Top Pfizer research exec John Davis joins migration to biotech, lands at Magenta as CMO

Sue Dillon isn’t the only Big Pharma R&D exec to make news this week after making the switch to biotech. Cambridge, MA-based biotech standout Magenta Therapeutics has just recruited Pfizer vet John Davis as their new chief medical officer.
Davis had been the senior vice president and head of early clinical development at Pfizer. He earlier completed a stint at Baxalta after spending 10 years on the faculty at UC San Francisco.

Magenta has been making a splash in the big Cambridge/Boston hub, gathering $98.5 million in venture cash from some marquee investors that includes GV — the venture group formerly known as Google — and in-licensing a mid-stage drug that Novartis thinks highly of for enhancing cord blood stem cells as a treatment.
“As a clinical stage company, we are delighted to welcome John, a very seasoned physician-scientist, to our team,” said Magenta CEO Jason Gardner (who launched the company after leaving GSK) in a statement. “John’s rich experience in immunology and drug development will be crucial as we move our programs forward.”