New executive VP and chief clinical development officer for Ionis

New executive VP and chief clinical development officer for Ionis

Eugene Schneider, M.D., has been promoted to executive VP and chief clinical development officer of Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. In this role, Dr. Schneider is overseeing clinical development of novel antisense medicines across all of Ionis’ therapeutic franchises. He reports to Richard S. Geary, Ph.D., Ionis’ executive VP and chief development officer, and serves on the company’s executive team.

“I am excited to join Ionis’ talented executive team and look forward to continuing my work with them and all Ionis employees who are deeply committed to delivering potentially transformative medicines to patients who depend on us,” Dr. Schneider says. 

Since joining Ionis in 2013, company executives say Dr. Schneider has played a key role in more than 20 clinical trials conducted in the United States and globally. He is an accomplished biopharma industry veteran with two decades of experience leading global medical and scientific affairs and the development and commercialization of medicines to treat a range of disorders, including pediatric, rare, and central nervous system diseases.

“Dr. Schneider’s proven track record overseeing successful studies, assessing risk-benefit profiles of investigational medicines and providing consistent clinical due diligence in safety reporting will strengthen Ionis’ industry leadership as we expand our portfolio of wholly owned and partnered medicines and build our commercial organization to maximize the value of our rich pipeline,” Dr. Geary says.

Before joining Ionis, Dr. Schneider was senior medical director, clinical research and development at Synageva BioPharma, where he developed a novel enzyme replacement therapy for Lysosomal Acid Lipase Deficiency from its first-in-man study to registration. Prior to Synageva, he was senior medical director, medical and scientific affairs at Biovail Technologies Ltd., where he was primarily responsible for the development and commercialization of a diverse portfolio of medicines designed to address patient needs related to central nervous system disorders.

Dr. Schneider received his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and completed his training in pediatric and adolescent medicine at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J.