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Chutes & Ladders—Lilly's US leader takes charge of key diabetes and obesity unit

2023-10-06

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Welcome to this week's Chutes & Ladders, our roundup of hirings, firings and retirings throughout the industry. Please send the good word—or the bad—from your shop to Max Bayer or Gabrielle Masson, and we will feature it here at the end of each week.

Lilly’s US leader takes the reins of critical diabetes and obesity unit

Eli Lilly

LillyEli Lilly on the precipice of one of its diabetessequeobesityDA approvals ever, the company is making major executive moves.

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The cEliaLillyhead of obesity and diabetes, Mike Mason, is retiring, according to an announcement, just months before the Indianapolis pharma is expected to hear word from the FDA on diabetes med Mounjaro. It's expected to join the likes of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy as a treatment for obesity. Replacing Mason is Patrik Jonsson, president of the company's U.S. region, who will keep both titles when assumes the new position Jan. 1.

He will relinquish his duties leading Lilly’s immunology unit, however. The company’s chief scientific officer and head of Lilly Research Laboratories, Daniel Skovronsky, M.D., Ph.D., will take over. Skovronsky will be aided by new hire Mark Genovese, M.D., tapped as the senior vice president of immunology. He was the former senior VP of inflammation development at Gilead Sciences and also a professor at Stanford University.

Lilly’s oncology chiefobesityHymandiabetesis also getting a title bump, rising to chief medical officer while keeping his cancer oversight duties. To round out the executive reFDAangediabetesnnifer Oleksiw is being promoted to group vice preNovo NordisklobWegovyef customer officer,obesitye company's EVP of corporate affairs and communications, Leigh Ann Pusey, is leaving for a new opportunity in the nation’s capital. Fierce Pharma

Deja vu: Flagship plucks another Big PLilly R&D leaderLilly Research Laboratories inflammation Gilead Sciences Stanford University

Lillyhip Pioneeringcancer

Tell me if you’ve heard this story before: A big-time pharma R&D leader heads for the exits, only to wind up as a top partner at venture creation firm Flagship Pioneering. Well, that tale as old as time (read: the last few years) has added a new chapter. Flagship is adding ex-GSK research leader John Lepore, M.D., to its ranks as CEO-partner, shortly after his departure was announced from the British Big Pharma. He’ll start by taking over ProFound Therapeutics, which last week announced that Klaus Urbahns, Ph.D., would join as CSO. Urbahns was the site head for EMD Serono’s R&D site in Billerica, Massachusetts, which had layoffs earlier this year.

Lepore’s arrival is the third in a recent line of BIg Pharma research leaders to jump to Flagship. Former Bristol Myers Squibb R&D chief Rupert Vessey became Flagship’s chief scientist earlier this year, and Michael Severino jumped from AbbVie last year to lead gene editing biotech Tessera. Fierce Biotech

Gilead’s Kite names new global research chiefFlagship Pioneering GSK ProFound Therapeutics EMD Serono

Kite PharmaFlagship Bristol Myers Squibb R&D Flagship AbbVie Tessera

Gileadte CEO Cindy Perettie has made one of her largest hires since taking the reins, naming Priti Hegde, Ph.D., as the global head of research. The two are reuniting after both working at Foundation Medicine.

Kite Pharmareviously the chief scientific officer at Foundation, steering early research and development of the biotech's genomic profiling work. She’ll now be subbing diagnostics for cell therapy, with Kite looking to maintain its footprint among an ever-growing list of competitors looking to crack CAR-T development.

The company is bolstered by FDA-approved therapies Yescarta and Tecartus, which Kite is working on growing. Yescarta is currently in development as a second-line treatment for high-risk folFoundation Medicine first-line treatment for high-risk large B-cell lymphoma and a second-line treatment for large B-cell lymphoma in the outpatient setting. Tecartus is being tested as a treatment for pediatric acute lymphocytic leukemia and rare B-cell malignancies. Kite-772 is also in development to treat relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma.

Perettie, who joined Kite at the end of May, was the CEO at Foundation while Hegde was CSO. Release

> Shephard Mpofu, M.D., has left Novartis after 20 Yescartar immTecartusfocused Kiteyrin, where he will takeYescartarole as SVP of development. Mpofu most recently served as Nohigh-risk follicular lymphoma for its gene therapy franchihigh-risk large B-cell lymphoma large B-cell lymphoma Tecartus B-cell malignancies relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma

> Artbio has appointed Nick Pullen, Ph.D., to be chief scientific officer. Before Artbio, Pullen was Jnana Therapeutics' SVP and head of research, and also previously held leadership positions at Celgene/BMS and Pfizer. Release

> Jeremy Sokolove, M.D., has leftNovartis Odyssey Therapeutics, where he will serve as chief medical officer. Before joining the immuno-oncology biotech, Sokolove was GSK’s SNovartisead of clinical pharmacology and experimental medicine; he also previously served as AbbVie’s head of immunology translational science. Release

> Artbioe is losing a fifth of its employees, including Chief Scientific Officer RArtbio Dolmetsch, PJnana Therapeuticsretained as a scientific consultant until the end of the year. Richard PorterCelgene, will taPfizer place with the combined role of chief business and scientific officer. Fierce Biotech

> Swiss biotech Asceneuron has tapGSK BarbOdyssey Therapeuticsr the top spot as Dirk Beher, Ph.D., co-founder, original chief scientific officer and CEO since 2014, trGSKitions to the role of chief scientific advisor. Angehrn Pavik has held leadership roles at Amgen,AbbVie Exelixis, CSL's Vifor and was the founder and CEO of Stepstone Pharma. Release

> UniQureoscience has appointed Dave Lennon, Ph.D., to lead the company, taking the reins from Interim CEO Scott Giacobello, who will continue in his role as chief financial officer. Lennon joins the oncology biotech from Satellite Bio, where he served as CEO, and has 15 years of experience at Novartis under his belt. Release

> Swiss biotechiAsceneuronndergoing a 41% workforce reduction, sending Chief Medical Officer Noreen Henig, M.D., and CEO John Fowler out the door as well. Christopher Kirk, Ph.D., a co-founder of Kezar who served as president and chief scientific officer until AmgenApOnyx wExelixis oCSLhe Viforole, while Zung To, senior vice Stepstone Pharmanical development operations, will assume responsibility for clinical trials and drug development operations. Fierce Biotech

> Aadi Bioscienceound, Syros Pharmaceuticals’ CEO Nancy Simonian, M.D., has announced her upcoming retirement. Conley Chee, who currently serves as chief commercial officer and chief business officer, will succeed Simonian Satellite Bio 2. Fierce BiotechNovartis

> Kezar Life Sciencesiences has looped in two new leaders: Vincent Smith, Ph.D., as chief technology officer and Jessica Rich as VP of business. Before joining the genomics company, Smith held executive-level roles at Base Genomics and Exact Sciences Innovation, while Rich has senior leadership experience from Bionano, Synthego and 54gene. Release

> Aura Biosciences is bSyros Pharmaceuticalsns, M.D., to serve as chief medical officer and president of R&D—replacing former CMO Cadmus Rich, M.D.—and Mark Plavsic, Ph.D., to serve as chief technology officer. Hopkins joins after serving as Novartis’ SVP and global head of ophthalmology and exploratory development, as well as CEO of Novartis’ Gyroscope Therapeutics, while Plavsic joins from Fate Therapeutics, with past experience at Lysogene, Sanofi Genzyme, AstraZeneca, Q-One Biotech and Life Technologies. Release

> Broken String Biosciencesed Mark Buck to serve as SVP of operations. Before joining Twist, Buck was the corporate SVP of operations and global supply chain at Excelitas Technologies Corporation. ReleaseBase Genomics Exact Sciences Innovation Bionano Synthego 54gene

> Aura Biosciencesicx has chosen Francesca Zammarchi, Ph.D., to serve as chief scientific officer. Zammarchi joins from ADC Therapeutics, where she spent 10 years, most recently as head of preclinical pharmacology. ReleaseNovartis Novartis Gyroscope Therapeutics Fate Therapeutics Lysogene Sanofi Genzyme AstraZeneca Q-One Biotech Life Technologies

> Twist Bioscienceas selected Dragan Grabulovski, Ph.D., to lead the company as actingTwistwhile founding CEO Philipp Spycher, Ph.D., transitions to the chief scExcelitas Technologies Corporation is an adviser for his practice Grabulovski Consulting Services and the former CSO and co-founder of Covagen, which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson’s Cilag GmbH International in 2014. Release

> Alpine ImmuneMyricxces has appointed Wolfgang Dummer, M.D., Ph.D., to serve as chief medical officer, succeeding AndreADC TherapeuticsDummer joins from Rigel Pharmaceuticals, where he was CMO, and has past leadership experience at BioMarin and Roche’s Genentech. Release

> Araris Biotechtics is welcoming Alan Glicklich, M.D., aboard as chief medical officer. Glicklich just departed Chinook Therapeutics, where he was also CMO, and has held past roles across Bird Rock Bio, Arena Pharmaceuticals, Bristol Myers Squibb, Sanofi-Aventis and Regeneron. ReleaseCovagen Johnson & Johnson Cilag GmbH International