Jeremy Levin

Jeremy Levin (born 1954) is a South African-born businessman, medical doctor and research scientist. Levin has been recognized for his accomplishments in the biopharmaceutical industry, being named one of the most influential people in the industry.^[1]

Career

Levin is the Chairman and CEO of Ovid Therapeutics Inc., a company dedicated to providing innovative medicines to children and adults with neurological disorders.^[2][3] Ovid’s initial product development programs are focused on orphan and rare diseases of the brain, including Angelman syndrome and Fragile X syndrome.

Prior to joining Ovid, Levin served as President and CEO of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE:TEVA), one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.^[4][5] Previously, he was a member of the Executive Committee of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY), where he had global responsibilities for strategy, alliances and transactions.^[6] In this role, he devised and led BMY’s “String of Pearls” business development strategy. This strategy helped drive the transformation of BMY, particularly following the acquisition by Levin of Medarex Inc. in July 2009, which positioned BMY as a leader in immunooncology.^[7][8][9] Prior to this, Levin was Head of Global Business Development and Strategic Alliances at Novartis (NYSE: NVS), and previously served as Chairman and CEO of Cadus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.^[10][11]

Levin currently serves on the Boards of Biocon LTD and ZappRx.^[12][13][14] Levin is a frequent speaker at biopharmaceutical conferences where his focus is driving deeper and more direct relationships between companies and patients, ensuring innovation in the biopharmaceutical industry, expanding the role of mergers and acquisitions, globalizing the biopharmaceutical industry, and propelling interface of the digital health and biopharmaceutical industries and leadership.^[15]

Early life

Levin was born in South Africa, where his family had a farm, De Hoek Farm, in Piketberg, Western Cape. Following the Sharpeville Massacre, he left South Africa and moved to live in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe). His father was a political journalist, who in 1965, was given a day to leave the country. Levin, his mother and brother followed some time later eventually settling in London England where he completed his undergraduate, graduate and medical degrees. Prior to his business experience Levin practiced medicine, working at university hospitals including the Hammersmith Hospital in London, Groote Schuur in Cape Town, South Africa and Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland. Levin, who lives in the USA, has previously lived in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Great Britain, Switzerland and Israel. In 1986, Levin came to America and where he has worked in the biopharmaceutical industry in progressively senior positions.

Education

Levin was educated first in South Africa and then Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). As a teenager, his family moved to London, where he attended Holland Park School. Following graduating from high school, Levin went to Wadham College, University of Oxford, where he gained a First Class BA Honors degree in Zoology, and a Masters of Arts (MA) and doctorate (DPhil) in cell biology and chromatin structure from the Oxford University's Sir William Dunn School of Pathology. He subsequently received an MB, BChir degree (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) from the University of Cambridge.

Personal life

Levin married Margery Feldberg (daughter of Stanley Feldberg, co-founder of TJX Companies) in 1987 and has two daughters. He is the brother of David Levin, CEO of McGraw-Hill Education. He is also the brother of Michal Levin. Levin's mother, Leah Levin OBE, is Hon. Doctor of the University of Essex.^[16] She served on the board of the United Nations Association, Anti-Slavery and International Alert, and was Director of JUSTICE from 1982-1992.^[17] Ms. Levin also served on Boards of Redress, Readers International, and the International Journal of Human Rights.^[18]She is the author of UNESCO’s "Human Rights: Questions and Answers," one the world’s widely disseminated books on human rights.^[19]

Honours

Levin is the recipient of a number of awards, including:

• FierceBiotech’s one of the most influential people in biopharma^[20]
• The Kermode Prize for work on novel hypertension drugs^[21]
• The Albert Einstein Award for Leadership in Life Sciences^[22]
• The B'nai B'rith Award for Distinguished Achievement for commitment to improving global health care^[23]
• The Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary^[24]

References