DUBLIN, Ireland, Nov. 30, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Horizon Pharma plc (NASDAQ:HZNP), a biopharmaceutical company focused on improving patients’ lives by identifying, developing, acquiring and commercializing differentiated medicines that address unmet medical needs, today named Shao-Lee Lin, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president, research and development and chief scientific officer reporting directly to Timothy P. Walbert, chairman, president and chief executive officer.  Dr. Lin will join Horizon in early January 2018.

“Shao-Lee has exceptional experience and a proven track record of developing new medicines and shares Horizon’s focus on improving patient outcomes,” said Walbert.  “As we accelerate the development of a robust research and development portfolio of medicines, we have a new leader to drive the next phase of growth for Horizon.”

Dr. Lin is an accomplished pharmaceutical executive, physician and scientist with more than 20 years of academic and clinical research experience.  Prior to Horizon, Dr. Lin was a corporate officer and vice president, therapeutic areas, development excellence and international development at AbbVie.  In that role, she led immunology, virology, neuroscience and general medicine, across on-market and pipeline compounds as well as international development across all therapeutic areas.

“I’ve committed my career to developing medicines that have a meaningful impact on patients’ lives,” said Dr. Lin.  “I’m impressed by Horizon’s rapid growth and its strategy for evolution from primary care, with a focus on marketed medicines, to diversifying into rare diseases and rheumatology and now committed to the next stage in its transformation of building a robust and sustainable research and development portfolio.”

Prior to AbbVie, Dr. Lin was vice president, inflammation and respiratory development at Gilead.  She also held leadership positions in immunology and other therapeutic areas while at Amgen.

Dr. Lin received her medical degree and doctorate at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed fellowships and post-doctoral work in rheumatology, allergy and immunology at the University of California San Diego and The Scripps Clinic and Research Institute.  She received a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and chemical engineering from Rice University.  Dr. Lin has also been faculty as a Clinical Scholar at the Rockefeller University, and adjunct faculty at Cornell, UCLA, Stanford and Northwestern medical schools.

About Horizon Pharma plc
Horizon Pharma plc is a biopharmaceutical company focused on improving patients' lives by identifying, developing, acquiring and commercializing differentiated and accessible medicines that address unmet medical needs.  The Company markets 11 medicines through its orphan, rheumatology and primary care business units.  For more information, please visit www.horizonpharma.com.  Follow @HZNPplc on Twitter, like us on Facebook or view careers on our LinkedIn page.

Contacts:
Tina Ventura
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations
Investor-relations@horizonpharma.com

Ruth Venning
Executive Director, Investor Relations
Investor-relations@horizonpharma.com

U.S. Media Contact:
Geoffrey Curtis
Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Chief Communications Officer
media@horizonpharma.com

Ireland Media Contact:
Ray Gordon
Gordon MRM 
ray@gordonmrm.ie

Source: Horizon Pharma plc