Sanjay Keswani has been appointed CEO of Rheos Medicines. He succeeds Abbie Celniker, the Cambridge, MA, biotech’s interim CEO and a partner at Third Rock Ventures. Celniker will remain on the Rheos board of directors. Keswani comes to Rheos from Roche, where he was senior vice president and global head of neuroscience, ophthalmology, and rare … Continue reading “Rheos Medicines Taps Roche’s Sanjay Keswani for CEO Post”
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.
SpringWorks Therapeutics Promotes Saqib Islam to CEO
Saqib Islam has been appointed CEO of SpringWorks Therapeutics. He will also join the New York company’s board of directors. Islam was previously chief financial and chief business officer of SpringWorks. Islam came to SpringWorks last year from Cambridge, MA-based Moderna Therapeutics, where he was chief business officer. Last year, SpringWorks spun out of Pfizer … Continue reading “SpringWorks Therapeutics Promotes Saqib Islam to CEO”
Harvard Spinout 28-7 Launches with $65M for MicroRNA Cancer Drugs
Tackling tumors head-on isn’t the only way to treat cancer. New cancer biotech 28-7 Therapeutics, a Harvard spinout, is researching an approach that targets cellular fragments that play key roles in cancer growth, and it now has $65 million in funding to advance its work. MPM Capital and Novartis Venture Fund co-led the investment in … Continue reading “Harvard Spinout 28-7 Launches with $65M for MicroRNA Cancer Drugs”
Tempest Therapeutics Names Ginna Laport Chief Medical Officer
Tempest Therapeutics has appointed Ginna Laport chief medical officer of the San Francisco company. Laport comes to Tempest from Burlingame, CA-based Corvus Pharmaceuticals, where she was vice president of clinical development. Prior to Corvus, Laport taught at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Tempest, which raised $70 million in Series B financing in March, is … Continue reading “Tempest Therapeutics Names Ginna Laport Chief Medical Officer”
Sanofi’s Perfetti Joins Applied Therapeutics as Chief Medical Officer
Riccardo Perfetti has been appointed chief medical officer of Applied Therapeutics. Perfetti comes to New York-based Applied from Sanofi (NYSE: [[ticker:SNY]]), where he was senior medical officer and vice president, head of global medical affairs in the company’s diabetes and cardiovascular business. Applied develops drugs that target enzymes associated with metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. The … Continue reading “Sanofi’s Perfetti Joins Applied Therapeutics as Chief Medical Officer”
On Cusp of Gene Therapy Clinical Trial, 4D Molecular Reels In $90M
4D Molecular Therapeutics is already working with several large pharmaceutical companies to help them develop new gene therapies. Now, as its own gene therapy candidate approaches clinical trials, the company has raised $90 million in financing. Viking Global Investors led the investment, a Series B round of financing. Emeryville, CA-based 4D Molecular has developed technology … Continue reading “On Cusp of Gene Therapy Clinical Trial, 4D Molecular Reels In $90M”
Westlake Bio Unveils $320M Fund to Put Los Angeles on the Biotech Map
Los Angeles has long been in San Francisco’s shadow when it comes to life sciences investment. But a new venture capital firm led by industry veterans is trying to cast the City of Angels in a new light. Westlake Village BioPartners is launching today with $320 million in committed capital. The Los Angeles-based firm is … Continue reading “Westlake Bio Unveils $320M Fund to Put Los Angeles on the Biotech Map”
Principia Sets IPO Terms as It Eyes Late-Stage Studies for Lead Drug
Principia Biopharma plans to sell 4.6 million shares priced between $15 and $17 apiece when the rare disease drug developer makes its stock market debut. The South San Francisco, CA-based biotech set the IPO terms in a regulatory filing on Tuesday. At the midpoint of the proposed range, the Principia IPO would raise $74.8 million. … Continue reading “Principia Sets IPO Terms as It Eyes Late-Stage Studies for Lead Drug”
E-Scape Bio Names Julie Anne Smith President & CEO
Julie Anne Smith has joined E-Scape Bio as president and CEO of the San Francisco company. She has also joined the neurological drug developer’s board of directors. Before coming E-Scape, Smith was president and CEO of Menlo Park, CA-based Nuredis. Smith’s experience also includes executive posts at Raptor Pharmaceuticals and Enobia Pharmaceuticals. Last year, E-Scape … Continue reading “E-Scape Bio Names Julie Anne Smith President & CEO”
Achillion Pharma Appoints Steven Zelenkofske Chief Medical Officer
Steven Zelenkofske has joined Achillion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ACHN]]) as executive vice president and chief medical officer of the New Haven, CT, drug developer. Zelenkofske most recently worked at uniQure (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QURE]]), where he was chief medical officer. He has also held leadership positions at Regado Biosciences, AstraZeneca (NYSE: [[ticker:AZN]]), Sanofi-Aventis, Boston Scientific (NYSE: [[ticker:BSX]]), and … Continue reading “Achillion Pharma Appoints Steven Zelenkofske Chief Medical Officer”
Sutro Biopharma, Arvinas Are Latest to Tee Up Biotech IPOs
The biotech IPO train is rolling on without slowing as we head into a holiday weekend. The latest to lay the groundwork to go public are Sutro Biopharma and Arvinas, which both want Wall Street’s help to back human trials of experimental cancer drugs. South San Francisco, CA-based Sutro set a preliminary $75 million target … Continue reading “Sutro Biopharma, Arvinas Are Latest to Tee Up Biotech IPOs”
RootPath Raises $7M to Bring Cancer Cell Therapy to Solid Tumors
The concept of turning a patient’s own immune cells into a cancer therapy has made strides, with the past year seeing FDA approvals of two such treatments for blood cancers. But these cell therapies don’t work for everyone, and they can cause dangerous side effects. They also haven’t yet worked on solid tumors. RootPath wants … Continue reading “RootPath Raises $7M to Bring Cancer Cell Therapy to Solid Tumors”
Bristol Promotes Christopher Boerner to Chief Commercial Officer
[Corrected 8/29/18, 4:41 pm. See below.] Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]) has promoted Christopher Boerner to chief commercial officer. Boerner, who joined the Princeton, NJ-based pharmaceutical giant in 2015, was previously head of Bristol’s U.S. commercial organization and then its head of international markets. His experience also includes positions at Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]), Dendreon, and … Continue reading “Bristol Promotes Christopher Boerner to Chief Commercial Officer”
Editas Chief Medical Officer Gerald Cox to Depart at End of Year
Gerald Cox, chief medical officer of Editas Medicine (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EDIT]]), will step down at the end of 2018, the gene editing company announced Monday, after the markets closed. Cambridge, MA-based Editas gave no reason for Cox’s departure, but said that a search for his successor is underway. Cox joined Editas in 2016, a few months … Continue reading “Editas Chief Medical Officer Gerald Cox to Depart at End of Year”
Former Armo Bio Exec Leveque Joins Synthorx as Chief Medical Officer
Synthorx has appointed Joseph Leveque to serve as chief medical officer of the San Diego biotech. Leveque most recently worked at Redwood City, CA-based cancer drug developer Armo Biosciences, which was acquired by Eli Lilly (NYSE: [[ticker:LLY]]) for $1.6 billion earlier this year. Leveque’s experience also includes senior roles at EMD Serono, Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: … Continue reading “Former Armo Bio Exec Leveque Joins Synthorx as Chief Medical Officer”
Tetraphase Pharma’s Antibiotic Wins FDA Approval for Gut Infections
A Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals antibiotic has earned FDA approval, adding a new treatment to the effort to address drug-resistant infections. The FDA decision for the Tetraphase (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TTPH]]) drug, eravacycline (Xerava), covers complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI) in adults. It’s the first drug approval for the Watertown, MA-based drug developer, and shares of the company rose 5.5 … Continue reading “Tetraphase Pharma’s Antibiotic Wins FDA Approval for Gut Infections”
Y-mAbs Plans IPO to Advance Two Pediatric Cancer Drugs to the FDA
Neuroblastoma, a rare pediatric cancer, has no FDA-approved treatments for patients who relapse after the first line of therapies. Y-mAbs Therapeutics has developed two experimental antibody drugs for the disease and it is lining now lining up an IPO to as it readies both therapies for submission to the FDA for approval. Y-mAbs set a … Continue reading “Y-mAbs Plans IPO to Advance Two Pediatric Cancer Drugs to the FDA”
AbbVie’s Susie Jun Joins Allogene as Chief Development Officer
Allogene Therapeutics has appointed Susie Jun to serve as chief development officer. Jun comes to the cancer immunotherapy developer from AbbVie (NYSE: [[ticker:ABBV]]), where she was vice president and head of development for the company’s Stemcentrx subsidiary. Her experience also includes posts at Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GILD]]) and Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]). South San Francisco, CA-based … Continue reading “AbbVie’s Susie Jun Joins Allogene as Chief Development Officer”
Duke Spinout Evecxia Appoints John Kaiser CEO
John Kaiser has been appointed CEO of Research Triangle Park, NC-based Evecxia Therapeutics. Kaiser, who has been working with the company since March, was most recently interim CEO of Baltimore-based Cerecor (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CERC]]). His experience also includes positions at Denysias Bioscience, Acadia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ACAD]]), and Eli Lilly (NYSE: [[ticker:LLY]]). Evecxia, a Duke University spinout, … Continue reading “Duke Spinout Evecxia Appoints John Kaiser CEO”
Bio Roundup: EpiPen Shortage, Bluebird’s Bet, Biotech IPOs & More
It’s back-to-school season and that means it’s time to load up on school supplies. For many students and schools, one crucial item is in high demand but hard to come by: the EpiPen. Some schools stock the epinephrine autoinjectors so they can respond quickly to a student’s allergic reaction to food. Though the autoinjectors are … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: EpiPen Shortage, Bluebird’s Bet, Biotech IPOs & More”
FDA Approves Kala Pharmaceuticals Drug for Post-Surgery Eye Pain
Kala Pharmaceuticals has won FDA approval for a drug developed to treat pain and inflammation following eye surgery. While the approval is new, the drug, loteprednol etabonate (Inveltys), is not. Kala’s drug is a new formulation of a Bausch Health (NYSE: [[ticker:BHC]]) topical steroid that is approved to treat pain and inflammation after eye surgeries. … Continue reading “FDA Approves Kala Pharmaceuticals Drug for Post-Surgery Eye Pain”
Bluebird Bio Turns to Gritstone’s A.I. to Find TCR Cancer Targets
Bluebird Bio is betting that artificial intelligence technology from Gritstone Oncology can find new targets for cancer drugs, and the companies have struck a partnership to develop multiple cell therapies. Cambridge, MA-based Bluebird (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BLUE]]) develops gene and cell therapies. In cancer, the company focuses on a type of cell therapy called T-cell receptor therapy … Continue reading “Bluebird Bio Turns to Gritstone’s A.I. to Find TCR Cancer Targets”
Kaleido Bio Promotes Alison Lawton to CEO, Joshua Brumm to COO
Alison Lawton, president and chief operating officer of Kaleido Biosciences, has been appointed CEO of the microbiome therapies developer. Lawton succeeds Michael Bonney, who will now serve as executive chairman of Kaleido’s board of directors. Bedford, MA-based Kaleido also promoted CFO Joshua Brumm to COO. The company says Brumm will continue to oversee finance in … Continue reading “Kaleido Bio Promotes Alison Lawton to CEO, Joshua Brumm to COO”
Novartis Exec Scherer Joins Cellectis as Deputy Chief Medical Officer
Stefan Scherer has been appointed senior vice president of clinical development and deputy chief medical officer of Cellectis (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CLLS]]). He comes to the French cell therapy developer from Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]), where he was head of early development, strategy, and innovation for U.S. oncology. Scherer will be based in New York. Cellectis is developing … Continue reading “Novartis Exec Scherer Joins Cellectis as Deputy Chief Medical Officer”
Sierra Oncology Acquires Gilead’s Stalled Myelofibrosis Drug
An experimental myelofibrosis drug that fell short of expectations for Gilead Sciences is getting another shot under Sierra Oncology. Vancouver, BC-based Sierra (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SRRA]]) has acquired the drug, momelotinib, from Gilead (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GILD]]), for $3 million up front. The deal adds a late-stage drug candidate to Sierra’s pipeline of early-stage cancer drugs. Meanwhile, Foster City, … Continue reading “Sierra Oncology Acquires Gilead’s Stalled Myelofibrosis Drug”
Aptose Bio Appoints New York Genome Center’s Carol Ashe to Board
Carol Ashe has been appointed to the Aptose Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:APTO]]) board of directors. Ashe is the chief business officer of the New York Genome Center, a nonprofit academic research institution. Ashe’s appointment was part of LifeSci Advisor’s “Board Placement Initiative,” a program developed to improve the diversity of corporate boards. The program was created … Continue reading “Aptose Bio Appoints New York Genome Center’s Carol Ashe to Board”
Former Agensys Exec David Stover Joins i2 Pharmaceuticals as CEO
David Stover has been appointed CEO of Boulder, CO-based cancer drug developer i2 Pharmaceuticals. Stover was most recently an executive at Agensys, a Santa Monica, CA, oncology subsidiary of Japanese company Astellas Pharma. Last year, Astellas announced it would shutter Agensys as part of its strategy to refine its research focus in cancer. Stover’s cancer … Continue reading “Former Agensys Exec David Stover Joins i2 Pharmaceuticals as CEO”
Renovia Raises $42M to Back Digital Treatment for Incontinence
Renovia, a company aiming to turn the smartphone into a tool for treating incontinence, has closed $42.3 million in financing as it proceeds with clinical trials. Boston-based Renovia said Tuesday that the new capital consists of $32.2 million in equity funding and $10 million in venture debt. The equity financing, a Series B round of … Continue reading “Renovia Raises $42M to Back Digital Treatment for Incontinence”
Sigilon Taps Bioverativ’s Rogerio Vivaldi for CEO Post
Rogerio Vivaldi has been appointed CEO of Sigilon Therapeutics. Vivaldi comes to the Cambridge, MA, biopharmaceutical company from Sanofi (NYSE: [[ticker:SNY]]) subsidiary Bioverativ, where he was executive vice president and chief global therapeutic operations officer. Former Sigilon CEO Paul Wotton, who the company says stepped away from the chief executive role to manage a family … Continue reading “Sigilon Taps Bioverativ’s Rogerio Vivaldi for CEO Post”
Ionis Pharma’s Steven Hughes Joins Organovo as Chief Medical Officer
Steven Hughes has joined Organovo (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONVO]]) to serve as the San Diego company’s chief medical officer. Hughes comes to Organovo from Carlsbad, CA-based Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IONS]]), where he was chief clinical development officer. His experience also includes senior leadership roles at Biogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]), CSL Behring, and Sanofi (NYSE: [[ticker:SNY]]). Organovo has several … Continue reading “Ionis Pharma’s Steven Hughes Joins Organovo as Chief Medical Officer”
Entasis Therapeutics and Principia Biopharma Join the IPO Queue
IPO activity has waned in the dog days of summer, but two more biotechs have now joined the growing list of companies with Wall Street ambitions. Entasis Therapeutics and Principia Biopharma have filed to go public, hoping to raise the cash needed to finance more clinical tests of their experimental drugs. Entasis and Principia each … Continue reading “Entasis Therapeutics and Principia Biopharma Join the IPO Queue”
Pfenex Chief Medical, Scientific Officer Chen to Resign in September
Hubert Chen, chief medical and scientific officer of Pfenex (NYSE American: [[ticker:PFNX]]), plans to resign on Sept. 2, the San Diego biotech announced Thursday. No explanation was given for Chen’s departure but in a securities filing, the company said it was not for “good reason.” According to Chen’s employment contract, “good reason” includes a breach … Continue reading “Pfenex Chief Medical, Scientific Officer Chen to Resign in September”
Infinity Pharma Appoints Samuel Agresta Chief Medical Officer
Samuel Agresta has been appointed chief medical officer of Cambridge, MA-based Infinity Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:INFI]]). Agresta comes to Infinity from Agios Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AGIO]]), where he was vice president and head of clinical development. Before Agios, Agresta held posts at Merrimack Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MACK]]) and Genentech. Following a corporate restructuring last year, Infinity turned its … Continue reading “Infinity Pharma Appoints Samuel Agresta Chief Medical Officer”
Sanofi’s Eckhard Leifke Named Omeros Chief Medical Officer
Omeros (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OMER]]) has appointed Eckhard Leifke to serve as the Seattle drug company’s chief medical officer and vice president of clinical development. Leifke comes to Omeros from Sanofi (NYSE: [[ticker:SNY]]), where he was global project head/vice president of late-stage development in diabetes. His experience also includes posts at Bayer and Takeda Pharmaceutical. At Omeros, … Continue reading “Sanofi’s Eckhard Leifke Named Omeros Chief Medical Officer”
Pain Drug Race Continues as Regeneron Posts Early Phase 3 Results
A new class of pain drugs that might offer an alternative to addictive opioids—if they’re safe enough to use chronically—is inching closer to an FDA review. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:REGN]]) and partner Teva Pharmaceutical (NYSE: [[ticker:TEVA]]) said this morning that their experimental drug, fasinumab, hits its early goals in a Phase 3 trial in patients … Continue reading “Pain Drug Race Continues as Regeneron Posts Early Phase 3 Results”
Inclusion in Labs, the C-Suite & More: Xconomy Awards Diversity Finalists
[Updated 8/20/18, 4:47 p.m. See below.] Efforts to boost diversity and inclusion at life science organizations are themselves becoming more diverse. A growing number of biotech companies are adjusting their recruitment and hiring practices to ensure that their employee rosters—from the lab to the boardroom—better reflect the diversity of society. But recruitment is just one … Continue reading “Inclusion in Labs, the C-Suite & More: Xconomy Awards Diversity Finalists”
Inari Agriculture Harvests $40M to Ramp Up Gene Editing R&D
Less than one month after emerging from stealth, ag biotech startup Inari Agriculture is unveiling $40 million in capital to accelerate its work on gene-editing for crop breeding. The Series B round of financing for Cambridge, MA-based Inari adds Acre Venture Partners and Alexandria Venture Investments as investors. Inari was founded in 2016 by venture … Continue reading “Inari Agriculture Harvests $40M to Ramp Up Gene Editing R&D”
Alder BioPharma Exec Litton Jumps to Alpine Immune Sciences
Mark Litton has been appointed president and chief operating officer of Alpine Immune Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALPN]]). Litton comes to the Seattle drug developer from Bothell, WA-based Alder BioPharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALDR]]), where he had been chief business officer and treasurer since its founding in 2004. Jay Venkatesan, who was Alpine Immune Sciences’s president, will continue to … Continue reading “Alder BioPharma Exec Litton Jumps to Alpine Immune Sciences”
Retrophin Appoints Noah Rosenberg Chief Medical Officer
Noah Rosenberg has joined Retrophin (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RTRX]]) as chief medical officer. Rosenberg comes to the San Diego biotech from Fairfield, NJ-based Medimetriks Pharmaceuticals, where he was chief medical officer. Retrophin’s drug pipeline includes late-stage drug candidates fosmetpantotenate, an experimental treatment for the rare neurological disorder pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration, and sparsentan, a drug for a rare … Continue reading “Retrophin Appoints Noah Rosenberg Chief Medical Officer”
Now Hear This: Akouos Secures $50M for Hearing Loss Gene Therapy R&D
Hearing loss for many people is hereditary—a mutation in a single gene impairs hearing from birth. There are no approved drugs for this type of hearing loss, but biotech startup Akouos is developing a gene therapy to help patients recover the ability to hear. Boston-based Akouos says it has secured a $50 million financial commitment … Continue reading “Now Hear This: Akouos Secures $50M for Hearing Loss Gene Therapy R&D”
Pfizer’s May Orfali Joins CANbridge as Chief Medical Officer
May Orfali has been appointed chief medical officer of CANbridge Life Sciences. She will replace Mark Goldberg, who was serving as interim chief medical officer. CANbridge, which is based in Beijing, China, and has additional sites in Shanghai and Cambridge, MA, takes Western drug candidates and develops them for the markets in China, Korea, and … Continue reading “Pfizer’s May Orfali Joins CANbridge as Chief Medical Officer”
Nohla Names Noonberg Chief Medical Officer, Delaney Shifts to CSO
Nohla Therapeutics has hired Sarah Noonberg to serve as its chief medical officer. She takes the place of Nohla founder Colleen Delaney, who is now the Seattle biotech’s chief scientific officer. Noonberg most recently worked at Prothena (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PRTA]]), where she was chief medical officer. Her experience also includes positions at BioMarin Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BMRN]]) and … Continue reading “Nohla Names Noonberg Chief Medical Officer, Delaney Shifts to CSO”
Elanco’s IPO Would Free Eli Lilly to Focus on Pharmaceuticals
Elanco, the animal health business of Eli Lilly, has filed for an IPO, setting in motion the process of splitting from its parent company of more than 60 years. Greenfield, IN-based Elanco set a preliminary $100 million target in the IPO filing, a figure used to calculate the registration fee. IPO research firm Renaissance Capital … Continue reading “Elanco’s IPO Would Free Eli Lilly to Focus on Pharmaceuticals”
Zafgen Exec Thomas Hughes Resigns to Take CEO Job at Navitor
Thomas Hughes is leaving Zafgen, which he led for nine years, in order to take the top job at another biotech company. The job change comes 10 months after Hughes resigned as CEO of Zafgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZFGN]]) and took on a new role as the Boston company’s president and chief scientific officer. Zafgen announced Hughes’ … Continue reading “Zafgen Exec Thomas Hughes Resigns to Take CEO Job at Navitor”
SQZ Biotech Exec Agarwal Surfaces as Epizyme Chief Medical Officer
Shefali Agarwal has joined Cambridge, MA-based Epizyme (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EPZM]]) as chief medical officer. Before coming to Epizyme, Agarwal most recently worked at SQZ Biotech, where she was chief medical officer. She has also held leadership roles at Curis and Tesaro (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TSRO]]). Epizyme develops therapies based on epigenetics—turning certain genes on or off without altering … Continue reading “SQZ Biotech Exec Agarwal Surfaces as Epizyme Chief Medical Officer”
BioDelivery Sciences Names Thomas Smith Chief Medical Officer
BioDelivery Sciences International (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BDSI]]) has appointed Thomas B. Smith to serve as chief medical officer. Smith comes to the Raleigh, NC, drug company from Charleston Laboratories in Jupiter, FL, where he was chief medical officer. His experience also includes executive positions at Ameritox, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: [[ticker:MNK]]), and Covidien. BDSI develops products based on … Continue reading “BioDelivery Sciences Names Thomas Smith Chief Medical Officer”
Verana Health Lands $30M Financing Led By GV, Adds Miki Kapoor as CEO
Verana Health, a company that analyzes electronic health record data for insights useful in developing new drugs and medical devices, has raised $30 million in financing. GV, the venture arm of Google’s parent company, Alphabet (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GOOGL]]), led the Series C round of investment in the San Francisco company. Verana was formerly known as DigiSight. … Continue reading “Verana Health Lands $30M Financing Led By GV, Adds Miki Kapoor as CEO”
Orphan Tech’s Patrick Horn Joins Albireo as Chief Medical Officer
Albireo Pharma (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALBO]]) has appointed Patrick Horn to serve as chief medical officer. He will succeed Paresh Soni, who is stepping down from the Boston company but will continue to serve as a consultant. Horn was most recently senior vice president, medical and clinical development at Switzerland-based Orphan Technologies. Albireo develops drugs to treat … Continue reading “Orphan Tech’s Patrick Horn Joins Albireo as Chief Medical Officer”
Neurana Pharmaceuticals Names Craig Thompson President & CEO
Craig Thompson has joined Neurana Pharmaceuticals as president and CEO. Prior to starting at the San Diego company, Thompson was president and CEO of Anthera Pharmaceuticals in Hayward, CA. Neurana develops drugs that treat neuromuscular conditions. In May, the company closed a $60 million Series A round of funding to finance Phase 2 studies testing … Continue reading “Neurana Pharmaceuticals Names Craig Thompson President & CEO”
Pernix-Backed Biz Picks Up Orexigen’s Weight Loss Drug for $74M
Orexigen Therapeutics went bankrupt trying to turn its weight loss pill, Contrave, into a commercial success. Now Pernix Therapeutics will try its luck. Pernix (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PTX]]) said Monday that a business entity it helped create, Nalpropion Pharmaceuticals, has closed a deal for Contrave. Morristown, NJ-based Pernix formed Nalpropion to bid on Contrave, which Orexigen auctioned … Continue reading “Pernix-Backed Biz Picks Up Orexigen’s Weight Loss Drug for $74M”