Remdesivir, the investigational Gilead Sciences antiviral drug, looks more likely than ever to become the first treatment authorized by the FDA to treat patients with COVID-19. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) head Anthony Fauci praised the drug after preliminary data released this week from a federally funded trial involving more than 1,000 […]

Lyra Therapeutics, a biotech company developing a new way to treat your persistently runny nose, has raised $56 million in its public markets debut. Late Thursday, Lyra offered 3.5 million shares priced at $16 apiece, which was the high end of its projected $14 to $16 price range. Those shares are expected to begin trading […]

Regulators on Friday afternoon granted emergency authorization for the Gilead Sciences drug remdesivir as a treatment for patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 infections. The decision makes the antiviral drug, which is delivered via intravenous infusion, the second drug to receive authorization under the FDA’s emergency guidelines for use against the novel coronavirus. The first was […]

If you’re looking for a Lyme disease vaccine, you can choose from among several—for your dog. A vaccine for humans hasn’t been available for years and few companies have tried to fill that void. Valneva has advanced its Lyme vaccine candidate to mid-stage clinical testing, and the company now has the help of drug giant […]

The genetic mutations that cause epilepsy don’t stop there. Praxis Precision Medicines CEO Marcio Souza says research also links these genes to other neurological conditions. The biotech startup is turning that research into new neuro drugs and it’s coming out of stealth to share details about its science and its pipeline, which already has two […]

Stemline Therapeutics, whose drug for a rare, aggressive type of acute leukemia was approved by the FDA about 18 months ago, has signed an acquisition deal with Italian biopharma Menarini Group. Stemline (NASDAQ: STML), a New York-based company, developed the first FDA-approved drug for blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm, or BPDCN. The drug, tagraxofusp (Elzonris) […]

Virtually unknown just a few months ago, the COVID-19 pandemic has already resulted in over 239,000 deaths worldwide—including over 67,000 in the United States alone. Now, emerging reports suggest that as many as one third of patients with severe COVID-19 infection requiring intensive care may also be battling another life-threatening infection: invasive aspergillosis, a deadly […]

Alexion Pharmaceuticals has agreed to buy Portola Pharmaceuticals in a $1.4 billion deal that brings it a first-in-class therapy for treating life-threatening bleeding. According to financial terms announced Tuesday, Boston-based Alexion (NASDAQ: ALXN) will pay $18 for each outstanding share of Portola (NASDAQ: PTLA). That price is a a nearly 132 percent premium to Monday’s […]

Kura Oncology is discontinuing development of one of its three clinical-stage cancer drug candidates amid pandemic-related impacts to its clinical trial plans. The decision to end work on the drug, KO-947, comes after San Diego-based Kura (NASDAQ: KURA) was successful in lifting a partial clinical hold placed on a Phase 1 trial of the drug […]

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies have shown remarkable efficacy in leukemia and lymphoma patients who relapsed or were refractory to several prior treatments, but many challenges remain in the cancer cell therapy field. Strategies that may improve upon first-generation therapies were presented during the American Association for Cancer Research virtual meeting with encouraging early activity, […]

The innate immune system has become a hot area for drug development, and for good reason. As the body’s first line of defense, its function (or dysfunction) plays a role in many diseases. The problem, says Ventus Therapeutics CEO Marcelo Bigal, is that drug developers have been working in the dark. Scientists don’t know the […]

An AstraZeneca diabetes drug that brought in more than $1.5 billion in sales last year has won an FDA nod expanding its use to adults with systolic heart failure, a condition in which the heart struggles to pump with enough force to push enough blood into circulation. The drug, the once-daily pill dapagliflozin (Farxiga), was […]

As cancer research reveals the genetic basis of the disease, pharmaceutical companies are pursuing targeted therapies that address certain groups of patients. One such drug from Novartis won FDA approval Wednesday, making it the first therapy cleared by the agency to treat patients whose non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) carries a certain genetic mutation. The […]

PTC Therapeutics has reached an agreement to acquire Censa Pharmaceuticals and its lead asset, an experimental metabolic disorder therapy that is now being prepared for a pivotal study. The deal, announced after the market close Wednesday, will bring South Plainfield, NJ-based PTC (NASDAQ: PTCT) another compound for its pipeline of rare disease drugs. Wellesley, MA-based […]

Learn how digital tech is accelerating medical breakthroughs by registering your team to attend Xcelerating Life Sciences Boston: Biopharma’s Future in Digital Health. While some content focuses on the Boston ecosystem, we’re confident the forum – and virtual networking – will be valuable to a national audience. The May 13, 2020 event will explore the […]

Trovagene (NASDAQ: TROV), which started out as a diagnostics company, has renamed itself Cardiff Oncology to better reflect its focus on the cancer drug it is advancing in three clinical trials. In 2017 the San Diego area-based biotech made the first step in its transformation into a drug development-focused organization, licensing rights to an investigational […]

Ayala Pharmaceuticals has two clinical-stage cancer drugs licensed from Bristol Myers Squibb. Now it has $55 million to take those drugs further than the pharmaceutical giant did. On Thursday evening, Ayala priced its IPO, which consisted of 3.7 million shares sold for $15 each. That price was the midpoint of the targeted $14 to $16 […]

Alexion Pharmaceuticals CEO Ludwig Hantson has made no secret that he wants to diversify his company’s drug portfolio and he has shown willingness to open the corporate checkbook to accomplish that goal. Last October, Alexion (NASDAQ: ALXN) struck a $930 million deal to acquire Achillion Pharmaceuticals, a biotech whose lead drug complements the Boston company’s […]

Xconomy is excited to announce we’ve had an overwhelming amount of interest in the inaugural National Xconomy Awards. The hundreds of outstanding nominations highlight the groundbreaking, inspiring companies and individuals we look to honor. Stay tuned for when we reveal the finalists on Monday, June 22. Due to COVID-19 we have postponed the planned June […]

Eil Lilly received accelerated FDA approval Friday for a drug that treats advanced cancers carrying a certain genetic signature. It’s the latest targeted cancer therapy to pass the regulatory bar and the first that addresses tumors characterized by aberrations in one particular gene. The gene in question, RET, produces a protein involved in cell signaling. […]

British multinational GlaxoSmithKline have hired computational drug design expert Dr Kim Branson as the company’s new Senior Vice President, Global Head of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

In his new role, the biotech veteran will oversee projects which use AI to identify novel targets for potential medicines.

Dr Branson brings to the role more than 15 years’ worth of experience in biotech and academia having held positions at a number of Silicon Valley firms including Gliimpse, Lumia and Hessian Informatics.

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Gilead has said that Dr John McHutchison is stepping down after nine years at the firm.

Gilead’s Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Research and Development has decided to leave the company next month, Gilead said.

Under McHutchinson, Gilead developed five new hepatitis drugs, which have been used by as many as 3.2 million people around the world.

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Massachusetts-based biotech Disarm Therapeutics has hired Dr Alvin Shih as their new President and CEO.

The Cambridge, Mass.-based firm has set itself the task of creating a new class of disease-modifying therapeutics for patients with axonal degeneration, a central drive of neurological disease.

Dr Shih brings to the role a range of experiences. Having graduated with a biology degree from Vanderbilt University in 1996, Shih joined management consultancy McKinsey where he worked as a business analyst for two years.

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Chief Executive Mike Thompson is to retire from his role at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) by the end of this year.

His decision to leave the association marks the end of a three-year run beginning in March 2016, when stepped in to take up the mantle from Alison Clough, who had served as the acting Chief Executive for much of 2015.

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Business chief Jonathan Symonds has joined British multinational GlaxoSmithKline as the company’s new non-executive chairman.

The hire ends GSK’s six month search, as it prepares to fold its consumer business into a joint venture with Pfizer. In his new role Symonds will oversee the changes being implemented by CEO Emma Walmsley who joined GSK in 2017. Walmsley hopes to revitalise GSK’s R&D efforts with the help of Chief Scientific Officer Hal Barron.

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Lilly veteran Christi Shaw has joined Kite Pharma as the company’s new CEO.

Shaw comes to Gilead’s cancer immunotherapy firm, Kite Pharma, from rival US firm Eli Lilly, where she acted as a senior vice president and also as president of Lilly’s immunology, pain and neuroscience unit, Lilly Bio Medicines.

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Dr Reshma Kewalramani has been made the new Vertex CEO.

Vertex’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Kewalramani will succeed current CEO Jeffrey Leiden who has is now stepping aside from the role after seven years as Chief executive at the Boston-based firm. In stepping down Leiden will serve as executive chairman until the first quarter of 2023.     

Fourty-six year old Dr Kewalramani, who has been at Vertex since 2017, will thus become the first woman to head the firm. Prior to joining Vertex, Kewalramani spent more than 12 years at Amgen.

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The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has appointed Dr Wajid Hussain as its new clinical director for digital health.

Dr Hussain, a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysicist at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust, has a demonstrated interest in IT and health.

While he currently represents the views of clinicians on the Trust’s IT committee, Dr Hussain completed a Diploma in Digital Health Leadership at the NHS Digital Academy last year. He is also currently studying for a Master’s in Digital Health leadership at Imperial College London.

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Troy Robinson has been taken on as the new managing director of Chugai Pharma Europe. Mike Crosher will succeed him in his current role as managing director of Chugai Pharma UK.

Chugai Pharma Europe (CPE) has promoted Troy Robinson and Mike Crosher into the positions of managing director of CPE and managing director of the firm’s UK subsidiary, Chugai Pharma UK (CPU).

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Cerevel Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company dedicated to treating neurological diseases, has appointed renowned biotechnology leader Tony Coles as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

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Immunotherapy-focused pharmaceutical company Midatech Pharma has appointed Stephen Stamp as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with immediate effect.

He will be replacing Nick Robbins-Cherry, who has stepped down after five years since joining in 2014. Robbins will nevertheless remain at Midatech until October to facilitate Stamp’s handover in an orderly fashion.

Stamp has most recently served as CEO of pharmaceutical firm Ergomed for two years, stepping down in January citing health reasons. Prior to this he was CFO at Ergomed for a year beginning in 2016.

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The General Pharmaceutical Council has appointed Laura Fraser, former clinical fellow for the Scottish Chief Pharmaceutical Officer as the new Director for Scotland.

Fraser has held leadership roles in community pharmacy across Scotland including board member of Community Pharmacy Scotland. She has also worked for the Scottish Government as Clinical Leadership Fellow. Prior to her position as board member she was area and regional manager for nearly nine years.

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Chief Executive of Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries, Jerome Carle, is stepping down from his post at the United Arab Emirates drug manufacturer facing mounting pressure.

Julphar, one of the biggest generic drugs manufacturers in the Middle East and North Africa said Jerome Carle has “tendered his resignation” and the board has accepted it. His last working day will be December 8th.

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Sir Mark Walport, Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the national funding agency responsible for science and research investment in the UK, has announced he is to retire for the role next year.

The decision to leave the organisation in 2020 will mark the end of a three-year tenure at its helm, beginning in 2017 when Walport was appointed to “create a single, ambitious organisation and provide the UK with a world class funding system to keep it at the forefront of global research and innovation”.

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Destiny Pharma, a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of novel antimicrobial drugs to address the global crisis caused by antimicrobial resistance (AMR), has announced that after 18 years on the board, Joe Eagle is to step down with immediate effect.

Eagle has been instrumental in the financing and strategic direction of Destiny as a private company and brought his expertise for its lead candidate, XF-73 for the prevention of post-surgical infections. A search for a replacement is underway.

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Pfizer’s executive chairman Ian Read, is to be succeeded by CEO Albert Bourla with a date to start the post being January 1st 2020.

Mr Bourla, who joined Pfizer’s animal health division in 1993, succeeded Mr. Read from Chief Operating Officer as Chief Executive earlier this year in January, and will now go on to serve as Executive Chairman.

Mr Read has spent nine years in the role and has been at the company for a total of 41 years, first arriving in 1978 and becoming CEO in 2010, joining the board the following year.

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London consultant and public health professor, Chris Whitty, has begun his role as England’s Chief Medical Officer, taking over from Dame Sally Davies, who has now stepped down from the position.

Whitty has served as the Department of Health and Social Care’s Chief Scientific Adviser since 2016 and was announced as Dame Sally Davies successor earlier in June this year.

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MSD have announced that David Peacock will become Managing Director in the UK and Ireland, succeeding former director Louise Houson, with a start date of October 1st 2019.

Peacock brings with him a broad range of experience and perspectives from senior roles within the company in the United States, Singapore, Vietnam and Japan. Most recently, David was Chief of Staff to Kenneth Frazier, Chairman of the board and Chief Executive Officer of MSD.

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Biogen have announced updates to it senior leadership team with Alfred Sandrock being named Executive Vice President of Research and Development in addition to his responsibilities as Chief Medical Officer. Additionally Alphonse Galdes has been appointed as Executive Vice President of Pharmaceutical Operations and Technology.

In a statement, Michel Vounatsos, Chief Executive Officer at Biogen, said: “Both AI and Alphonse are seasoned and respected leaders at Biogen. Their accomplishment in the scientific community is well-recognised.

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Gilead Sciences have announced that Merdad Parsey will join the company as Chief Medical Officer, effective November 1st.

Dr Parsey will be responsible for and oversee the company’s global clinical development and medical affairs organisations – reporting directly to Daniel O’Day, Gilead’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

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Gilead Sciences have announced that Andrew Dickinson has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) effective 1 November.

Dickinson currently serves as the company’s Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy and in his new role will become part of a senior leadership team reporting directly to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Daniel O’Day.

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The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has appointed Dr Richard Torbett as its new Chief Executive. He will assume the position on 1 January 2020.

The appointment comes after his predecessor, Mike Thompson, stepped down in June. He had served in the role since March 2016. Torbett was unanimously selected by the ABPI board after an external recruitment process with an executive search agency.

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Eli Lilly veteran Enrique Conterno has been revealed as the new Chief Executive Officer of FibroGen following the unexpected death of its previous long-term Chief Thomas Neff in August last year.

Neff passing took the company off-guard, bringing a sad and abrupt end to his 26 years of service. In the wake of the loss, FibroGen appointed Board member James Schoeneck to lead the company until a permanent replacement could be found.

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Saniona has announced that Rami Levin will take over as the Chief Executive Officer of the company as it seeks to transition into a fully-fledge biopharmaceuticals company, with a focus on rare diseases.

Levin was appointed by the Board of Directors and the company’s founders. His appointment takes immediate effect.

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Ipsen has named Dr Steven Hildemann as its new Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Head of Global Medical Affairs and Pharmacovigilance.

In his new role, which begins on 1 March 2020 and will be based in Paris, he will report directly to Ipsen CEO Aymeric Le Chatelier. His remit will include the provision of medical strategy to the company’s scientific, clinical and business teams, while also working in tandem with its R&D operations to design and direct clinical trials efforts to generation of post-launch data.

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AI drug discovery firm Exscientia has announced the appointment of Dr David Hallett as its Chief Operating Officer and Head of Drug Discovery.

Bringing 20 years of experience to the role, Dr Hallett’s primary remit will see him take responsibility for the company’s entire drug discovery portfolio, as well as managing pharma collaborations, joint ventures and pipeline projects. He will report to Exscientia Founder and CEO Professor Andrew Hopkins.

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Galecto has announced Bertil Lindmark as their new Chief Medical Officer. He began his posting on 1 February 2020.

Lindmark joins from the eTheRNA immunotherapies, which is a Belgian mRNA immunotherapy company. He has also had an extensive and successful career in the pharmaceutical industry.

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Neuronetics, Inc and Chris Thatcher, the President and CEO, have mutually agreed that he will step down from his positions in the company. He will provide transition services and advice to the company until 1 May 2020.

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Nordic Nanovector has appointed Dr Lars Nieba as the interim Chief Executive Officer. He is currently the company’s Chief Technology Officer and replaces Eduardo Bravo who as of today has left Nordic to pursue other career opportunities.

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Andreas Johannesson has been announced as Alligator Bioscience’s new interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO), replacing ex-CFO Per-Olof Schrewelius who it was previously confirmed will no longer serve the company.

Johannesson’s career has spanned 15 years in the consumer goods sector, with him managing the finances of firms including TeamOlmed, Stenqvist, Fitness23Seven and Haldex.

He spent a further nine years of his career as a strategic consultant with a focus on consumer goods, five of which were spent at global consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

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