In order to add impetus to the rapid expansion of recent years, the Austrian pharmaceutical company AOP Orphan is strengthening its management team.

In order to add impetus to the rapid expansion of recent years, the Austrian pharmaceutical company AOP Orphan – a European pioneer in the field of rare diseases – is strengthening its management team, filling the newly created position of Commercial Director with Dr. Walter Erber (52). Furthermore, the previous Director Marketing & Sales, Dr. Georg Fischer, is moving to a new position and will develop the field of Strategic Business Development.

Dr. Rudolf Widmann, CEO of AOP Orphan: “With these steps, we are underpinning both our focus on marketing and sales and on strategic business development. We have been able to acquire an expert in emerging markets with Walter Erber, who will develop the potential available there with vigor. Georg Fischer, a long-standing part of the AOP Orphan team, is thus free to concentrate on business development, which comprises new markets, international medical affairs and health technology.”

Dr. Erber has 23 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry, and brings in-depth market know-how in addition to his expertise in medical science. In his previous position at Pfizer Nutrition and Wyeth Whitehall Export (a company of the Pfizer Group), he was responsible for the CEE and CIS markets for several years. At Baxter, where he worked for several years, his duties included global marketing and project management in the vaccination segment. In his years at Novo Nordisk, Dr. Erber – with a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Vienna – gained experience in the field of registration and medical information, as well as in ISO certification.