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Orlando Oliveira
Santhera Pharmaceuticals has appointed Orlando Oliveira as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
He will succeed Dario Eklund, who will step down after more than six and a half years in the role and will remain available during a transition period to ensure an orderly handover.
Mr. Oliveira brings more than 25 years of global pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience, with a strong track record across specialty pharmaceuticals, oncology, rare diseases, and orphan drugs. He has extensive expertise in building high-performing commercial organizations, driving international expansion, and executing strategic transactions across the full commercial value chain, including market access, medical affairs, marketing, business development, and cross-functional leadership across multiple global regions.
He currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer of Zenas BioPharma, where he is also a member of the Executive Committee. In this role, he has contributed to the company’s NASDAQ IPO, financing activities, and strategic licensing transactions. Previously, he held senior leadership positions at Mirati Therapeutics, Agios Pharmaceuticals, TESARO, Cubist, and Amgen.
Mr. Eklund joined Santhera as CEO on December 1, 2019, and led a major strategic and financial transformation of the company. Under his leadership, Santhera transitioned into a focused commercial-stage rare disease company centered on AGAMREE® (vamorolone). Key milestones during his tenure include securing regulatory approvals for AGAMREE in the U.S. (FDA, October 2023), Europe (EC, December 2023), and the UK (MHRA, January 2024), as well as enabling launches in Europe and the U.S. in 2024. He also strengthened the company’s financial and operational foundation and expanded global partnerships with Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Sperogenix, and Nxera Pharma.
Together, these developments established Santhera as a commercial-stage rare disease company with an approved global product and a strengthened platform for future growth.
