Ex-Rubius CEO dusts himself off at a different Flagship biotech; Hutchmed switches things up during pipeline refocus
18 Nov 2022
Executive ChangePhase 2Drug ApprovalPhase 3Clinical Result
Preview
Source: Endpts
Pablo Cagnoni
→ We led off Peer Review two weeks ago with what remains of Rubius Therapeutics — and it’s not much. But ex-CEO Pablo Cagnoni has quickly rebounded at another Flagship biotech, taking control at a place where he’s been a board member for the last year. Cagnoni is succeeding interim CEO John Mendlein at Endless RNA (eRNA) biotech Laronde, which had the exceptionally lofty ambition of developing 100 drugs by 2031 upon its May 2021 launch and then raised $440 million in a Series B to put the wheels in motion.
Preview
Source: Endpts
Michael Shi
→ In a “strategic shift in focus” that was announced this week, Hutchmed is deprioritizing early-stage candidates, redirecting its attention to the top of the pipeline. Fruquintinib owns the spotlight after a Monday data drop showed that the drug hit a primary endpoint of progression-free survival but fell short of statistical significance in overall survival in a Phase III trial of gastric cancer patients in China. To coincide with this decision, Hutchmed’s R&D chief and CMO in China, Michael Shi, will now take charge of global clinical development, while managing director and international CMO Marek Kania has been shown the door. A 15-year Novartis vet, Shi was Transcenta’s global head of R&D and CMO before heading over to Hutchmed this year.
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Source: Endpts
Dipal Patel
→ It’s been tough on the Covid front for Valneva — with the company recently announcing plans to downsize its workforce by 20% to 25% — but that isn’t stopping the company from bringing in some new firepower, as it’s racing to have the first chikungunya vaccinechikungunya vaccine approval, securing Dipal Patel as chief commercial officer in the process. Patel had an 18-year career at GSK in a variety of roles, including as global commercial head of the pharma giant’s shingles vaccine Shingrix.
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Source: Endpts
Ben Halladay
→ Ex-Pfizer financial analyst Ben Halladay has made a rapid rise at Esperion, earning a promotion to CFO at the Michigan biotech that was plagued by commercial obstacles when its cholesterol drug Nexletol was approved on the eve of the Covid-19 pandemic. About 170 employees lost their jobs in the aftermath. Halladay started as a finance manager at Esperion in January 2020 and had been senior director, financial planning and analysis since August.
→ Perhaps it’s no surprise that Instil Bio would see some turnover after it put up barricades on clinical trial enrollment in late October because of manufacturing issues with its TIL candidate ITIL-168. As the Dallas biotech looks into potential avenues for resolution, CMO Zachary Roberts resigned on Nov. 11, while Instil Bio has plugged in Robert Hawkins as its new R&D chief. Hawkins founded and was CEO of Immetacyte before it was sold to Instil Bio in March 2020, becoming chief strategy advisor shortly thereafter.
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Source: Endpts
Alex Tracy
→ Taking the non-viral approach with its type 1 diabetes and Duchenne muscular dystrophy candidates, Takeda rare disease partner Code Biotherapeutics has tapped Alex Tracy as chief technical officer. Tracy, the one-time global head of manufacturing science & technology at Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, is coming off a yearlong stint as chief technical officer for BridgeBio Gene Therapy and has also held the same title at Istari Oncology. With former GSK exec Brian McVeigh at the controls, Code Bio need not worry about cash for now, after pulling together a $75 million Series A in June that will help bankroll its gene therapy programs.
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Source: Endpts
→ Boston-based Anagenex — a biotech where machine learning and DNA libraries commingle for drug discovery — has enlisted Ryan Kruger as CSO, five months removed from its $30 million Series A. Kruger had a nearly 16-year career with GSK that ended as head of the cancer epigenetics research unit, oncology R&D, and since March 2021 he had been the head of biology at Foghorn Therapeutics, where a clinical hold continues for its blood cancer drug FHD-286.
→ In December 2021, Dave Weiner replaced Arnon Aharona as interim CMO of Chemomab, and nearly a year later, Matthew Frankel has taken over as permanent CMO and VP of drug development. Frankel moves on from Boehringer Ingelheim, where he was VP, clinical development and medical affairs, specialty pharma, and he’s also held leadership positions at Novartis and Sandoz. Phase II trials are ongoing with Chemomab’s lead program CM-101 for primary sclerosing cholangitis and liver fibrosis, but that’s not all for the drug: The Israeli biotech is also hoping to launch a Phase II study in patients with systemic sclerosis in due course. Chemomab CEO Dale Pfost said in a statement that Weiner will continue as a senior advisor.
Preview
Source: Endpts
David DiGiusto
→ Garuda Therapeutics, an off-the-shelf stem cell therapy player that took the tarp off a $72 million Series A in September 2021, has welcomed David DiGiusto as chief technology officer. DiGiusto comes from one of Garuda’s backers, Resilience, where he was chief technology officer and SVP, stem cells and regenerative medicine. He’s also been chief technical officer of Semma Therapeutics, and after the $950 million buyout in 2019, DiGiusto kept going at Vertex as SVP, cell & gene therapies, preclinical & clinical manufacturing — CMC.
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Source: Endpts
David Clark
→ Ottorino Respighi’s masterwork “Fountains of Rome” features a dazzling orchestral portrait of the Trevi Fountain — and its biotech namesake, Trevi Therapeutics, has cued the trumpet fanfares for David Clark as CMO. Clark has held this post before with NormOxys, Wilson Therapeutics, Aldeyra Therapeutics and, for the last two years, Allena Pharmaceuticals. Trevi unveiled Phase II results for Haduvio in IPF patients with chronic cough, and like so many biotechs before it, pulled off its own positive-data-to-public-offering double in September.
Preview
Source: Endpts
Linda Neuman
→ Feeling the pinch with a corporate restructuring that has shrunk the workforce and prompted a change at the top, Aeglea BioTherapeutics has promoted Linda Neuman to CMO. Neuman was introduced as VP, clinical development in April 2021 and was elevated to SVP in January; in recent years, she’s been a clinical exec with Catalyst Biosciences and the interim medical chief for Adverum Biotechnologies. Anglea’s pegzilarginase hit with a thud in Phase III last year and had an RTF thrown at it to boot, so for Neuman, the focus now shifts to a Phase I/II trial for Aeglea’s homocystinuria drug pegtarviliase.
Preview
Source: Endpts
Vanya Sagar
→ Vanya Sagar has been named chief people officer of OrbiMed-backed Sionna Therapeutics, a cystic fibrosis player that secured a $111 million Series B haul this past spring. After three years in talent acquisition and HR at Biogen, Sagar joined Flagship’s Sigilon Therapeutics in 2018 and would earn a promotion to chief human resources officer in 2020. She then became chief people officer of Affinivax last year. Competing with CF giant Vertex is a tall order, but Sionna thinks it’s cornered a market by going after a CFTR mutation that is present in 86% of CF patients. “Up until this point, nobody has been able to drug this target,” CEO Mike Cloonan told Lei Lei Wu.
→ Wedged into a corporate update that outlined its emphasis on TCR-T therapies, BioNTech partner Medigene has pegged James Cornicelli as head of corporate development and strategy. Cornicelli just completed a four-year run as VP, global business development with Pharming, and he also brings BD experience from his days at UCB and Salix Pharmaceuticals.
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Source: Endpts
Julia Gaebler
→ Here’s Lucy: Julia Gaebler has taken the CBO job at mitochondria biotech Lucy Therapeutics, which is going after CNS diseases like Parkinson’s and Rett syndrome. A Roche alum, Gaebler was senior director of global medical outcomes strategy at Biogen during the Tecfidera launch, and from March 2021 until this past September, she served as VP of commercial strategy and portfolio planning with Milestone Pharmaceuticals.
→ Calgary-based XORTX Therapeutics has recruited Pfizer vet Stacy Evans as CBO. XORTX is shopping for a partner to develop and commercialize its autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease candidate XRx-008, and it will be up to Evans to find one. He has filled this position before with Avillion and AxeroVision, and he was new product development lead as well as search & evaluation lead in ophthalmology during his 12 years with Pfizer.
Preview
Source: Endpts
Christiane Bardroff
→ German CDMO Rentschler Biopharma has promoted Christiane Bardroff to COO. Bardroff held a number of posts in her nine years with Roche — including senior manager, upstream processing — before jumping to Teva Biotech, where she rose to senior director of operations. She started at Rentschler Biopharma nine months ago as SVP, client program management.
→ Freedom Biosciences is waving in David Hough as CMO. For nearly 17 years, Hough has been working away at Janssen Research and Development, holding a number of roles, including leading the Spravato compound development team.
Preview
Source: Endpts
Ann Tomlin
→ Myovant Sciences initially rebuffed a buyout offer from majority owner Sumitomo Pharma, but the second time was the charm in a $2.9 billion deal. Several weeks later, Myovant has selected Ann Tomlin from AbbVie as SVP of human resources. Tomlin worked at Abbott for 13 years before the split, and she had been AbbVie’s Bay Area head of human resources since October 2019.
→ VC firm Longitude Capital is making some room on the team for Matthew Young as managing director. Young hops over from GRAIL, where he served as COO and CFO before its controversial merger with Illumina. Prior to that, Young was EVP and CFO of Jazz Pharmaceuticals and has former experience at Barclays Capital, Citigroup, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch. Young has also served on the board of PRA Health Sciences and has seats at CytomX Therapeutics and Alpha-9 Therapeutics.
→ Back in June, CDMO Avid Bioservices was busy expanding its laboratories in Tustin, CA, and now the team has welcomed Oksana Lukash as VP, people. Lukash joins after a three-year stint at Oncocyte, where she served as VP, people & culture. Lukash also brings with her experience from her times at Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Agendia and Clarient.
Preview
Source: Endpts
Scott Braunstein
→ Marinus Pharmaceuticals CEO Scott Braunstein will also chair the board as Nicole Vitullo retires. Michael Dougherty is joining her in retirement, and Santiago Arroyo will step away from the board after taking the CMO job at Fulcrum Therapeutics.
Preview
Source: Endpts
Robert Ruffolo
→ Ex-Wyeth R&D chief Robert Ruffolo has added another board appointment to his résumé at nerve injury-focused Neuraptive Therapeutics out of Philadelphia. He’s also on the boards of Sigilon Therapeutics, Elucida Oncology, Sapience Therapeutics and Aridis Pharmaceuticals.
→ Dallas-based Forte Biosciences is turning up the volume with its board of directors by electing Scott Brun. The former VP of scientific affairs and head of AbbVie Ventures is now a venture partner at Abingworth and a senior advisor at Horizon Therapeutics.
Preview
Source: Endpts
Houman Hemmati
→ Noveome Biotherapeutics has pulled out two seats on its board of directors for Eric Keller and Houman Hemmati. Keller is founder and CEO of Redux Therapeutics and has stints from C2Sense, SGH2 Energy Global and SipNose under his belt. Meanwhile, Hemmati boasts his current stint as CMO of Vyluma and former gigs at Levation Pharma and Optigo Biotherapeutics.
→ Cambridge, MA-based Artax Biopharma has expanded its scientific advisory board to include Ajay Nirula and James Krueger. Nirula serves as SVP, immunology at Eli Lilly and was also medical leader for the company’s work during the Covid pandemic. Meanwhile, Krueger is head of the laboratory for investigative dermatology and professor in clinical investigation and dermatology at The Rockefeller University.
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