Elan's chief executive Kelly Martin is to stay on for an extra few months having said he would step down in May. He has held the top job at the drug company for nine years.
The company is still looking for a new chief executive, and Kelly Martin will be staying on to steer the company through the upcoming trials of its Alzheimer's treatment, which are being run with Pfizer and Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy.
In a statement, the company said these trials are ''of potentially transformational significance for Elan''.
Elan chairman Robert Ingram said that he requested Mr Martin to continue as CEO of the company until the Alzheimer's drug data has been shared publicly, evaluated and assessed.
''This continuity will create an opportunity to achieve further clarity for Elan's strategic and financial path forward. Kelly has agreed to this request and the extension,'' he added.
