Exscientia fires CEO over inappropriate staff relationships

2024-02-13

临床1期高管变更IPO

Exscientia is searching for a new chief executive and chairman after learning the former had engaged in inappropriate relationships with employees, and the latter seemingly kept at least one of those relationships secret from the board. Shares in the company, which uses AI to discover and develop drugs, sunk 23% Tuesday on the news.

CEO Andrew Hopkins was sacked after an investigation uncovered relationships with two employees that were “inappropriate and inconsistent with the company’s standards and values,” Exscientia disclosed in a regulatory filing.

Additionally, chairman David Nicholson tendered his resignation Tuesday after a discussion with the board. According to the company, Nicholson had prior knowledge of the earlier of Hopkins’ relationships, but rather than consulting the board, he addressed the situation directly.

Dave Hallett, Exscientia’s chief science officer, has been appointed interim CEO, and Elizabeth Crain, who sits on the board and serves as chair of the audit committee, will act as interim chairperson. The board is searching for permanent replacements for both positions.

12 years at the helm

Hopkins founded Exscientia in 2012 to leverage AI for more rapid, effective identification and development of drug molecules.

During his tenure, Hopkins has been awarded a slew of honours. He was elected Fellow of both the Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences, was featured on the inaugural TIME 100 AI and Fortune 50 AI Innovators lists, and most recently was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in January.

Exscientia purports to have brought the first AI-designed candidate to in-human studies in 202, and boasts partnerships with a pair of large pharmas – Bristol Myers Squibb and Sanofi – plus German life sciences company Merck KGaA.

However, in the company’s decade-plus existence, it has yet to win a regulatory approval, let alone reach late-stage clinical testing.

Its lead programme, CDK7 inhibitor GTAEXS617, is partnered with GT Apeiron Therapeutics and is in a Phase I/II trial to treat solid tumours. Exscientia’s other clinical candidate is PKC-theta inhibitor EXS4318, which BMS has in-licensed and last year started a Phase I trial for inflammatory diseases.

Exscientia’s shares have lost more than 70% of their value since the company’s late 2021 IPO, which raised over $300 million through the sale of 13.9 million ADSs at $22.00 a piece. The company closed at $5.80 on Tuesday.

更多内容，请访问原始网站

文中所述内容并不反映新药情报库及其所属公司任何意见及观点，如有版权侵扰或错误之处，请及时联系我们，我们会在24小时内配合处理。

机构

Exscientia Plc