Sandoz announced the creation of a new global biosimilar development, manufacturing, and supply unit as the Swiss medicines maker prepares to capitalize on a wave of biologic drugs losing patent protection over the next decade.
The Basel-based company said the move is intended to sharpen organizational focus as medicines worth more than $650 billion are expected to lose exclusivity during what executives describe as a “golden decade” for biosimilars. By consolidating biosimilar development, manufacturing, and supply under a single leadership structure, Sandoz aims to accelerate growth in the segment while reinforcing its high-volume generics business.
Industry veteran Armin Metzger will lead the new global unit when he joins the company on April 1, 2026, as president of biosimilar development, manufacturing, and supply. Metzger will also become a member of the Sandoz Executive Committee.
Metzger joins Sandoz from Ferring Pharmaceuticals, where he most recently served as executive vice president and chief technical operations officer. Prior to that, he spent nearly two decades in leadership roles in technology and science at Merck KGaA and Merck Serono. He holds an MSc and PhD in biochemistry from the University of Bayreuth.
The new structure centralizes responsibility for biosimilar development, manufacturing and supply under a single executive committee leader to enable faster decision-making and clearer ownership while supporting Sandoz’s strategy of vertically integrating biosimilar capabilities across the company.
As part of the reorganization, Claire D’Abreu-Hayling, currently chief scientific officer, will become president of generics development while retaining the chief scientific officer role. Glenn Gerecke, currently chief manufacturing and supply officer, will serve as president of generics manufacturing and supply. Both will remain members of the executive committee.
Sandoz said the changes will enable more tailored approaches to its generics business, which focuses on lower-cost, higher-volume medicines and remains a central component of the company’s long-term strategy. Generic medicines accounted for about 70% of Sandoz’s net sales globally in 2025 and represent an even larger share by volume.
In a separate organizational adjustment, Thomas Weigold, country head for Sandoz Germany, will report to Christophe Delenta, president of Europe, beginning April 1, 2026. Germany’s representation on the executive committee will therefore be integrated at the regional European level.
The company said the organizational changes will not affect its 2026 financial guidance, medium-term outlook or financial reporting.
KEY QUOTE:
“We stand today at the start of an unprecedented ‘golden decade’ for patient access, with medicines worth more than USD 650 billion dollars set to lose exclusivity over the next 10 years. As the global leader in affordable medicines and the pioneer of biosimilars, Sandoz is determined to capture this opportunity and deliver strong, sustainable growth. Today’s announcement marks a concrete step towards achieving that goal. Sandoz is uniquely positioned for success thanks to its leading position across both biosimilar and generic medicines. However, despite their many synergies, the two parts of the business have different development, manufacturing and supply requirements, as well as increasingly divergent market dynamics. This change will enable us to focus our efforts more sharply on accelerating biosimilar growth while further strengthening our generic operations to increase our competitive edge.”
Richard Saynor, CEO, Sandoz
