[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 186 (Thursday, December 6, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2518-E2519]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING THE RETIREMENT OF DAVID J. WILLIAMS AS CHAIRMAN AND 
   PRESIDENT OF SANOFI PASTEUR AND HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE VACCINE 
                                INDUSTRY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 6, 2007

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask you and my esteemed 
colleagues in the House of Representatives to recognize David J. 
Williams of Scranton, PA, for his lifetime accomplishments and his 
extraordinary contributions to the vaccine industry in the United 
States.
  On January 16, 2008, after 30 years of service, David J. Williams 
will retire as the chairman, president and chief executive officer of 
Sanofi Pasteur.
  Mr. Williams, born in Scranton, PA, received his accounting degree 
from the University of Scranton in 1973 and joined Connaught 
Laboratories in 1978 as the manager of financial services.
  As a member of the executive team, Mr. Williams distinguished himself 
as a leader willing to make courageous decisions to build the vaccine 
industry, and he was named chief operating officer of Connaught 
Laboratories in 1989.
  Mr. Williams successfully steered the company through several mergers 
and acquisitions. As an organization that began with just 100 employees 
and sales of just over $5 million in 1978, Connaught eventually merged 
with today's sanofi pasteur, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer 
with 11,000 employees and more than $4 billion in sales in 2007.
  Under Mr. Williams' guidance, more than a billion doses of Sanofi 
Pasteur's lifesaving vaccines were administered to more than 500 
million people around the world each year, representing more than 25% 
of the global vaccine market.
  Mr. Williams encouraged innovation and he has been at the forefront 
of the development of many of the world's vaccines, including the 
world's first licensed conjugate and combination vaccines, vaccines to 
protect against meningitis and Haemophilus influenza type B, and most 
recently, a vaccine to combat avian influenza.
  Mr. Williams recognized his company's ability to address current and 
future public health needs by investing in a robust research and 
development program and an ambitious production plan for pandemic 
preparedness in the event that a public health emergency strikes the 
United States.
  Mr. Williams has been a visionary in the vaccine industry, building 
the domestic infrastructure necessary to protect millions of Americans 
from deadly diseases and showing a commitment to vaccines that goes 
beyond his own company to the broader industry and to public health 
around the world.
  Mr. Williams, in his dedication to the larger immunization community, 
created the Vaccine Policy Committee of the Pharmaceutical Research and 
Manufacturers of America and is a founding member of the Partnership 
for Prevention, a leading organization of public and private sector 
representatives who focus on preventative health care policies.
  Mr. Williams served as the first liaison member of the Advisory 
Committee on Immunization Practices to the U.S. Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, which sets immunization policy in the United 
States.
  Mr. Williams also served on the board of directors of the 
Biotechnology Industry Organization, Blue Cross of Northeastern 
Pennsylvania, and on the Board of Regents of the University of 
Scranton. He is also one of the founding Board Members of the Medical 
Education Development Consortium.
  Mr. Williams cultivated a culture of community involvement at sanofi 
pasteur and demonstrated a commitment to philanthropy through the 
company's contributions to United Way and donations of vaccines through 
UNICEF, the Global Alliance for Vaccines Immunization, GAVI, the World 
Health Organization's Global Polio Eradication Initiative and various 
humanitarian relief efforts.
  Mr. Williams has been committed to the economic growth and 
development of Northeastern Pennsylvania and to expanding the campus in 
Swiftwater to maintain a domestic manufacturing base for many vaccines, 
including influenza. Under his guidance, sanofi pasteur grew to become 
the largest private employer in Monroe County and a purchaser of over 
$145 million in goods and services from Pennsylvania-based vendors.
  It has been a pleasure working with Dave over the years as his 
company expanded not only in Monroe County, but also in Scranton, his 
hometown. He has made an enormous contribution to his community, and on 
behalf of all my constituents, I would like to express my gratitude.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in recognizing Mr. Williams for his 
distinguished career and extraordinary leadership as chairman, 
president and chief executive officer of sanofi pasteur and for his 
tireless efforts toward the advancement of immunizations and the 
eradication of vaccine preventable diseases.

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