Claus Braestrup announced he is resigning immediately, just one day after the Danish drugmaker reported its best-ever financial performance. Apparently, the 63-year-old Braestrup, who became ceo in 2003, indicated he planned to leave after the financial results were announced, but no one expected him to pack up the very next day.

“It is regrettable that Claus Braestrup has decided to resign from his position sooner than we had expected,” say Per Wold-Olsen, a former Merck exec who chairs the supervisory board, in a statement. “Some time ago, Claus Braestrup disclosed his considerations to retire after Lundbeck had announced its financial results for 2007. The process of identifying in-house and external candidates is therefore well underway, and we expect to announce the name of Lundbeck’s new president and ceo within the next couple of months.”