Longtime biotech vet Andrew Hirsch is taking the top job at C4 — and he clearly has some big plans

Andrew Hirsch, C4 Therapeutics CEO (Endpoints file photo; Christine Hochkeppel)

September 9, 2020 08:44 AM EDTUpdated 09:08 AM

Longtime biotech vet Andrew Hirsch is taking the top job at C4 — and he clearly has some big plans

John Carroll

Editor & Founder

Four years after Andrew Hirsch tied the last loose end on Bind’s bankruptcy package and shipped to Agios as its CFO, he is back at the helm.

After the market closed on Tuesday, we learned that Hirsch is taking the CEO post at C4 Therapeutics, which is making every effort necessary to do the window dressing for a major league biotech IPO. He’s taking the place of Andrew Phillips, who hit the exit 2 years after he was promoted from CSO to CEO.

Premium subscription required

Unlock this article along with other benefits by subscribing to one of our paid plans.

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.

Keep reading Endpoints with a free subscription

Unlock this story instantly and join 148,400+ biopharma pros reading Endpoints daily — and it's free.

August 17, 2022 01:45 PM EDTUpdated 2 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.

Keep reading Endpoints with a free subscription

Unlock this story instantly and join 148,400+ biopharma pros reading Endpoints daily — and it's free.

ENDPOINTS CAREERS

Head of Site Finance mRNA - Cell & Gene

Lonza

Geleen, Netherland

view job offer post your job now

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.

Keep reading Endpoints with a free subscription

Unlock this story instantly and join 148,400+ biopharma pros reading Endpoints daily — and it's free.

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.

Keep reading Endpoints with a free subscription

Unlock this story instantly and join 148,400+ biopharma pros reading Endpoints daily — and it's free.

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.

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.

Keep reading Endpoints with a free subscription

Unlock this story instantly and join 148,400+ biopharma pros reading Endpoints daily — and it's free.

ENDPOINTS CAREERS

Head of Quality Systems

Lonza

Lexington, MA, USA

view job offer post your job now

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.

Paul Hudson, Sanofi CEO (Eric Piermont/AFP via Getty Images)

August 17, 2022 06:21 AM EDTUpdated 10:49 AM

R&D

Updated: Hit by another PhIII flop, Sanofi culls breast cancer drug — sounding alarm for the class

Amber Tong

Senior Editor

John Carroll

Editor & Founder

Sanofi is officially giving up on its oral SERD.

The French drugmaker put out word Wednesday morning that it will discontinue the global development program of amcenestrant, the selective estrogen receptor degrader once billed as a top late-stage prospect. Having already failed a Phase II monotherapy test earlier this year, a combo with the drug also missed the bar in a second trial for breast cancer, triggering the decision to drop the whole program.

Keep reading Endpoints with a free subscription

Unlock this story instantly and join 148,400+ biopharma pros reading Endpoints daily — and it's free.