Sector News

Shake-up at AstraZeneca as two immuno-oncology leaders leave

January 6, 2015
Life sciences
(Reuters) – AstraZeneca has appointed a new leader for its all-important immuno-oncology drug development operation after the departure of the previous head for personal reasons, the British-based drugmaker said on Monday.
 
Rachel Humphrey left the company at the end November and was replaced last month by Robert Iannone, a member of the global medicines development team, a spokeswoman said in response to inquiries. Her departure was not announced at the time.
 
Humphrey’s exit coincides with the loss of another leader in immuno-oncology, albeit from a different part of the firm. Peter Emtage, who was involved in early research at AstraZeneca’s unit MedImmune, was appointed to a senior position at biotech company Intrexon on Dec. 4.
 
AstraZeneca said the two departures were a coincidence and the company’s work in immuno-oncology was proceeding at full steam, with no problems with any programmes. “It’s business as usual,” the spokeswoman said.
 
The drugmaker, which saw off a $118 billion takeover attempt by Pfizer last year, is banking on new cancer medicines to help revive its fortunes.
 
It is also hoping for an imminent boost to its heart drug Brilinta from results of a clinical trial – known as PEGASUS – assessing the medicine’s use in patients who experienced a heart attack 1-3 years ago. That group could more than double the number of patients eligible for Brilinta. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Pravin Char)

comments closed

Related News

June 3, 2023

Sanofi’s frexalimab shows early potential in in Phase II multiple sclerosis trial

Life sciences

In 2017, Sanofi partnered with the Lebanon, New Hampshire-based ImmuNext to develop an antibody for autoimmune diseases like lupus and multiple sclerosis, which included giving Sanofi a worldwide license to develop frexalimab. The agreement involved milestone payments upto $500 million.

June 3, 2023

Lonza to acquire Synaffix to strengthen ADC development

Life sciences

Global manufacturer for the pharmaceutical, biotech and nutraceutical markets, Lonza has announced that it has acquired Synaffix, a biotech company focused on the commercialisation of its clinical stage technology platform for the development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).

June 3, 2023

BD taps Novartis, GSK alum Laura Boros to lead drug delivery device business

Life sciences

In its hunt for the new head of its pharmaceutical systems business—which makes syringes, self-injection systems and other drug delivery devices for 70% of the top 100 drugmakers in the world, according to the company—BD landed on a candidate with plenty of experience among that customer group.

How can we help you?

We're easy to reach