New CEO for ObsEva

New CEO for ObsEva

ObsEva SA’s board of directors appointed Brian O’Callaghan to succeed Dr. Ernest Loumaye as CEO and member of the company’s executive committee, effective December 1. He will also be proposed for election on ObsEva’s board of directors at the next annual general meeting.

Management says as ObsEva evolves from a development company towards commercialization, Dr. Loumaye – co-founder and CEO of ObsEva – expressed his wish to retire from day-to-day operations. He will continue to serve as a member of ObsEva’s board of directors and is working to ensure a smooth transition with O’Callaghan. 

“It has been a tremendous honor to serve as the CEO of ObsEva since founding the company and I am incredibly proud of everything our team has accomplished in the past seven years,” Dr. Loumaye says. “I am delighted to be succeeded by Brian whose wealth of experience will greatly benefit ObsEva as we move forward and evolve, and I am committed to supporting him and ObsEva during this transition and in the future.”

According to Dr. Frank Verwiel, chairperson of the board of directors, O’Callaghan is the right person to lead ObsEva in the company’s next phase of evolution. O’Callaghan is a life science executive who brings a breadth of experience to ObsEva, having held senior positions within a number of public and private pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, in both Europe and the United States. These posts include CEO positions at Petra Pharma, Acucela, Sangart and BioPartners, as well as senior management positions at Pfizer, Merck Serono, Novartis, Covance and NPS Pharmaceuticals. He has a wide range of experience, having managed businesses and programs across multiple therapeutic areas from concept through commercialization, and as such is well qualified to leverage his significant experience to lead ObsEva through its future development, regulatory filings, and product launches.

“I am delighted to lead ObsEva into the future as it intends to file its first market authorization application (MAA) for Linzagolix for the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding and pain associated with uterine fibroids in pre-menopausal women in the EU before year end and a new drug application (NDA) in the U.S. in the first half of 2021,” O’Callaghan says. “I look forward to working with ObsEva’s Board and team to advance the development and commercialization of best in class therapies that women deserve.”

ObsEva is a biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing novel therapies to improve women’s reproductive health and pregnancy. Through strategic in-licensing and disciplined drug development, ObsEva has established a late-stage clinical pipeline with development programs focused on treating endometriosis, uterine fibroids, preterm labor, and improving embryo transfer outcomes following in vitro fertilization.