Ex-Sanofi Genzyme chief David Meeker hops to a new biotech CEO post, this time focusing on quick leap to commercialization

David Meeker, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals CEO

July 20, 2020 08:47 AM EDT

Ex-Sanofi Genzyme chief David Meeker hops to a new biotech CEO post, this time focusing on quick leap to commercialization

John Carroll

Editor & Founder

Six months after Rhythm Pharmaceuticals CEO Keith Gottesdiener announced plans to exit on the heels of the biotech’s first FDA filing, the Boston-based biotech has found the experienced biopharma CEO they want to lead their hoped-for transition into commercialization.

Ex-Sanofi Genzyme chief David Meeker — who jumped from his last job as CEO of KSQ less than 2 weeks ago — has now moved on to Rhythm.

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Martin Landray, Protas CEO (Illustration: Assistant Editor Kathy Wong for Endpoints News)

August 18, 2022 10:00 AM EDT

R&D

In Focus

Those big billion-dollar PhIII studies? Martin Landray says they can be done for a tiny fraction of the cost

Martin Landray knows what controversy in clinical drug development feels like, from first-hand experience.

Landray was the chief architect of RECOVERY, a study that pitted a variety of drugs against Covid-19. And he offered some landmark data that would help push dexamethasone out into broader use as a cheap treatment, while helping ice hydroxy’s reputation as a clear misfire.

“Lots of people told us we shouldn’t use it,” Landray says about dexamethasone and Covid-19. “It was dangerous. We shouldn’t even do a trial. They also cared about hydroxychloroquine and lots of people said we shouldn’t do a trial because it must be used. I’ve got the letters from both sets of people.”

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IDC: Life Sciences Firms Must Embrace Digital Transformation Now

James Allgood

Sr Product Marketing Manager, Life Sciences, Egnyte

Pre-pandemic, the life sciences industry had settled into a pattern. The average drug took 12 years and $2.9 billion to bring to market, and it was an acceptable mode of operations, according to Nimita Limaye, Research Vice President for Life Sciences R&D Strategy and Technology at IDC.

COVID-19 changed that, and served as a proof-of-concept for how technology can truly help life sciences companies succeed and grow, Limaye said. She recently spoke about industry trends at Egnyte’s Life Sciences Summit 2022. You should watch the entire session, free and on-demand, but here’s a brief recap of why she’s urging life sciences companies to embrace digital transformation.

Geoffrey Porges, new Schrödinger CFO

August 18, 2022 09:10 AM EDT

People

Longtime analyst Geoffrey Porges departs SVB to lead finances at a drug discovery shop

Kyle LaHucik

Associate Editor

Geoffrey Porges has ended his two-decade run as a biotech analyst, as the former SVB Securities vice chair began as CFO of Schrödinger on Thursday.

The long-running analyst, who previously headed up vaccines marketing at Merck before the turn of the millennium, will lead the financial operations of the 700-employee company as Schrödinger broadens its focus from a drug discovery partner to also building out an in-house pipeline, with clinical trial No. 1 set to begin next quarter.

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ENDPOINTS CAREERS

Head of Site Finance mRNA - Cell & Gene

Lonza

Geleen, Netherland

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August 17, 2022 01:45 PM EDTUpdated 3 hours ago

Cell/Gene Tx

FDA approves one of the priciest new treatments of all time — bluebird's gene therapy for beta thalassemia

Zachary Brennan

Senior Editor

The FDA on Wednesday approved the first gene therapy for a chronic condition — bluebird bio’s new Zynteglo (beti-cel) as a potentially curative treatment for those with transfusion-dependent thalassemia.

The thumbs-up from the FDA follows a unanimous adcomm vote in June, with outside experts pointing to extraordinary efficacy, with 89% of subjects with TDT who received beti-cel having achieved transfusion independence.

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James Mock, incoming CFO at Moderna

August 17, 2022 02:15 PM EDTUpdated 02:59 PM

People

Pharma

Moderna taps new CFO from PerkinElmer after former one-day CFO ousted

Paul Schloesser

Associate Editor

When Moderna hired a new CFO last year, it didn’t expect to see him gone after only one day. Today the biotech named his — likely much more vetted — replacement.

The mRNA company put out word early Wednesday that after the untimely departure of then brand-new CFO Jorge Gomez, it has now found a replacement in James Mock, the soon-to-be former CFO at diagnostics and analytics company PerkinElmer.

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Joel Dudley, new partner at Innovation Endeavors (Bosch Health Campus)

August 17, 2022 11:19 AM EDTUpdated 04:21 PM

People

Financing

Former Google CEO’s VC is making a bigger push into the biotech world, hiring prominent Theranos skeptic

Tyler Patchen

News Reporter

Venture capital firm Innovation Endeavors has mainly had its focus on investments across the tech space, but it has been slowly turning its attention to the biotech world. Now, a new partner is coming into the fold showing that its interest in biotech is likely to grow further.

The Silicon Valley-based company, which is headed up by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, has brought on Joel Dudley as a partner. According to Dudley’s LinkedIn page, he is joining Innovation Endeavors after serving as the chief science officer of biotech startup Tempus Labs since 2020.

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Kate Haviland, Blueprint Medicines CEO

August 17, 2022 11:10 AM EDT

R&D

Blueprint met all its endpoints in bid for expanded Ayvakit label — but stock trends lower anyway

Lei Lei Wu

News Reporter

Blueprint Medicines announced this morning that the second part of its study on Ayvakit in non-advanced systemic mastocytosis (SM) — a rare disease in which a type of white blood cells known as mast cells builds up — met all endpoints, but the biopharma left key questions unanswered.

In 212 patients, with 141 in the treatment arm and 71 in the control arm, patients who got Ayvakit saw an average 15.6-point decrease in their symptom scores compared to a 9.2-point decrease in the placebo arm at 24 weeks. In an extension study, those on Ayvakit saw their symptom scores drop by 20.2 points by week 48.

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Head of Quality Systems

Lonza

Lexington, MA, USA

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James Sabry, Roche global head of pharma partnering

August 18, 2022 07:23 AM EDT

Deals

China

Roche, Genentech plunk down $60M upfront to partner with Chinese pharma on PROTAC-based prostate cancer drug

Max Gelman

Senior Editor

Roche and Genentech are always on the hunt for deals, and on Thursday they found their newest partner.

The pair will team up with the Chinese pharma company Jemincare to push forward a new program for prostate cancer, the companies announced. Roche is ponying up $60 million upfront to get its hands on the candidate and promising up to $590 million in biobucks, plus royalties, down the line.

In return, Genentech will get a worldwide license to develop the program, known as JMKX002992, and bring it to market.

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Andrew Hopkins, Exscientia CEO

August 18, 2022 07:22 AM EDT

Deals

Exscientia terminates Bayer pact half a year early, collecting small portion of €240M promised

Amber Tong

Senior Editor

Bayer and Exscientia are winding down their three-year collaboration, leaving the big German pharma to take the AI-designed compounds born out of the pact further.

London-based Exscientia revealed in its Q2 update that the partners have “mutually agreed to end” their collaboration, which kicked off in early 2020, after recently achieving a drug discovery milestone. In an SEC filing, Exscientia said it terminated the pact on May 30, about six months early.