Synthes Chairman Emeritus Becomes Adviser to Osiris Therapeutics

Hansjörg Wyss, former Synthes Inc. chairman, has agreed to serve as strategic advisor to Columbia, Md.-based Osiris Therapeutics Inc.

“I’m extremely pleased that Mr. Wyss is advising us,” said Peter Friedli, board chairman at Osiris Therapeutics. “His knowledge and experience in creating great companies in the healthcare industry is unmatched and Osiris will undoubtedly benefit from his contribution.”

“When I look at Osiris, I see a company with a tremendous opportunity to impact regenerative medicine,” said Wyss. “I look forward to working with members of the board and the management team to help deliver on its potential.”

Wyss served as chairman of the board of directors of Synthes from its founding in 1999 until the company was sold to Johnson & Johnson in 2012. From 1977 to 2007, he was CEO of Synthes and its predecessor organization. In 2004, Wyss was awarded his first honorary doctorate from the University of Basel, Switzerland, and in 2005 was honored with another honorary doctorate from Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg, Austria. In 2009, he was awarded a third honorary doctorate of Engineering by Clemson University in South Carolina and a fourth in 2013 by the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Wyss holds an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School in Boston, Mass., and a Master of Science degree in Civil and Structural Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

Founded in 1992, Osiris Therapeutics is a stem cell company that makes a viable bone matrix as well as products for acute and chronic wounds and cartilage repair.