Arcutis Taps Verrica’s Burnett to Succeed Retiring Chief Medical Officer

Patrick Burnett is joining Arcutis Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARQT]]) as its chief medical officer following the retirement of Howard Welgus, who has held the role since the company’s founding in 2016.

Burnett was most recently CMO at dermatology therapeutics developer Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRCA]]), whose investigational topical therapy for molluscum contagiosum was rejected by the FDA earlier this month. Burnett’s previous experience includes roles at Sun Pharmaceuticals and Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]). Westlake Village, CA-based Arcutis said Welgus has joined its board of directors and will continue as a strategic advisor to the company. Arcutis is developing treatments for immune-mediated dermatological diseases and conditions.

Author: Sarah de Crescenzo

Sarah is Xconomy's San Diego-based editor. Prior to joining the team in 2018, she wrote about startups, tech and finance at the San Diego Business Journal. Her decade of full-time news experience includes coverage of subjects including campaign finance, crime and courts as a reporter and editor at outlets throughout California, including the Orange County Register. She earned a bachelor's degree in English Literature at UC San Diego, where she wrote for the student newspaper and played collegiate lacrosse. In 2019, she earned an MBA at UC Irvine. View all posts by Sarah de Crescenzo