BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nasdaq: BMRN) announced that the company has appointed Robert Plenge MD., Ph.D., to the company’s Board of Directors, effective September 10, 2026.
Robert Plenge MD on Advancements in Genetic Research
Dr. Plenge is Executive Vice President, Chief Research Officer and Head of Research at Bristol Myers Squibb, where he leads the organization’s scientific work across nine research sites worldwide. He joined Bristol Myers Squibb in November 2019 as part of its acquisition of Celgene Corp., where he served as vice president of the immunology and inflammation portfolio in research and early development. Before Celgene, Dr. Plenge was vice president and head of translational medicine at Merck & Co. Earlier in his career, he served as an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an associate member of the Broad Institute. Dr. Plenge serves on the boards of Alltrna and the PhRMA Foundation.
“Robert has spent his career at the leading edge of human genetics and drug discovery and will bring an important scientific perspective to our Board as we develop our research capability and expand our pipeline in genetic conditions to advance new medicines for people living with rare diseases,” said Alexander Hardy, President and Chief Executive Officer of BioMarin. “Beyond his deep expertise as a researcher and physician, he has significant experience in the pharmaceutical industry, which will prove tremendously valuable to BioMarin. I am pleased to welcome Robert to this new role.”
Dr. Plenge received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, San Diego.
“BioMarin’s innovation over the past three decades has led to the development and approval of six first-in-disease medicines for people with rare genetic conditions,” said Dr. Plenge. “This is an impressive track record of scientific excellence, and I look forward to working with the Board and management team to build on that success for more patients around the world.”
