[Updated: 10:20 pm, 4/15/11]Â ImClone Systems is the biotech company that Martha Stewart made famous, but after the scandalous headlines faded away, it has left a lasting imprint on New York.
The ImClone story has been told many times over, about the 2001 insider trading allegation that ended up landing both ImClone CEO Sam Waksal and his famous friend in jail. Both of them are now back doing their thing—Martha at her eponymous home lifestyle company, and Waksal as the CEO of a New York-based biotech startup called Kadmon Pharmaceuticals.
Despite the initial FDA rejection that led to the insider trading scandal, and a string of embarrassing revelations about the company, ImClone actually bounced back to live up to its promise. The company, founded in 1984, won FDA clearance to start selling its targeted antibody drug for colorectal cancer, cetuximab (Erbitux) in 2004. The drug caught on with cancer physicians around the world, generating $1.3 billion in worldwide sales in 2007. ImClone, after initially rebuffing a takeover offer from its partner Bristol-Myers Squibb, agreed to be acquired for a richer bid of $70 a share, or $6.5 billion, by Eli Lilly (NYSE: [[ticker:LLY]]) in October 2008.
Lilly agreed to keep the ImClone name alive, and about two years after the acquisition, Lilly said it is moving 140 ImClone scientists into a high-profile biotech development along New York’s East River. But ImClone said it had 1,128 employees in its last annual report, with almost 1,000 of them at its New Jersey facilities, and the rest in its New York headquarters. Where are they now?
To get a sense of the kind of legacy the company still has today, I’ve put together a directory with links to help alumni connect and re-connect. Many have stayed at ImClone, but quite a few have moved on. This alphabetical list includes not just the Waksals, but also the anonymous folks who did much of the work to make ImClone into what it was. The list includes 143 names at last count.
Now here’s the part where you can help. If you or someone you know would like to be included, please send me a note. If you see any information below that’s out of date or incorrect, let me know and I’ll fix it. You can reach me at [email protected].
Over time, I hope this story can become a richer and more valuable resource for ImClone alumni. Here’s the list in alphabetical order, with the most updated titles and affiliations I found online.
Michael Bailey, chief commercial officer, Aveo Pharmaceuticals
Tony Barberio, assistant vice president of facilities, ImClone Systems, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly
Michael Barry, vice president of process development-downstream, ImClone Systems, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly
Brian Batchelder, chief financial officer, ImClone Systems, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly
Carole Beer, vice president of global quality, ImClone Systems, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly
Meghna Bhatt, human resources specialist I, ImClone Systems, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly
Peter Bohlen, biotechnology consultant
Christine Bonacci, senior director, metrology, ImClone Systems, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly
Peter Borzilleri, financial consultant, New York City Apparel Company
