Henri Termeer

Henri A. Termeer (February 28, 1946 – May 12, 2017) was a Dutch biotechnology executive and entrepreneur. He served as CEO at Genzyme from 1981 to 2011. Termeer created a business model, subsequently adopted by others in the industry, based on charging high prices for therapies for rare genetic disorders affecting children, known as orphan diseases. Genzyme used biological processes to manufacture drugs that were not easily copied by generic drug manufacturers. The drugs were protected by orphan drug acts, limiting competition and ensuring coverage by publicly funded insurers. As CEO of Genzyme, he developed corporate strategies for growth including optimizing institutional embeddedness, nurturing networks of influential groups and clusters: doctors, private equity, patient-groups, insurance, healthcare umbrella organizations, state and local government, and alumni. Termeer was "connected to 311 board members in 17 different organizations across 20 different industries".^: 296

Termeer was named as one of the top 50 people who have advanced rare disease research, in a list produced by Terrapin for the World Orphan Drug Congress. The congress described him as an "inspiration and pioneer", many of whose protégés have gone on to lead other successful companies in the rare disease and biotech sector.