Orthopedic World’s Sudden Loss: Max Link, Ph.D.

Max E. Link, Ph.D., a veteran of the device industry, has passed away unexpectedly at the age of 74. Dr. Link was chairman of the board of directors of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He was also serving as a director and the chairman of the board of directors at Celsion Corporation, as well as chairman of the board of directors at CytRx Corporation.

Leonard Bell, M.D., chairman and chief executive officer of Alexion, said of his old friend, “Max’s career was especially unique because he drove innovation on behalf of patients across so many areas of healthcare, including medical devices, pharmaceuticals—and Alexion’s field, biotechnology. We were very fortunate to have had Max as a key member of our Board of Directors since our inception in 1992, and as Chairman since 2002. In our earlier years, Max provided invaluable guidance during the many challenges we faced as a biotech startup. As Chairman, he was a key guide in our transition from a development-stage company to our current multinational commercial platform, where we serve patients with life-threatening disorders across nearly 50 countries.”

“Max was committed to, and excited by, innovation. Likewise, he was a strong believer in the power of entrepreneurship and saw this as a vital engine for meeting patients’ needs. Beyond the wisdom and broad, global experience he brought to his role as a business leader, Max had the gifts of being a true friend, mentor, confidant and guide. Most importantly, he helped to drive the development of a wide array of innovative therapies—our own and those of other companies—that are in use every day, and benefitting patients around the world.”

Dr. Link served as Amedica Corporation’s chairman of the board of directors from October 2003 until his retirement in August 2014.

Sonny Bal, M.D. chairman and CEO of Amedica, said of Dr. Link, “He was a very private, quiet, and decent man…a gentleman. I really liked Max, and I had a lot of respect for him. He had a thoughtful, nuanced approach to problems, as well as a calm and reflective demeanor. He was always a class act.”

Michael Houston, director of investor relations at Amedica, noted, “Dr. Link believed in Amedica from the beginning, and his board leadership allowed us to achieve the credibility and success necessary to execute on our mission to improve patient outcomes by providing innovative medical devices which utilize our proprietary silicon nitride technology. He commanded respect from the healthcare community and was very instrumental in helping us mature our strategic relationships from the beginning.”

Gregg Honigblum, managing director at Westlake Securities noted, “Max was one of the most intelligent and respected icons in the healthcare field. He treated people with the greatest respect ‎and never had a bad word to say about anyone. His integrity was his greatest attribute and he will be truly missed.”

Dr. Link held a number of top leadership positions with Sandoz Pharmaceuticals (now Novartis), including serving as chairman of the board of Sandoz Pharma, Ltd., CEO of Sandoz Pharma, and a member of the Executive Board of Sandoz, Ltd., Basel. In addition, he served as CEO of Corange, Ltd., the parent company of Boehringer Mannheim Therapeutics, Boehringer Mannheim Diagnostics and DePuy Orthopedics. More recently, Dr. Link had served as chairman and CEO of Centerpulse AG, a medical implant company later acquired by Zimmer Holdings, Inc. He was actively involved as a director in numerous development-stage companies within the biopharmaceutical and medical device fields. Dr. Link earned a Ph.D. in economics from University of St. Gallen (Switzerland).