Dr. Andreas Orfanos assumes overall responsibility for many of Neurochem's activities including research and development, as well as drug development and global strategic planning. Dr. Orfanos came to Neurochem in October 2004 and brings close to 25 years of extensive and solid experience in the healthcare, medical and pharmaceutical fields. Dr. Orfanos began his career launching and managing private hospitals in South Africa with Lifecare (Pty) Ltd. In 1987, he joined Sandoz Products as Medical Director. He was then transferred to Sandoz Canada (now Novartis) in 1991, where he led the R&D department and in 1993 established the first business unit within Sandoz worldwide. Within Novartis, he served as Vice President of the Specialty Business, during which he launched the oncology business and ensured double-digit sales growth in neurology, immunology and oncology before leading the company's Strategic Planning and New Product Development. For the past two years, Dr. Orfanos held the position of Vice President at Picchio Pharma, responsible for identifying, evaluating and determining business opportunities in the biotechnology field. Dr. Orfanos holds a medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, where in 1984 he also obtained his MBA.