business unit there since 2018. Prior to that, he was responsible for GlaxoSmithKline’s German business for five years and was Managing Director of AstraZeneca in Korea from 2010 to 2013. Dr. Sang-Jin Pak studied medicine at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and healthcare management at the universities of Mannheim and Heidelberg.

Fresenius, via its Operating Company Fresenius Kabi, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the company’s Biologics License Application (BLA) for its biosimilar candidate of Prolia® (denosumab) and Xgeva® (denosumab).

The denosumab biosimilar is indicated for the treatment of osteoporosis in men and women, including glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, and bone loss due to prostate or breast cancer.

This BLA submission acceptance is the latest development in Fresenius Kabi’s continuing commitment to improving patient access to high-quality biological products through expanding its biosimilars development capabilities and product portfolio. Expanding the company’s Biopharma platform is a substantial cornerstone of #FutureFresenius.

Prolia® and Xgeva® are registered trademarks of Amgen Inc.
 

Fresenius, via its Operating Company Fresenius Kabi, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the company’s Biologics License Application (BLA) for its biosimilar candidate of Prolia® (denosumab) and Xgeva® (denosumab).

The denosumab biosimilar is indicated for the treatment of osteoporosis in men and women, including glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, and bone loss due to prostate or breast cancer.

This BLA submission acceptance is the latest development in Fresenius Kabi’s continuing commitment to improving patient access to high-quality biological products through expanding its biosimilars development capabilities and product portfolio. Expanding the company’s Biopharma platform is a substantial cornerstone of #FutureFresenius.

Prolia® and Xgeva® are registered trademarks of Amgen Inc.

 

At today’s Annual General Meeting in Frankfurt am Main, the shareholders of Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA approved the proposals of the General Partner and the Supervisory Board by a large majority.

Wolfgang Kirsch, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, thanked the Management Board and emphasized Fresenius’ strong performance in extremely challenging geopolitical times. “Against this backdrop, Fresenius has performed well as a leading healthcare company compared to the competition and has improved significantly in operational terms.” He added that the #FutureFresenius program is strengthening Fresenius sustainably in the interests of all stakeholders. “The new Management Board team under the leadership of Michael Sen brings experience and complementary skills, team spirit and abilities, which will allow us to achieve the ambitious corporate goals and successfully implement #FutureFresenius,” said Kirsch.

CEO Michael Sen thanked the shareholders for supporting the #FutureFresenius journey, as well as the members of the Supervisory Board and Chairman Wolfgang Kirsch for their excellent cooperation. “We have successfully completed the first phases of #FutureFresenius and regained trust. We shall now tackle the remaining phases with motivation and optimism,” he stressed. 

A large majority of 99.84% of shareholders voted in favor of approving the annual financial statements. The shareholders approved the Compensation Report for the 2023 fiscal year by 93.06%. Large majorities of 96.48% and 95.90% respectively approved the actions of the Management Board and the Supervisory Board in 2023.

At the Annual General Meeting of Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA, 72.65% of the registered capital was represented.

• Fresenius is simpler, stronger, and more innovative due to #FutureFresenius
• Following a strong first quarter and higher expectations for the year as a whole, outlook improved at the beginning of May 
• First in-person Annual General Meeting since 2019
• Fresenius’ new brand identity reflects its restructuring

After an excellent start to the 2024 fiscal year, DAX 40 company Fresenius is looking to the future with confidence. “Our aim for the coming years is to now establish Fresenius as an economically successful, innovative healthcare company focused on modern therapies,” said CEO Michael Sen at this year’s Annual General Meeting on Friday in Frankfurt am Main. 

“2023 was a year of change and new beginnings here at Fresenius. We introduced our #FutureFresenius program to restructure our company, sharpen our focus, and continue successfully developing our company. We now want to tap into this positive momentum,” Sen stressed. The structural simplification, including the deconsolidation of Fresenius Medical Care and the exit from Vamed, as well as the focus on Fresenius Kabi and Fresenius Helios, is increasingly paying off. Both core businesses are growing profitably in highly attractive markets and were able to further increase their momentum in the first quarter of 2024. 

With the presentation of the financial figures for the first quarter, Fresenius raised the Group’s outlook¹ for the current fiscal year last week and now expects organic revenue growth of 4–7% and currency-adjusted EBIT growth of 6–10%.

¹ The adjustment of the Group outlook reflects the fact that the forecast now excludes Fresenius Vamed, i.e. it is exclusively for the operating companies Fresenius Kabi and Fresenius Helios.

“We have regained our strength at just the right time. The healthcare industry is currently growing robustly and reliably. Indeed, it is one of the most attractive sectors,” Sen said. To this end, Fresenius is focusing its business on three platforms, which together create a market potential of up to €1 trillion: (Bio)Pharma, which includes chemical and biological drugs and clinical nutrition, MedTech, i.e. medical technology, which increasingly involves a combination of hardware and software, and Care Provision, i.e. medical care, whether in-patient or outpatient, or at home. Sen emphasized: “We are close to the patients. And this is exactly what sets us apart from purely pharma and medtech companies. And also from tech companies based in Silicon Valley.”

This proximity to the patients is also demonstrated by innovative products that enhance the medical quality and efficiency of care. Fresenius Kabi recently achieved two major milestones with the market launch of the biosimilar Tyenne for the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases in the EU and the USA. In Fresenius Helios hospitals, highly precise and tissue-friendly surgical robots assist in minimally invasive procedures. These robots are operated by a doctor by hand control and pedal. A total of 20 Da Vinci surgical robots are currently used at Helios hospitals in Germany.

Fresenius introduced a fresh and modernized brand identity at the Annual General Meeting. With its new slogan “Committed to Life”, Fresenius aims to be recognized as a leading healthcare company offering world-class therapies and improving people’s lives.

This year’s Annual General Meeting is the first in-person Fresenius shareholder meeting since 2019. Several hundred shareholders were expected to attend the Annual General Meeting at Messe Frankfurt.