Maria Koehler has been appointed executive vice president and chief medical officer of Repare Therapeutics. Koehler comes to Repare from Bicycle Therapeutics, where she was CMO. Her experience also includes senior roles at Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]). In other moves, former Avrobio chief financial officer Katrina Dorton was appointed executive vice president and CFO of Repare. … Continue reading “Repare Therapeutics Appoints Maria Koehler Chief Medical Officer”
Author: Frank Vinluan
Xconomy Editor Frank Vinluan is a business journalist with experience covering technology and life sciences. Based in Raleigh, he was a staff writer at the Triangle Business Journal covering technology, biotechnology and energy before joining MedCityNews.com as North Carolina bureau chief. Prior to moving to North Carolina’s Research Triangle in 2007 he held business reporting positions at The Des Moines Register and The Seattle Times.
OncoResponse’s Anil Singhal Named Adicet Bio President & CEO
Anil Singhal has been appointed president and CEO of Adicet Bio. He succeeds Donald Santel, who had been interim CEO since founder and former CEO Aya Jakobovits retired last year. Santel will continue to serve as executive chairman of Adicet’s board of directors. Singhal is joining Menlo Park, CA-based Adicet from OncoResponse, where he was … Continue reading “OncoResponse’s Anil Singhal Named Adicet Bio President & CEO”
Baldo Leaves Genentech for Adaptive Bio Chief Medical Officer Post
Adaptive Biotechnologies has appointed Lance Baldo to serve as its chief medical officer. Baldo comes to Seattle-based Adaptive from Roche subsidiary Genentech, where he was senior vice president and head of US medical affairs. His experience also includes posts at The Medicines Company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MDCO]]) and MedAptus. Earlier this year, Adaptive and Genentech launched a … Continue reading “Baldo Leaves Genentech for Adaptive Bio Chief Medical Officer Post”
Immunomedics Chief Medical Officer Robert Iannone to Depart
Cancer drug developer Immunomedics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IMMU]]) announced that Robert Iannone, who has held the chief medical officer for post for a little more than one year, is leaving to pursue work closer to his Pennsylvania home. In a securities filing, Morris Plains, NJ-based Immunomedics said the timing of Iannone’s departure and additional transitional details are … Continue reading “Immunomedics Chief Medical Officer Robert Iannone to Depart”
Elanco Bolsters Pet Products Pipeline With $234M Deal for Aratana
Drugs that treat dogs and cats are some of Elanco’s fastest growing products, and the animal health company is poised to make that category even bigger through a deal to buy pet medicines developer Aratana Therapeutics. Greenfield, IN-based Elanco (NYSE: [[ticker:ELAN]]) announced Friday an agreement to acquire Aratana (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PETX]]) in a stock deal valued … Continue reading “Elanco Bolsters Pet Products Pipeline With $234M Deal for Aratana”
Bio Roundup: Biogen’s Strategy, Drug Price Convo, NASH News & More
The road to every new drug approval is littered with the remains of earlier failures. Biopharmaceutical companies don’t like to talk about the failures. But it’s earnings season now, so some of them don’t have much choice. Biogen’s (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) earnings call this week was the first since its Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab failed in a Phase … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Biogen’s Strategy, Drug Price Convo, NASH News & More”
Histogenics Exec Kelley Moves To X4 Pharma as Chief Medical Officer
Lynne Kelley has joined X4 Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:XFOR]]) as chief medical officer, the same post she held at her former company, Histogenics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:HSGX]]). Kelley’s experience also includes positions at Senseonics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SENS]]), Becton Dickinson (NYSE: [[ticker:BDX]]), Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: [[ticker:KMB]]), and Boston Scientific (NYSE: [[ticker:BSX]]). Cambridge, MA-based X4’s lead drug, Mavorixafor, is being prepared for … Continue reading “Histogenics Exec Kelley Moves To X4 Pharma as Chief Medical Officer”
After NASH Drug’s 2nd Failure, Gilead Pins Hopes on Combo Therapies
[Updated 1:49 p.m. ET. See below.] An experimental Gilead Sciences treatment for the severe fatty liver disease NASH failed to beat a placebo in Phase 3 testing—the second time the drug has failed in a late-stage clinical trial. Gilead (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GILD]]) developed its drug selonsertib to treat nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, more commonly referred to as NASH, … Continue reading “After NASH Drug’s 2nd Failure, Gilead Pins Hopes on Combo Therapies”
Teva’s Approved Migraine Drug Fails Again to Blunt Rarer Headache
With a second big clinical failure, Teva Pharmaceutical is abandoning efforts to extend the use of its approved migraine drug to the treatment of cluster headaches, a rarer form of headache that typically affects one side of the head around the eye or the temple. Teva (NYSE: [[ticker:TEVA]]) said Tuesday that an interim analysis of … Continue reading “Teva’s Approved Migraine Drug Fails Again to Blunt Rarer Headache”
Pfizer’s Dimitry Nuyten Jumps to Aduro for Chief Medical Officer Job
Aduro Biotech (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ADRO]]) has appointed Dimitry Nuyten to serve as its chief medical officer. Nuyten comes to Berkeley, CA-based Aduro from Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]), where he was vice president and immuno-oncology clinical development leader. Prior to Pfizer, Nuyten was an executive at Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]). Earlier this year, Aduro announced a corporate restructuring … Continue reading “Pfizer’s Dimitry Nuyten Jumps to Aduro for Chief Medical Officer Job”
Cerebral Therapeutics Names Lisa Shafer Chief Scientific Officer
Lisa Shafer has been appointed chief scientific officer of Cerebral Therapeutics, the same position she held at her former company, NeuroBridge Therapeutics. Her experience also includes posts at Teva Pharmaceutical (NYSE: [[ticker:TEVA]]) and Medtronic (NYSE: [[ticker:MDT]]). In other moves, Aurora, CO-based Cerebral named Medtronic veteran Eric Distad its vice president of clinical development. Cerebral is … Continue reading “Cerebral Therapeutics Names Lisa Shafer Chief Scientific Officer”
Xconomy’s Seattle Event to Explore Tech Convergence in Life Sciences
The lines between biotech and high tech are blurring, and Seattle is one of the country’s hotspots for this convergence. IT innovations for analyzing big data are finding applications in drug discovery research. Smartphones can now be used to collect clinical data and also deliver a new wave of “digital treatments.” On June 25, Xconomy … Continue reading “Xconomy’s Seattle Event to Explore Tech Convergence in Life Sciences”
Merck Wins FDA Nod for Combo Therapy in Advanced Kidney Cancer
Merck’s blockbuster immunotherapy has notched FDA approval for treating the most serious cases of kidney cancer. The FDA on Monday approved Merck (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]) drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in combination with Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]) drug axitinib (Inlyta) as a first-line treatment for advanced renal call carcinoma—kidney cancer that has spread or grown, despite earlier treatments. Pembrolizumab’s … Continue reading “Merck Wins FDA Nod for Combo Therapy in Advanced Kidney Cancer”
KSQ Therapeutics Taps Blueprint’s Wolf for Chief Medical Officer
KSQ Therapeutics has appointed Beni Wolf to serve as chief medical officer. Wolf joins Cambridge, MA-based KSQ from Blueprint Medicines, where he was senior vice president, clinical development. His experience also includes posts at Merrimack Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MACK]]), ImmunoGen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IMGN]]), Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]), and Genentech. Cambridge, MA-based KSQ also named Douglas Pagán chief financial … Continue reading “KSQ Therapeutics Taps Blueprint’s Wolf for Chief Medical Officer”
Hookipa’s IPO Raises $84M for Drugs to Reprogram the Immune System
Hookipa Pharma has raised $84 million in an initial public offering that will fund development of experimental treatments developed to reprogram the immune system to treat infectious diseases and cancer. But Hookipa (NASDAQ: [[ticker:HOOK]]) had to downsize its IPO, offering only 6 million shares at $14 apiece. That was the low end of its targeted … Continue reading “Hookipa’s IPO Raises $84M for Drugs to Reprogram the Immune System”
Former Sigilion Exec Paul Wotton Named Obsidian Therapeutics CEO
Obsidian Therapeutics has appointed Paul Wotton to serve as its new CEO. Wotton succeeds CEO Michael Gilman, who had been splitting his time between Obsidian and Arrakis Therapeutics. Gilman is now CEO of Arrakis full-time. Wotton is the former president and CEO of Sigilon Therapeutics. Cambridge, MA-based Obsidian is developing cell and gene therapies incorporating … Continue reading “Former Sigilion Exec Paul Wotton Named Obsidian Therapeutics CEO”
It’s Tough to Find Drugs to Bind to RNA: Arrakis Nabs $75M to Help
Arrakis Therapeutics has been scouting elusive pharmaceutical quarry: small molecules able to “drug” RNA, the molecular messengers that carry the genetic instructions for proteins. Most drugs in use today act on proteins. But CEO Michael Gilman says targeting the genetic blueprints could prevent RNA from translating those instructions into disease-causing proteins in the first place. … Continue reading “It’s Tough to Find Drugs to Bind to RNA: Arrakis Nabs $75M to Help”
Former Jazz Pharma Exec Vanhove Named Surrozen Chief Medical Officer
Trudy Vanhove has joined regenerative medicine biotech Surrozen as chief medical officer. Vanhove most recently worked at Jazz Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:JAZZ]]), where she was vice president of medical affairs as well as vice president of R&D search and evaluation. South San Francisco-based Surrozen is developing drugs that activate and regulate tissue repair in the body.
Janssen’s Scott Plevy Joins Synlogic as Chief Scientific Officer
Synlogic (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SYBX]]) has appointed Scott Plevy to serve as chief scientific officer. A gastroenterologist, Plevy was most recently a vice president in gastroenterology disease at Janssen Research & Development. Cambridge, MA-based Synlogic is developing drugs that employ engineered microbes to treat metabolic and inflammatory diseases, as well as cancer.
Alder Bio Picks AbbVie’s Nadia Dac for Chief Commercial Officer
Nadia Dac has joined Alder BioPharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALDR]]) as chief commercial officer. She comes to the Bothell, WA, biotech from AbbVie (NYSE: [[ticker:ABBV]]), where she was vice president of global specialty commercial development. Her experience also includes positions at Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]), Biogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]), and Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]). In February, Alder filed for FDA … Continue reading “Alder Bio Picks AbbVie’s Nadia Dac for Chief Commercial Officer”
Kaleido Bio Names Johan van Hylckama Vlieg Chief Scientific Officer
Johan van Hylckama Vlieg has been appointed chief scientific officer of Lexington, MA-based Kaleido Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:KLDO]]). Van Hylckama Vlieg was most recently vice president for microbiome and human health innovation at Danish bioscience company Chr. Hansen. He is scheduled to start his new role at Kaleido on July 1. In other moves, Clare Fisher … Continue reading “Kaleido Bio Names Johan van Hylckama Vlieg Chief Scientific Officer”
Flagship Pioneering Unveils Kintai’s Gut Approach to Treating Disease
The gastrointestinal system is often viewed as a barrier to drugs. Conditions ideal for breaking down food also break down drugs in ways that can limit how well they work. Interaction with the gut microbiome can also diminish a drug’s efficacy or boost its toxicity. Paul-Peter Tak, a former GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: [[ticker:GSK]]) executive who is … Continue reading “Flagship Pioneering Unveils Kintai’s Gut Approach to Treating Disease”
Hatteras Launches New Fund With $94M for Life Science Investments
Hatteras Venture Partners is kicking off its latest fund with $94 million it plans to deploy to life sciences startups. The cash committed so far is the first closing of a fund that Hatteras says could reach up to $200 million. It’s the sixth fund for Durham, NC-based Hatteras. The venture capital firm invests throughout … Continue reading “Hatteras Launches New Fund With $94M for Life Science Investments”
Ribometrix Appoints John Reardon Chief Scientific Officer
John Reardon has joined Durham, NC-based Ribometrix as its chief scientific officer. Reardon was most recently head of research and development at HemoShear Therapeutics. His experience also includes posts at Revivo Therapeutics, Cadioxyl Pharmaceuticals, and GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: [[ticker:GSK]]). Last November, Ribometrix closed a $30 million Series A round to finance development of small molecule drugs that … Continue reading “Ribometrix Appoints John Reardon Chief Scientific Officer”
Former Shire R&D Head Busch Named Cyclerion Chief Innovation Officer
Cyclerion has appointed Andreas Busch to serve as chief innovation officer. Busch most recently worked at Shire, where he was executive vice president and chief scientific officer. His experience also includes posts at Bayer, Hoechst, and Sanofi-Aventis. Cambridge, MA-based Cyclerion, which recently spun out of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IRWD]]), is developing drugs based on nitric … Continue reading “Former Shire R&D Head Busch Named Cyclerion Chief Innovation Officer”
AskBio Reels In $235M to Advance Gene Therapy Clinical Trials
Asklepios BioPharmaceutical (AskBio) has raised $235 million in financing to support its research and development of gene therapies for rare, genetic disorders. The funding came from TPG Capital and Vida Ventures, which together invested $225 million and gained a minority stake in the Research Triangle Park, NC, company. Concurrent with that investment, AskBio’s founders and … Continue reading “AskBio Reels In $235M to Advance Gene Therapy Clinical Trials”
Jintel Health Taps Former Zimmer Biomet Exec Dvorak for CEO Post
David Dvorak has been appointed chairman of the board and CEO of Jintel Health. Ping Zhang, founder of Richmond, CA-based Jintel, will become president of the company. Dvorak is the former chief executive of medical devices giant Zimmer Biomet (NYSE: [[ticker:ZBH]]). Jintel says it has developed technology that uses analytics and machine learning for clinical … Continue reading “Jintel Health Taps Former Zimmer Biomet Exec Dvorak for CEO Post”
Chimerix Names Former Endocyte Exec Michael Sherman CEO
Two former Endocyte executives are joining the executive team of Durham, NC-based Chimerix (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CMRX]]). Michael Sherman has been appointed CEO, succeeding former CEO Michelle Berrey, who resigned in February. Sherman is joined by Michael Andriole, who will serve as Chimerix’s chief business officer. Sherman was previously CEO of Endocyte, which was acquired by Novartis (NYSE: … Continue reading “Chimerix Names Former Endocyte Exec Michael Sherman CEO”
Senators Grill Pharmacy Benefit Execs About Skyrocketing Drug Prices
Executives from five of the companies that negotiate drug prices on behalf of insurers testified Tuesday before the Senate finance committee. It was the latest in a series of hearings centered on the rising cost of prescription medication, which has captured attention on both sides of the political aisle and is likely to become a … Continue reading “Senators Grill Pharmacy Benefit Execs About Skyrocketing Drug Prices”
FDA Refuses to Review Zogenix Seizure Drug, Says File Not Complete
[Updated 9:11 p.m. ET. See below.] The FDA is refusing to review a Zogenix drug developed to treat seizures caused by a rare form of epilepsy. Zogenix said Monday that the FDA sent the company a “refusal to file” letter regarding its drug, fenfluramine hydrochloride (Fintepla). Such letters don’t amount to a rejection of a … Continue reading “FDA Refuses to Review Zogenix Seizure Drug, Says File Not Complete”
Translate Bio Names Richard Wooster Chief Scientific Officer
Richard Wooster has been appointed chief scientific officer of Translate Bio (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TBIO]]). Wooster was most recently president of research & development and chief scientific officer at Tarveda Therapeutics. His experience also includes senior roles at GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: [[ticker:GSK]]). When Wooster joins Lexington, MA-based Translate Bio in May, the company says that scientific founder and … Continue reading “Translate Bio Names Richard Wooster Chief Scientific Officer”
Acceleron Pharma’s Chief Medical Officer Robert Zeldin Departs
Robert Zeldin has left Acceleron Pharma (NASDAQ: [[ticker:XLRN]]), where he was executive vice president and chief medical officer. Cambridge, MA-based Acceleron gave no reason for Zeldin’s departure, which comes just nine months after he joined the company. A search for Zeldin’s successor is underway. Last week, Acceleron and partner Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]) filed for FDA … Continue reading “Acceleron Pharma’s Chief Medical Officer Robert Zeldin Departs”
Trevi Therapeutics Files for IPO to Fund Anti-Itching Drug R&D
Trevi Therapeutics is trying to turn an old opioid drug into a new therapy for tough-to-treat itching conditions, and it has filed for an initial public offering to finance clinical trials. In paperwork submitted to the SEC late Friday, Trevi set a preliminary $86 million target for its IPO. The New Haven, CT-based company has … Continue reading “Trevi Therapeutics Files for IPO to Fund Anti-Itching Drug R&D”
Ex-Seres Executive Roger Pomerantz Appointed ContraFect CEO
Roger Pomerantz is now chairman and CEO of infectious diseases drug developer ContraFect (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CFRX]]). He succeeds Steven Gilman, who is retiring. Pomerantz has been vice chairman of Yonkers, NY-based ContraFect for five years. He was also CEO of Cambridge, MA-based microbiome drug developer Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MCRB]]) from 2014 until January of this year. … Continue reading “Ex-Seres Executive Roger Pomerantz Appointed ContraFect CEO”
Braeburn Pharma’s Malamut Joins Collegium as Chief Medical Officer
Richard Malamut has been appointed chief medical officer of Collegium Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: [[ticker:COLL]]). He joins the Stoughton, MA, company from Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, where he was chief medical officer, head of research and development, and senior vice president. Malamut’s experience also includes posts at Avanir Pharmaceuticals and Teva Pharmaceutical (NYSE: [[ticker:TEVA]]). Collegium develops and sells pain … Continue reading “Braeburn Pharma’s Malamut Joins Collegium as Chief Medical Officer”
Celgene Files for FDA Approval of Blood Disease Drug
An experimental blood disease drug cited as one of Celgene’s key pipeline assets has been filed for FDA approval. Summit, NJ-based Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]) said Friday that it submitted the application for luspatercept as a treatment for patients who have anemia, or low red blood cell counts, caused by either of two blood diseases: myelodysplastic … Continue reading “Celgene Files for FDA Approval of Blood Disease Drug”
Bio Roundup: Gottlieb’s Goodbye, AACR Recap, Migraine Drug Fight & More
Scott Gottlieb’s last day as FDA commissioner is today. His resignation announcement last month surprised some, given the earlier denials about leaving. But after two years of commuting between Connecticut, where his family remained, and the FDA’s Maryland headquarters, he decided to step down from the agency. What will Gottlieb’s legacy be? His efforts to … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Gottlieb’s Goodbye, AACR Recap, Migraine Drug Fight & More”
NGM Bio’s IPO Raises $107M as NASH Drug Continues Clinical Testing
So far this year, NGM Biopharmaceuticals has licensed a drug to Merck, extended a research agreement with that partner, and laid the groundwork to continue mid-stage testing of its wholly-owned lead compound. Now it can add a $107 million IPO to the list. Late Wednesday, NGM sold appoximately 6.7 million shares for $16 apiece, the … Continue reading “NGM Bio’s IPO Raises $107M as NASH Drug Continues Clinical Testing”
Dyne Therapeutics Emerges With $50M to Take On Rare Muscle Disease
One problem with drugs for muscular disorders is that not enough medicine reaches the muscle, says Romesh Subramanian, CEO of Dyne Therapeutics. Subramanian’s startup has developed a way to deliver drugs to all muscle types, and it is emerging from stealth with $50 million in funding to advance its compounds toward human testing. Dyne was … Continue reading “Dyne Therapeutics Emerges With $50M to Take On Rare Muscle Disease”
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Taps Ortho Clinical’s Wagner for CFO Post
Two months after Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) terminated its top financial executive for “personal behavior,” the Boston company has named a permanent replacement. Vertex, a developer of drugs for cystic fibrosis and other diseases, announced Charles Wagner will join the company as executive vice president and CFO. Wagner is currently CFO and executive vice president … Continue reading “Vertex Pharmaceuticals Taps Ortho Clinical’s Wagner for CFO Post”
Petra Pharma Names Albert Yu Chief Medical Officer
Albert Yu has been appointed chief medical officer of New York-based Petra Pharma. Yu’s experience includes executive roles at Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, Omeros (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OMER]]), and Icos. Petra, which is developing drugs to treat cancer and other diseases by targeting the phosphoinositide signaling pathway, emerged in 2016 with a $48 million Series A round of funding.
Surface Oncology Appoints Wendy Dwyer Chief Business Officer
Wendy Dwyer has joined Surface Oncology (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SURF]]) as chief business officer, the same role she had most recently at privately held Portal Instruments. Her experience also includes positions at AstraZeneca (NYSE: [[ticker:AZN]]) and Ipsen Biosciences. Cambridge, MA-based Surface, which went public last year, is developing cancer immunotherapies.
Genentech’s Aaron Osborne Joins Adverum as Chief Medical Officer
Adverum Biotechnologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ADVM]]) has named Aaron Osborne its chief medical officer. Osborne is joining the Menlo Park, CA, biotech from Roche subsidiary Genentech, where he was principal medical director in product development. His experience also includes senior roles at Alcon and Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]). Adverum’s lead gene therapy candidate, ADVM-022, is in early-stage testing as … Continue reading “Genentech’s Aaron Osborne Joins Adverum as Chief Medical Officer”
Novartis Adds Inflammation Drugs to Pipeline with Deal for IFM Tre
Less than a year after launching and only days after advancing its lead program into clinical trials, drug developer IFM Tre is in line to be acquired by Novartis. According to an agreement announced Monday, Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]) will acquire all of the outstanding stock of privately held IFM. The Basel, Switzerland-based pharmaceutical giant will … Continue reading “Novartis Adds Inflammation Drugs to Pipeline with Deal for IFM Tre”
Pfizer’s Willem Scheele Joins Imara as Chief Medical Officer
Imara has hired Willem Scheele to serve as its as chief medical officer. Before joining the Cambridge, MA, biotech, Scheele was executive director and clinician group lead in rare diseases for Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]). Scheele’s new role at Imara follows the company’s recent $63 million Series B round of funding. Imara emerged from biotech accelerator … Continue reading “Pfizer’s Willem Scheele Joins Imara as Chief Medical Officer”
Eyal Attar Leaves Agios for Chief Medical Officer Role at Aprea
Aprea Therapeutics has appointed Eyal Attar senior vice president and chief medical officer. Attar joins Aprea from Agios Pharmaceuticals, where he was senior medical director and IDH hematology medical lead. Aprea, which splits its operations between Boston and Stockholm, Sweden, is developing therapies that target the tumor suppressor protein p53. The company’s most advanced drug … Continue reading “Eyal Attar Leaves Agios for Chief Medical Officer Role at Aprea”
Ex-Novartis Exec Aradhye Joins Axcella as Chief Development Officer
Shreeram Aradhye has been appointed executive vice president and chief development officer of Axcella Health. Aradhye was most recently chief medical officer and global head of medical affairs for Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]). Cambridge, MA-based Axcella is developing drugs intended to regulate human metabolism. The company has early-stage programs addressing liver and muscular disorders.
Precision Bio’s IPO Raises $126M for Pipeline of Gene-Edited Drugs
Precision BioSciences has joined the club of publicly traded gene editing biotech companies, raising $126 million in its stock market debut. On Wednesday evening, Durham, NC-based Precision Bio sold 7.9 million shares for $16 apiece, which was right in the middle of its targeted price range. Those shares are expected to begin trading on the … Continue reading “Precision Bio’s IPO Raises $126M for Pipeline of Gene-Edited Drugs”
Arcus Bio Names Rekha Hemrajani Chief Operating & Financial Officer
Rekha Hemrajani has been appointed chief operating and financial officer of Arcus Biosciences (NYSE: [[ticker:RCUS]]). She joins the Hayward, CA, company from FLX Bio, where she was chief operating officer. Hemrajani’s experience also includes executive roles at 3-V Biosciences, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, and Exelixis (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXEL]]). Arcus has a number of experimental cancer immunotherapies in early-stage … Continue reading “Arcus Bio Names Rekha Hemrajani Chief Operating & Financial Officer”
Genentech’s Lieu Jumps to NGM Bio for Chief Medical Officer Post
Hsiao Lieu has been appointed senior vice president and chief medical officer of NGM Biopharmaceuticals. Lieu is joining South San Francisco, CA-based NGM from Roche’s Genentech unit, where he was vice president of early clinical development. NGM has a five-year research partnership with Merck (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]), which recently exercised its option to acquire rights to an … Continue reading “Genentech’s Lieu Jumps to NGM Bio for Chief Medical Officer Post”