UroGen Secures Ex-Novartis CEO as New Leader
Liz Barrett spent 10 months as Novartis CEO before announcing that she would not be transitioning to the Switzerland headquarters and would instead take on an opportunity with a U.S.-based biotech. But Barrett is with UroGen now as CEO—just as the uro-oncology drug maker awaits its first FDA approval.
The new CEO will oversee the rolling FDA submission of lead candidate UGN-101, a formulation of mitomycin that uses the company’s reverse thermal gel technology to treat low-grade upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Barrett will forge partnerships, collaborations, and licensing deals to bring in assets that will help her position UroGen for sustainable, long-term growth. She says in a statement, “We are currently talking to companies about collaborations for potentially partnering on taking some small molecules and using them with the technology.”
AstraZeneca Exec Moves to Immunocore
Pharma industry powerhouse Bahija Jallal joins Immunocore as CEO and Director of the Board. Jallal leaves her role as President and head of AstraZeneca’s global biologics R&D unit, MedImmune. She oversaw significant growth in the pharma giant’s pipeline, which expanded from 40 to more than 130 molecules in R&D due to the entrepreneurial culture she fostered.
Jallal is in charge of Immunocore’s pipeline and will oversee the approaching Biologics License Application submission for its lead asset, IMCgp100. Sir John Bell, Chairman of Immunocore, comments, “A champion for science and diversity, Bahija is a highly seasoned pharmaceutical executive with considerable experience in biologics R&D and immuno-oncology. Her appointment will significantly strengthen Immunocore as we advance our lead candidate, IMCgp100, towards commercialization, and our growing pipeline of TCR candidates through clinical development.”
Alder BioPharmaceuticals
Paul Streck, MD joins the specialty pharma focused on migraine therapy as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Streck will use his 25 years of experience from GlaxoSmithKline, Shire, and Amgen to ensure the successful approval and launch of eptinezumab and help Alder grow as a leader in novel migraine therapeutics.
Calliditas Therapeutics
The specialty pharma company appoints Frank Bringstrup, MD to Vice President Regulatory Affairs, where he will play a leading role in the regulatory discussions and approval process of the company’s pivotal clinical Phase III study NEFIGARD. Dr. Bringstrup brings over 17 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently serving as Senior Global Regulatory Lead at Novo Nordisk.
Geron Corporation
Israel Gutierrez, MD has joined the clinical biopharmaceutical company as Vice President, Pharmacovigilance and Drug Safety. He will be responsible for clinical drug safety risk management and compliance as well as drug safety oversight and reporting from late-stage development through commercialization.
HCB Health
Veteran digital healthcare expert, Colin Foster, joins HCB Health as its first Chief Digital Officer. Foster is now responsible for all things digital, including production, project management, and information technology. He is expanding HCB’s digital offerings, providing new products to elevate its clients’ businesses, and boosting the staff’s digital competency. Foster has 20 years of experience with integrated global marketing and communications programs, including his role as managing director and leader of W2O Group’s social media practice.
Immunocore
Former head of AstraZeneca’s immuno-oncology franchise, David Berman, joins Immunocore as Head of Research and Development, congruent with current CEO Bahija Jallal’s efforts to strengthen the executive team. Berman will be trusted to move lead candidate IMCgp100 toward commercialization and advance earlier-stage therapies. He will prioritize bringing the benefits of T-cell research in immuno-oncology to more patients.
ImmusanT
The auto-immune specialty biotech announces Thomas A. Shea as Chief Financial Officer. Shea will use his 30 years of biopharmaceutical experience to advance fundraising and partnership opportunities so ImmusanT may continue to leverage its Epitope-Specific Immuno-Therapy™ (ESIT™) platform to develop first-in-class peptide-based immunomodulatory vaccine therapies.
Ironshore Pharmaceuticals
The commercialization leader of ADHD therapies announces Lewis Warrington, MD as their new Vice President, Head of Medical Affairs. With 18 years of experience in the global drug development arena, Dr. Warrington leaves his position as Medical Affairs Strategic Lead at Merck to help Ironshore bring its newest medicine, Jornay PM, to the U.S.
TGaS
The consulting firm expands its benchmarking and advisory services team with the addition of Jerry Luciano as Vice President, Omnichannel Marketing and Kristin Scott as Director, Learning & Development. Luciano heads a team responsible for analysis and recommendations to clients on all aspects of interactive marketing, brand strategy, and organizational alignment. His career includes marketing roles at Digitas Health and Merck & Co., Inc. Scott holds more than 20 years of pharmaceutical and healthcare market experience with specialization in strategic marketing as well as training and development, which she gained through various training and marketing roles at Janssen and Centocor.
Tricida, Inc.
Susannah Cantrell, PhD, a commercial pharma industry veteran, joins Tricida as Chief Commercial Officer and Senior Vice President. Dr. Cantrell will now lead the pharma company’s commercial planning and operations functions focusing on strategic commercial efforts for TRC101, a novel drug to treat metabolic acidosis and slow the progression of chronic kidney disease.
UDG Healthcare
The global advisory, communication, commercial, clinical, and packaging agency appoints Peter Chambre and Shane Cooke as Non-executive Directors of the company’s board to further its strategic development. Cambre is currently Chairman of Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH. Previously, he held the position of CEO of Cambridge Antibody Group and the roles of COO of Celera Genomics Group and CEO of Bespak over the course of his veteran pharmaceutical career. Cooke is currently a non-executive director of Alkermes, having recently retired from his 7 years stint as the company’s President. Previously, he spent 10 years as Chief Financial Officer of Elan Corporation and before that he was Head of Elan Drug Technologies.
