Paragon Biosciences Names James Robinson President and Chief Operating Officer

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Paragon Biosciences, LLC announced today the appointment of James (Jim) Robinson to the role of President and Chief Operating Officer, effective April 22. Reporting directly to Paragon Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Aronin, Robinson will oversee Paragon Biosciences’ operations and business units.

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Jim Robinson, President and Chief Operating Officer, Paragon Biosciences (Photo: Business Wire)

Robinson joins Paragon amid rapid growth, including nearly $500 million committed by Paragon and its investment partners to six portfolio companies, over the last 18 months, for the development of new medicines. With innovative medical advances like AI-enabled life sciences and gene therapies, considerable investments are anticipated in the coming year.

“Jim is a leader in our industry who will navigate additional growth at Paragon,” said Paragon Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Aronin. “Paragon’s portfolio companies will also benefit from Jim’s strategic insights, as we support their development of treatments to advance science and save lives.”

Robinson will oversee delivery of the Innovation Capital^TM that Paragon contributes exclusively to its portfolio companies, which consists of financing, initial operational support, clinical expertise and regulatory guidance. This transformative Innovation Capital^TM business model is credited as the foundation of Paragon’s success. For example, Paragon founded and served as the initial investor in the largest private-equity financing of a privately-held North American biopharmaceutical company in 2017.

Robinson joins Paragon from Dublin-based Alkermes, where he was President and Chief Operating Officer. Previously, Robinson was President of Americas Operations at Tokyo–based Astellas Pharma, where he oversaw approximately $4 billion in revenue within North and South America. Prior to joining Astellas in 2005, he served as an executive at the former Schering-Plough Corporation. Robinson is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and serves on the Board of Chicago Botanic Garden. He is a founding member of MATTER Chicago.

“What drew me to Paragon was the opportunity to lead growth with a talented team of experts who have a successful track record of identifying treatments for rare and complex diseases, financing those treatments, shepherding them through clinical and regulatory hurdles and ultimately, getting those treatments into the hands of patients in need,” said Robinson.

About Paragon Biosciences:

Paragon is a life science innovator that invests in, builds, and advises bioscience companies. Our mission is to serve patients living with severe medical conditions which do not yet have adequate treatments. Paragon’s portfolio of independently-run bioscience companies focus on: biopharmaceuticals, AI-enabled life science products, and advanced treatments such as cell and gene therapies. We help people live longer, healthier lives. For more information, please visit: ParagonBioSci.com.

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