C-Suite shuffle: Bayer continues leadership shakeup with hires at subsidiaries
C-Suite shuffle: Bayer continues leadership shakeup with hires at subsidiaries
Published: Apr 17, 2024
By Neil Versel
BioSpace
Welcome to the latest update about people coming and going from executive positions at biopharma companies covered by BioSpace or who have been personally named in lawsuits.
Bayer continued its leadership shuffle not only at its world headquarters in Germany but at two U.S.–based subsidiaries. Yet most of the executive movement of late has been at smaller companies. Notably, Acadia Pharmaceuticals and Viatris have brought in new blood after R&D setbacks, while startup G.ST Antivirals hired a CMO just as it starts a Phase II trial of its lead asset.
Bayer North America
Bayer, which is in the midst of a massive leadership overhaul, has named Samantha Avivi chief marketing officer of its North American consumer health division. Avivi replaces Jeff Jarrett, who has retired after five years with the company.
AskBio
Meanwhile, Bayer subsidiary Asklepios BioPharmaceutical has brought in Mansuo Shannon to serve as chief scientific officer. She replaces AskBio co-founder and CSO Jude Samulski, who remains on the company’s board. Shannon previously held a similar position at Eli Lilly subsidiary Prevail Therapeutics.
Endeavor BioMedicines
Endeavor BioMedicines has brought in Chris Krueger as chief operating officer. He stepped down this week as chief business officer of Ventyx Biosciences. San Diego–based Endeavor in January announced positive preliminary results of a Phase IIa trial of its lead candidate, ENV-101, a small molecule inhibitor of the hedgehog signaling pathway that could treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
G.ST Antivirals
Austria-based G.ST Antivirals has named University of Virginia pediatric infectious diseases specialist Ronald Bruce Turner chief medical officer. Turner’s hiring coincides with the start of a Phase II clinical trial of G.ST’s lead asset, a broad-spectrum nasal spray containing 2-deoxy-D-glucose, in preventing rhinovirus illnesses.
Protego Biopharma
Brent Warner announced on LinkedIn that he has been named CEO of Protego Biopharma. He stepped down as president of gene therapy at Poseida Therapeutics on April 1.
Acadia Pharmaceuticals
Acadia Pharmaceuticals has named Elizabeth Thompson executive vice president in charge of R&D. Thompson, who served as rare disease R&D chief at Amgen following its acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics, will help Acadia fulfill its mission of developing treatments for conditions of high unmet need. The company recently announced the failure of a Phase III trial of antipsychotic candidate pimavanserin in patients with schizophrenia.
Gain Therapeutics
Gain Therapeutics has brought in Jonas Hannestad as CMO and Gene Mack as CFO. The company recently started a Phase I trial of lead asset GT-02287, which has shown preliminary efficacy in restoring motor function in GB1A Parkinson’s disease in mice.
Viatris
Viatris has tapped former Moderna executive Corinne Le Goff as chief commercial officer. Le Goff, who led a turnaround and rebranding of immuno-oncology startup Imunon after leaving Moderna, is, among other things, tasked with helping Viatris bounce back from last month’s FDA rejection of a multiple sclerosis treatment co-developed with Mapi Pharma. This month, the company had its U.S. commercial launch of Ryzumvi, an eye drop for reversing dilation.
Source: BioSpace
