Helsinn has recently entered one of the most consequential transformations in its history. As it prepares for a new transition at the helm of the company, Executive Chairman Riccardo Braglia and outgoing Group CEO Melanie Rolli reflect on a period marked by strategic separation, operational reinvention, and renewed therapeutic ambition. From navigating a near-collapse to redefining the company’s role in oncology and rare diseases, their account is a study in resilience, clarity, and conviction.
From next January 2026, Riccardo Braglia will return as Group CEO of Helsinn, together with Gabriele Braglia as Chief Business Officer, to drive the company into its next chapter, leveraging its unique culture of science, care, and humanity, always focused on patients.
In uncertain times, a strong sense of culture and values can help organisations survive and thrive. That is certainly the case at Helsinn, which, under the stewardship of the founding Braglia family, has long stood apart from its competitors through a dedication to charity and integrity.
Riccardo Braglia describes philanthropy and patient advocacy as “fundamental to how we define our purpose as a healthcare company,” adding that “while commercial success is vital, it is a means to an end; the end being better care, better outcomes, and lasting support for those we serve.”
Internationally, Braglia serves on the board of the Conquer Cancer Foundation in the US, supporting fundraising and early-stage research, and has also participated in the CEO Roundtable on Cancer. At home in Ticino, he is involved in the Helmut Horten Foundation, focusing on transformative research, while the Braglias also run family foundations around art and education in Africa respectively.
“Riccardo’s vision for combining scientific innovation with social impact continues to shape the company at every level,” reflects Dr Melanie Rolli, who joined Helsinn in 2022 and has led a company-wide strategic and operational transformation since becoming CEO in 2023. “His deep commitment to patients and the broader oncology community is reflected not only in the values we uphold but also in how we operate day to day.”
These values have held firm in the face of strong headwinds. Notably, in the early 2020s, to move beyond its primary field of oncology supportive care, Helsinn began to bring in early-stage assets that treated cancer itself, established a US R&D hub, and hired Rolli as CEO to prepare for a listing on the Nasdaq stock exchange.
In what Braglia calls a “perfect storm” of product setbacks, leadership challenges, the war in Ukraine, and his own battle with leukaemia, Helsinn withdrew its Nasdaq listing plans and came close to collapse. Yet Rolli – a physician and 20-year Swiss biopharma veteran – stayed the course, driven by the opportunity to lead the company’s renewal.
“Leading a family-owned company like Helsinn is a uniquely intense and rewarding experience, defined by speed, resilience, and shared purpose,” she notes. “Having worked in both large pharma and biotech, I’ve learned that what sets Helsinn apart is the long-term commitment to work through uncertainty rather than walk away from it.”
With the Braglia family’s strategic and financial support Rolli has led a restructuring effort to restore financial stability and refocus on Helsinn’s historic strengths.
A hallmark of the restructuring was the creation of three independent entities: Helsinn, focused on oncology supportive care; Healthcare Advanced Synthesis (HAS), an oncology-focused CDMO; and 3B Future Health, a biotech venture fund.
Rolli feels that the success of the transformation was down to “an unflinching focus on our strategic goal and a relentless commitment to transparent, inclusive communication. We never wavered from our vision, and we brought people with us, explaining each decision and how it contributed to a more stable, future-ready organisation.”
The past three years have reaffirmed the value of Helsinn’s core expertise in supportive care and its strength as an in-licenser of late-stage therapies. While the company is no longer engaging in broad-indication cancer treatments or acquiring early-stage assets, both Braglia and Rolli are keen to highlight the myriad opportunities ahead.
“Cancer supportive care addresses aspects of the treatment journey that are too often overlooked,” says Rolli. “Our ambition has never been limited to prolonging life but has consistently embraced the broader imperative of preserving its quality.”
As therapies become more potent and chronic, this need only grows – a reality Braglia understands personally.
“My own experience as a patient undergoing chemotherapy reinforced how essential this dimension of care is, not only in easing the burden of treatment, but also in improving its overall outcome,” explains Braglia.
“Even with novel agents such as ADCs, side effects like nausea remain prevalent, underscoring the continued relevance of this therapeutic area,” he adds.
And Helsinn’s leadership still feel they can compete with the big beasts of oncology in small, underserved indications with clearly defined patient populations and manageable commercial footprints. For instance, the company recently acquired a late-stage topical chemotherapy asset for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), a rare skin lymphoma.
Having overcome the personal, structural, and financial issues that might have derailed other companies, Helsinn has been restored to a stronger financial footing with more clarity in its future direction.
“It was a difficult and at times painful journey,” admits Rolli, “but one that ultimately re-energised the organisation and reaffirmed the power of shared vision and resilience.”
“At Helsinn, there is stability, commitment, and the ability to work through uncertainty with the support of a long-term vision and a values-driven ownership.”
Braglia adds: “Our family’s decisive response to the 2022 crisis restored trust and stability, reaffirming a core belief that has always guided us: never give up, even in the face of profound adversity.”
