Welcome to this week's Chutes & Ladders, our roundup of hirings, firings and retirings throughout the industry. Please send the good word—or the bad—from your shop to Kyle Blankenship, and we will feature it here at the end of each week.
Merck KGaA names Garijo CEO, punching another hole in biopharma's glass ceiling
Merck KGaA
Belén Garijo has been named CEO.
Garijo, currently CEO of Merck Healthcare, will succeed current helmsman Stefan Oschmann when his tenure ends by the end of April 2021. Garijio’s appointment is a natural one, as she’s currently deputy CEO of the entire company, as was Oschmann before he took the office in 2016. But lifting her to the top job instead of bringing in a male veteran from the outside is still a breakthrough move, given the scarcity of female CEOs in the biopharma industry—and looking beyond the company is exactly what Merck did in picking two new leaders for its business sectors. Fierce Pharma
European neuro RNA biotech Vico Therapeutics nabs Bayer alum as CMO
Vico Therapeutics
Bayer veteran Rupert Sandbrink, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed as CMO.
Sandbrink comes to the biotech, which is hoping to tap RNA to find new therapies for neurological disorders, from German CRO-biotech hybrid’s spinout Topas Therapeutics, which is working on a series of targets including multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. Before his Topas role, he was executive vice president of multiple sclerosis/neurology and immunology at Forward Pharma, and he also served a stint at Bayer across several R&D roles. While at the German pharma, Sandbrink led the clinical development programs for multiple small molecules and biologics including blockbuster eye drug Eylea and Sanofi-Genzyme partnered MS drug Lemtrada. Fierce Biotech
TriSalus hires Katz to run studies of ex-Dynavax cancer drug
TriSalus Life Sciences
Steven Katz, M.D., will join as CMO.
Colorado-based TriSalus is using a delivery technology to get immuno-oncology agents to targets in solid tumors. The technology enables surgeons to deliver drugs to liver metastases and pancreatic solid tumors during interventional arterial and venous outpatient procedures, bypassing barriers in the tumor microenvironment that diminish the efficacy of immuno-oncology agents. Katz has supported development of the technology as chief medical adviser to TriSalus and chairman of its scientific advisory board since 2018. Now, TriSalus has asked Katz to play a bigger role in taking its pipeline forward. Fierce Biotech
> Ironwood will eliminate 100 workers—or 35% of its workforce—after its once-hyped GERD drug IW-3718 failed a phase 3 trial. The candidate at one time was forecast as a $2 billion-a-year asset. Fierce Biotech
> New York-based FCB Health Network has appointed Sommer Bazuro, Ph.D., to the role of CMO. Bazuro will continue to lead the FCB Health New York medical team while adding management of EU medical strategists.
> Thrive Earlier Detection is fleshing out its executive team with the appointments of Sam Asgarian, M.D., as CMO; Frank Diehl, Ph.D., as executive VP of product solutions; and interim general counsel Dina Ciarimboli as chief legal officer. Release
> Boston's Akouos has tapped Sachiyo Minegishi as chief financial officer and Jennifer Wellman as chief operating officer, a promotion from her prior role as senior VP of regulatory and quality.
> Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Rubius Therapeutics has named Jose “Pepe” Carmona as chief financial officer. Carmona most recently served as chief financial officer at Radius Health. Release
> Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Nimbus Therapeutics has promoted Abbas Kazimi to the role of chief business officer. Kazimi previously served as VP of business development, joining the biotech in 2014. Release
> Belgian pharma Hyloris Pharmaceuticals has named Dietmar Aichhorn, Ph.D., as chief operating officer. Aichhorn most recently oversaw clinical development of monoclonal antibodies and scientific affairs at Polpharma Biologics.
> Philadelphia's Spark Therapeutics has named Derek Hicks, Pfizer's former VP of corporate development, as its new head of business development.