ROCK HILL, South Carolina, August 8, 2022 – 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) today announced the appointment of Alex M. Azar II, former United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, as the third member of the company’s recently established Medical Advisory Board (MAB). Secretary Azar will join Dr. Stephen Klasko, former President and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, and Dr. David Shulkin, former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, as members of the MAB, the primary mission of which is to provide strategic input, guidance, and recommendations for the company’s expanding efforts in regenerative medicine.
Secretary Alex Azar
Secretary Azar is a globally recognized leader in healthcare, having built a distinguished record of success in both the public and private sectors. His executive leadership roles include serving as President of the U.S. Division of Eli Lilly and Company, one of the largest and most successful healthcare companies in the world, and a recognized leader in the discovery, development, and commercialization of pharmaceutical products that have improved the lives of countless people around the globe. In conjunction with his leadership role at Eli Lilly, Secretary Azar also served on the Board of Directors of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the world’s largest advocacy organization representing the biotechnology industry.
In addition to his leadership in the private sector, Secretary Azar has also had a long and distinguished record of public service. He was appointed General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2001, being unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. After four years of distinguished service as General Counsel, he was nominated to be the Deputy Secretary of HHS and again was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. Based on his exceptional experience and success in these roles, Secretary Azar was later nominated and confirmed as the 24th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. With oversight responsibility for critical public health organizations such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Secretary Azar was a recognized champion for improving the health and wellbeing of all Americans, ranging from healthcare accessibility and safety to the effective use of new medical technology to improve patient outcomes and reduce the cost of care. Included among Secretary Azar’s many accomplishments as HHS Secretary was his role as one of the architects of Operation Warp Speed, a public-private partnership initiated by the U.S. Government that greatly accelerated the development and manufacturing of multiple, highly effective COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics that proved critical to the global effort to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commenting on Secretary Azar’s appointment, Dr. Jeffrey Graves, president and CEO of 3D Systems stated, “We are honored and delighted to have Secretary Azar join our Medical Advisory Board. As a recognized champion for innovation in both pharmaceuticals and medical devices, he will be a tremendous resource in furthering our efforts in regenerative medicine. With the rapid progress we are making in our ability to print vascularized human tissue, we are entering an exciting phase of demonstrating efficacy in a broad range of human organ and non-organ applications, and for use in drug discovery where the objective is to shorten the time to market for new drug therapies and reduce dependency on animal testing. With his unique background in each of these key areas, I am certain that Secretary Azar’s contributions will be highly impactful.”
In commenting on his appointment, Secretary Azar stated, “Technological innovation has the capability to dramatically improve healthcare outcomes and 3D Systems’ efforts in regenerative medicine offer potential for improving lives in ways that were difficult to imagine just a few years ago. I am honored and excited to have this opportunity to advise the company as they push the boundaries of healthcare innovation and build a world-class regenerative medicine business.”
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this release that are not statements of historical or current facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from historical results or from any future results or projections expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In many cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "may," "will," "estimates," "intends," "anticipates" or "plans" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based upon management’s beliefs, assumptions, and current expectations and may include comments as to the company’s beliefs and expectations as to future events and trends affecting its business and are necessarily subject to uncertainties, many of which are outside the control of the company. The factors described under the headings "Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the company’s periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other factors, could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected or predicted in forward-looking statements. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not, and should not be relied upon as a guarantee of future performance or results, nor will they necessarily prove to be accurate indications of the times at which such performance or results will be achieved. The forward-looking statements included are made only as of the date of the statement. 3D Systems undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements made by management or on its behalf, whether as a result of future developments, subsequent events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law.
About 3D Systems
More than 35 years ago, 3D Systems brought the innovation of 3D printing to the manufacturing industry. Today, as the leading additive manufacturing solutions partner, we bring innovation, performance, and reliability to every interaction - empowering our customers to create products and business models never before possible. Thanks to our unique offering of hardware, software, materials, and services, each application-specific solution is powered by the expertise of our application engineers who collaborate with customers to transform how they deliver their products and services. 3D Systems’ solutions address a variety of advanced applications in healthcare and industrial markets such as medical and dental, aerospace & defense, automotive, and durable goods. More information on the company is available at www.3dsystems.com.