Harvey Berger

Berger received his B.A. in Biology from Colgate University in 1972 and received his M.D. from Yale School of Medicine in 1977.[1][2] He completed further medical and research training at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Yale-New Haven Hospital.[2]

From 1986 until 1991, Berger held executive management positions at Centocor, Inc. including executive vice president and president of the Research and Development Division.[3] He led the development of Remicade® (infliximab), formerly known as Centara, a drug for the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid arthritis, ReoPro® (abciximab), formerly known as CentoRx, a drug for the prevention of ischemic complications in patients with CAD undergoing percutaneous interventions,[4][5] and the cancer diagnostic test, CA125, to evaluate patients with ovarian cancer.[6][7]

In 1991, Berger founded ARIAD Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[8][9] He served as chairman and CEO from 1991 to 2015.[9][2] In 1992, ARIAD raised $46 million, the largest single round of financing for a startup in the biotechnology industry at the time.[10] ARIAD's plan was to develop drugs that would interfere with communication signals within cells, rather than on the cell surface or in between cells.[10] In 1994, ARIAD filed for an initial public offering and was listed on the NASDAQ market.[11][12]

In 2000, Berger focused ARIAD on oncology, based on recent discoveries in the human genome.[13] Under Berger's leadership, ARIAD grew to over 365 U.S. employees and established a European headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.[14][15]

While Berger was CEO, ARIAD developed five new medicines including the blood-cancer drug Iclusig, Brigatinib, a lung cancer treatment and AP32788 (now known as TAK788), a new medicine for lung cancer with novel mutated genetic targets.[9][16]

Brigatinib is approved for use in the U.S.[17] and Europe,[18][19] and TAK788 is continuing a global phase 3 trial.[20]

At the end of 2015, Berger retired from ARIAD and became an advisor to the board of directors.[9][21] In early 2017, ARIAD was acquired by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. for $5.2 billion, becoming part of Takeda Oncology.[22]

In February 2017, Medinol, Inc. announced that Berger would be serving as its executive chairman.[23] On the global management team, his focuses at Medinol would include business management, global strategy, new business and technology initiatives, as well as improving operational efficiency as the company expands worldwide.[24][3] Berger's role at Medinol was said to include working with their core business of interventional cardiovascular devices, along with its new businesses developing percutaneous aortic valves, sub-millimeter implantable sensors, and related products.[24] He retired from Medinol at the end of 2018.[25] In 2019, Berger retired as chairman and chief executive officer emeritus of ARIAD.[25]

Berger has served on the Board of Trustees at Concord Academy.[26]

Berger has held senior academic and administrative roles at Emory University, Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania.[3][24] He was also a member of the Dean's Council of Yale University School of Medicine.[2] During his time at Emory, Berger led a program for developing cardiovascular single-photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) imaging, supported by General Electric Medical Systems.[27] He and other colleagues at Emory collaborated on the development of new quantitative techniques for cardiac SPECT imaging.[28]

Berger has contributed to a wide range of medical journals including the New England Journal of Medicine and American Journal of Cardiology,[29][30] and has been interviewed by Fox Business[31][32][33][34] and CNBC.[35] He was also an established investigator of the American Heart Association.[3]

In 2013, Berger was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the New England Region. The award recognizes success in innovation, financial performance, personal commitment to their business communities and other areas.[36] Also in 2013, Berger was awarded a Gold Stevie Award.[37][38]

Berger resides in Palm Beach, Florida, with his wife Chrysanthi and their two daughters, Isabella Grace Berger and Nicole Elizabeth Berger, an actress.[39][40] Harvey and Chrysanthi Berger have supported the Palm Beach Day Academy, the American Cancer Society, and the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute.[41][42][43] In February 2018, Berger was appointed to the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute Board of Trustees, the governing board of the organization.[44]