Turning Point Therapeutics Names New EVP and Chief Scientific Officer
Siegfried Reich, PhD, is named Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of the California-based precision oncology drug company. Dr. Reich brings more than 25 years of pharmaceutical and biotech experience developing more than 20 drug candidates to the company. With this expertise, he is trusted to help move Turning Point’s four drug candidates that target genetic drivers of cancer into clinical stages.
Dr. Athena Countouriotis, President and CEO at Turning Point says, “Siegfried is an ideal fit for our team, with deep discovery and novel target-identification expertise, and a proven track record of developing drug candidates for difficult to drug targets through disciplined discovery and medicinal-, structure- and fragment-based chemistry.”
Dr. Reich was most recently Co-founder and SVP of Research of eFFECTOR Therapeutics, where he led the discovery of three small-molecule inhibitors now under development at Pfizer. He also invented and developed two marketed products, TKI Inlyta (axitinib) and protease inhibitor Viracept (nelfinavir).
Ex-Novartis Exec Joins Cell Therapy Startup
Joseph Jimenez, former CEO of Novartis, joins the Board of Directors at Century Therapeutics, a Bayer-funded startup with $250 million. The Philadelphia-based startup will use self-renewing induced pluripotent stem cells, rather than nonrenewable cells from donors, to improve upon the current costly method of producing Kymriah and other autologous cell therapies.
Jimenez will pull on his vast biotech experience to push the company quickly through growth and development of a robust pipeline. “We are thrilled to welcome Joe Jimenez to Century’s Board of Directors. His unique background, outstanding leadership, and deep understanding of the biomedical industry will complement and enrich Century,” says CEO Lalo Flores, PhD, in a statement. Since leaving Novartis in 2018, Jimenez briefly served on the Board of ill-fated uBiome, and is now venturing back into cell therapy.
Adaptimmune
The biopharma company that develops cancer T-cell therapies hires Gavin Wood as the new Chief Financial Officer. Wood brings more than 10 years of experience in CFO and senior management roles in the life sciences sector to Adaptimmune. His leadership will assist the company as it commercializes its first treatment in 2022.
Atlantic Healthcare
The specialty pharma company appoints Andrew Jones as a Non-Executive Director on its Board. He brings more than 25 years of experience in international capital market experience to the Board. Jones retired from Barclays in 2017 after a successful career that ended with his position as Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific.
Bolt Biotherapeutics
The creator of the Immune-Stimulating Antibody Conjugate immunotherapy treatment for cancer, appoints Nils Lonberg, PhD, to its Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Lonberg is currently an executive at Canaan Partners with over 30 years of experience in the biopharma industry, especially in regards to drug discovery and development in cancer immunotherapy. He believes strongly that the company’s patented “The Boltbody” platform is extremely promising for treating a range of cancers.
Calidi Biotherapeutics
The California-based biotech focused on oncolytic virus-based immunotherapies for cancer adds Heehyoung Lee, PhD, to its Board of Directors. Dr. Lee is currently Managing Partner at LumeBio, a Korean biotech, where she finds strategic assets to maximize through efficient development processes.
Gyroscope Therapeutics
The company developing gene therapies and surgical systems for retinal diseases has hired Nadia Waheed, MD, MPH, as Chief Medical Officer and promoted Jane Hughes, PhD, formerly VP Translational Research, to Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Waheed is an experienced and respected doctor and researcher of ophthalmology. She finds the company’s GT005 to be a unique, one-time gene therapy that may slow the progression of a blinding disease (dry AMD) for patients for whom currently there is no good option. Dr. Hughes boasts 20 years of experience as a strategic scientific leader in drug discovery, translational medicine, and clinical science.
Eisai, Inc.
Industry veteran Scott R. Steuart joins Eisai as Vice President, Market Access. Steuart brings 10 years of experience to the position, including market access leadership roles at Sanofi and Pfizer. He will now be responsible for ensuring that patients have access to the company’s medicines in regards to the neurology and oncology portfolios. He will help carry out the Eisai commitment to alter the course of Alzheimer’s, dementia, and various cancers with its human healthcare mission and growing, robust pipeline.
Endo International
Blaise Coleman, the generic pharma company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since 2016 has been promoted to President and CEO. Coleman has 20 years of pharmaceutical industry experience including leadership roles with AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. He will now be trusted to lead the company through transformation with his deep understanding of the issues facing the industry.
Everest Medicines
The biopharma company developing and commercializing pharmaceuticals for unmet needs in China announces the appointment of Kerry Blanchard, MD, PhD, as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. With three decades of experience in the U.S. and China, Dr. Blanchard is expected to help the company grow and develop its eight late-stage drug candidates in oncology, immunology, cardio-renal disease, and infectious disease.
Fingerpaint
Michelle Petroff has been promoted to lead their Conshohocken, Pennsylvania office. As part of the senior management team, Petroff was one of Fingerpaint’s first employees. She became instrumental in creating the Conshohocken office and growing it from two people to nearly 80 in just five years. Petroff has extensive experience leading accounts from pharmaceutical company blockbusters to small, private-equity companies launching their first products.
Kallyope, Inc.
Peter Hecht, PhD, current CEO of Cyclerion Therapeutics, is appointed to Kallyope’s Board of Directors. Dr. Hecht was the Co-founder and CEO of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals until 2019. As a new board member, he will help the company leverage their unique technology platforms to pursue therapeutic opportunities involving the gut-brain axis.
Neurocrine Biosciences
The leader in drug development for neurological, endocrine, and psychiatric disorders appoints Shalini Sharp to its Board of Directors. Sharp is currently CFO and EVP of Ultragenyx. As Neurocrine continues to evolve globally, they’ll rely on her extensive experience in strategic planning, corporate development, investor relations, corporate finance, and business development.
