This month there have been a number of changes at the head of organizations working on biosimilars and the advanced therapeutic space.
Research and expenditure into cell and gene therapies have only increased in recent years, as the first products have reached the market. This is reflected in several appointments this month at the heads of organization and companies working in the space.
The success of the UK, in particular, has seen figureheads within the space grow in importance, leading to the new head of the most prominent accelerator organization.
During this period, the UK’s biosimilar industry body has also bolstered its leadership, coming at a time when uptake of the medicines is beginning to create significant savings for the country.
This month there have been a number of changes at the head of organizations working on biosimilars and the advanced therapeutic space.
Research and expenditure into cell and gene therapies have only increased in recent years, as the first products have reached the market. This is reflected in several appointments this month at the heads of organization and companies working in the space.
The success of the UK, in particular, has seen figureheads within the space grow in importance, leading to the new head of the most prominent accelerator organization.
During this period, the UK’s biosimilar industry body has also bolstered its leadership, coming at a time when uptake of the medicines is beginning to create significant savings for the country.
Gilead brings in Michael Quigley as SVP of research biology, he joins the company from Bristol-Myers Squibb. In his previous company, Quigley had been VP and head of tumor microenvironment modulation thematic research center.
In this former position, he had been responsible for dictating strategy within BMS’ oncology discovery program – identifying targets and developing both small and large molecule therapeutics.
Before his position with BMS Quigley also held roles at Janssen, as a senior scientific director, and at MedImmune, working as a scientist within the company’s preclinical oncology department.
At the same time as Gilead made the appointment of Quigley public, the biotech also announced that Linda Higgins had been promoted from within to SVP and head of external innovation.
Both employees will report to William Lee, EVP of Research at Gilead.
“We are very pleased to welcome Quigley to Gilead and Higgins to her new role, as we seek to build and scale our access to scientific innovation, both internally and externally,” commented Dr. Lee. “These appointments strengthen our research discovery organization and will help position us to reach our ambitious goal of bringing 10 new transformative therapies to patients over the next 10 years.”
The UK-based accelerator of cell and gene therapy companies announced that it would promote Matthew Durdy from chief business officer to the CEO position of the organization, replacing the outgoing Keith Thompson who had previously announced plans to retire in April 2020.
The appointment comes at a crucial time for UK industry, with employment numbers in the space increasing rapidly and investment going the same way.
Durdy has worked at the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGTC) for the last seven years, since its inception. Prior to this, he was chief executive of Aqix for six years, a business which provides a preservative solution for tissues, organs and cells during transport.
John Brown, chairman of CGTC, said, “We are delighted to appoint Matthew to the role. He has been a key member of the team that has delivered the success of the CGTC to date and brings a previous history of managing growth in successful organizations.”
As part of the announcement, CGTC stated that the organization is preparing for the further expansion of the industry, with Durdy emphasizing that his focus would be on meeting this demand to create ‘high value jobs’ in the UK.
Géraldine Honnet moves to Sensorion from Généthon to become the company’s chief medical officer, bringing with her a number of years of experience working on gene therapies.
The biopharma company is not exclusively focused on gene therapies, as it also possesses small molecule therapies within its pipeline of treatments, with its lead drug candidate being SENS-401, a small molecule treatment in Phase II trials.
However, Sensorion possesses two preclinical gene therapies for Usher syndrome and Otoferlin deficiency, as well as holding an agreement with Institut Pasteur for the option to obtain exclusive licenses for further gene therapy candidates.
Before Généthon, where she also held the role of chief medical officer, Honnet spent time as medical director at Parexel International and as an international project manager for Janssen.
CEO of Sensorion, Nawal Ouzren, stated that gene therapy had become a ‘key pillar’ for the copan during 2019 and that Honnet’s appointment had been made due to her ‘extensive expertise’ in the area.
The British Biosimilar Association (BIA), a trade body representing biosimilar manufacturers in the UK, revealed that Andrew Ellis will become its new chair.
Ellis is currently director of secondary care at Teva UK and will retain this role alongside his work at the biosimilar organization, he replaces Kavya Gopal of Sandoz.
For the majority of his career, Ellis has worked within marketing and sales roles, with his current role focusing on market access for Teva’s treatments.
Teva is a member of BBA’s steering group and Ellis had already been an ‘active member’ prior to his installation as chair, according to director general, Warwick Smith.
Ellis said, “We are already seeing the real potential of biosimilars to transform the lives of patients with long-term and complex conditions.”
One such biosimilar is Humira (adalimumab), which is projected to save the UK’s NHS £300m ($388m) per year.
Sophia Genetics brings in Philippe Menu as chief medical officer, with a remit of utilizing the company’s data-driven approach to discover new biomarkers for the development of therapeutics.
Prior to Sophia Genetics, Menu had spent eight years at consultancy firm McKinsey where he held the role of associate partner for the last three years and co-led McKinsey Cancer Center, working with clients in the biopharma sector.
Before McKinsey, Menu had attained a PhD in molecular biology, providing him with additional background for his new role at Sophia Genetics.
Jurgi Camblong, CEO and co-founder of the company, stated, “Menu’s background and track record across different sectors of life sciences, including biopharma, will help the execution of new clinical-grade applications. In turn, this will allow the longitudinal monitoring of patients through multi-modal data approaches and the optimization of drug development.”
