Biotechs and pharmas strengthened their leadership teams with these appointments. Find news from Mersana, Foamix, Allergan, and more.
Foamix Pharmaceuticals – Israel-based Foamix Pharmaceuticals named Matt Wiley as its chief commercial officer. The CCO position is a new one created for the company. Wiley will be responsible for the development and execution of commercial strategies of the company’s product portfolio, including the planned launches of FMX101 for acne and FMX103 for rosacea. Wiley joined Foamix from Jazz Pharmaceuticals, where he served as vice president of marketing and business unit lead for the company’s sleep disorder portfolio. Prior to Jazz, he served as head of marketing at Azur Pharma. He also held leadership roles at Guilford/MGI Pharma, Salix, Cephalon, and Rhone-Poulenc Rorer.
Mersana Therapeutics – Dirk Huebner was named chief medical officer at Cambridge, Mass.-based Mersana Therapeutics. Huebner joined Mersana from Boston Biomedical, where he served as head of development. He also held roles at Takeda Oncology as executive medical director. At Takeda, Huebner has led the company through regulatory approval for Adcetris in Europe. Prior to Takeda, he held roles of increasing leadership in global oncology drug development at Genzyme, Roche, and Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Orasis Pharmaceuticals – Israel-based Orasis Pharmaceuticals named three members to its scientific advisory board. Richard L. Lindstrom, Eric D. Donnenfeld and John Berdahl were each appointed to the SAB, which now includes five board-certified ophthalmologists. Lindstrom is founder and attending surgeon at Minnesota Eye Consultants. Donnenfeld is a trustee of the Dartmouth Medical School. Berdahl is a board-certified ophthalmologist who has been involved in numerous FDA monitored clinical trials.
Arena Pharmaceuticals – Robert Lisicki was named CCO and Paul K. Audhya was named head of medical affairs at San Diego-based Arena Pharmaceuticals. Lisicki will report to Amit D. Munshi, Arena’s president and chief executive officer, and Audhya will report to Preston Klassen, chief medical officer and head of research and development. Lisicki most recently served as general manager and vice president of cardio-metabolic and inflammation at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to Regeneron, he was chief customer officer at Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. Prior to that, held several management positions at Amgen Inc. Audhya was head of global strategy and Phase IV Global Medical Affairs at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to Vertex, Audhya was head of medical affairs at Hospira until its acquisition by Pfizer. He also held positions of increasing responsibility at Reata Pharmaceuticals, Abbott Laboratories, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Janssen.
Allergan – Pharma giant Allergan plc named Daphne Karydas as its head of Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis and Strategy and Manisha Narasimhan, head of Investor Relations and Strategic Initiatives. Narasimhan joins Allergan from Regeneron, where she led the Investor Relations function. Previously, she was an equity research analyst at Canaccord Genuity and Piper Jaffray. Karydas most recently served as senior vice president of global investor relations and strategy. Before that time, she was an institutional investor and financial analyst in the biopharmaceutical sector, joining from J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
Tessa Therapeutics – Singapore-based Tessa Therapeutics named Ivan Horak as head of research and development. Horak will be responsible for all aspects of Tessa’s research and development, regulatory and clinical development activities. Horak joined Tessa from Symphogen, a clinical-stage antibody company, where he was head of global R&D and CSO and CMO. Prior to that, he served as head of R&D at Enzon Pharmaceuticals.
Inflazome – Ireland-based Inflazome named Novartis veteran Thomas Jung as its CMO. Jung will lead the clinical development of its potent and selective small-molecule inhibitors of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Jung spent 13 years at the Novartis Institute of Biomedical Research where his primary focus of immunological research was the study of innovative anti-inflammatory principles. Jung also served as chief development officer and CMO for two biotechnology companies in Switzerland, Auris Medical and Delenex.
Rgenix -- Rgenix, Inc. named Peter Van Vlasselaer to its board of directors. Van Vlasselaer is a serial entrepreneur and most recently the President and CEO of ARMO Biosciences.
FSD Pharma Inc. – Based in Toronto, FSD Pharma Inc. named Rupert Haynes as its CEO. Haynes most recently most recently held the position of head of global marketing at London-based GW Pharmaceuticals. Haynes will continue to work out of the United Kingdom, which will support FSD Pharma’s strategy of expanding its global footprint.
ACM Global Laboratory -- ACM Global Laboratories, a division of Rochester Regional Health, hired Brian Wright to lead ACM Global as its president. For the past 15 years, Wright has garnered experience in life science, biotech, medical and pharmaceutical technology and device manufacturing from multiple global companies including Stryker Corporation, TE Connectivity and SP Industries.
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