Kathrin Jansen to head Pfizer vaccines R&D

Apr 10, 2015 8:28am

Chutes and Ladders

Welcome to this week's Chutes and Ladders, our roundup of hirings and retirings throughout the industry. Please send the good word--or the bad--from your shop to Eric Sagonowsky (email) or Amirah Al Idrus (email | Twitter), and we will feature it here at the end of each week.

Kathrin Jansen to head Pfizer vaccines R&D


	Pfizer Kathrin Jansen was named head of vaccines R&D.

Pfizer ($PFE) has a new vaccines R&D head in Kathrin Jansen, who will begin at the post on June 1. Previously CSO of Pfizer's vaccine research and early development, Jansen will report to global R&D president Mikael Dolsten and work out of Pfizer's Pearl River, NY, research site. "We are building on the rich foundation of our scientific heritage with Prevnar and other vaccines to design and develop vaccine candidates that are unique--and most importantly--with the potential to significantly improve patients' lives," Jansen, one of FierceBiotech's Top Women in Biotech for 2013, said in a statement. Her career at Pfizer started when she joined Wyeth in 2006, where she was responsible for leading vaccine research with a focus on infectious diseases, early development and clinical testing. She has also held leadership positions at VaxGen and Merck ($MRK). Release | More

Bill Lundberg named CSO at CRISPR Therapeutics


	CRISPR Therapeutics Bill Lundberg was named CSO.

Alexion ($ALXN) vet Bill Lundberg will lead R&D at CRISPR Therapeutics as the startup announced this week its plans to establish research operations in Cambridge, MA. The company plans to hire 30 to 50 staffers by the end of 2016, Lundberg wrote to FierceBiotech in an email. If the DNA-splicing technology works as the pioneers claim it does, the startups in the field are in the opening stages of making some major breakthroughs. Previously, Lundberg headed up translational medicine at Alexion. Story | Release

India drug price chief sacked as essential drug prices rise


	NPPA Chairman Injeti Srinivas was removed from his position.

Injeti Srinivas, head of India's National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, was removed from the job this week after prices for 509 essential drugs increased in the country by 3.8%. FiercePharmaAsia reports that the removal may have been the result of industry objections to recent moves by the agency, such as threatening "further action" and demanding a mass of data after the companies protested price controls. Srinivas will now serve as director general of the nation's Sports Authority and will keep some of his NPPA responsibilities until "alternative arrangements are made." Story

Struggling Eisai will slash 200-plus U.S. jobs as sales revenue slides. Story

Valeant starts $500M in Salix cost-cutting with 250 layoffs. Report

AMRI moves forward with plan to close Wales API plant, cut 62 jobs. Story

Biotech

> La Jolla Pharmaceutical appointed Dennis Mulroy as its chief financial officer. Release

> Acceleron brought on Dr. Francois Nader as the chairman of its board of directors. Release

> Shontelle Dodson joined Astellas Pharma as the leader of medical excellence. Release

> Raze Therapeutics appointed Mark Manfredi as its chief scientific officer. Release

> Dr. Roberto Guerciolini will act as senior vice president and head of early development at WaVe Life Sciences. Release

> EHE International brought on Dr. Romeo Papica as a partner. Release

> PlasmaTech appointed Dr. Robert Sandhaus to its scientific advisory board. Release

> AnaptysBio brought in former Pfizer ($PFE) head of cancer biology Gerrit Los to lead its translational biology team. Release

> Caris Life Sciences names David Spetzler as chief scientific officer. Release

> aTyr Pharma appoints Marcy Graham as vice president, investor relations and corporate communications. Release

> Avidity NanoMedicines appoints Andrew Geall as vice president of formulations and chemistry. Release

> Aegerion ($AEGR) adds Dr. Jorge Plutzky to its board of directors. Release

> Aridis Pharmaceuticals names Craig Gibbs to its board of directors. Release

> Osiris Therapeutics appoints Alla Danilkovitch as chief scientific officer. Release

> Horizon Pharma ($HZNP) names Geoffrey Curtis as group vice president, corporate communications. Release

> Revolution Medicines recruits Elizabeth McKee Anderson, formerly of Janssen Pharmaceuticals, to its board of directors. Release

> Flamel Technologies announced that Steve Lisi, senior vice president of business and corporate development, has left the company. Release

> Relmada Therapeutics names Lisa Nolan as senior vice president of business development. Release

> Endocyte ($ECYT) appoints Dr. P. David Mozley as vice president of imaging. Release

> PTC Therapeutics ($PTCT) names Eric Pauwels as senior vice president and general manager of commercial operations, Americas. Release

> Domainex appoints Barry Knight as chief financial officer and company secretary and Thomas Mander as chief operating officer. Release

> Allergen Research Corporation appoints Mary Rozenman as senior vice president of corporate and commercial development and Mike Holfinger as vice president of manufacturing. Release

> BioRestorative Therapies adds Charles Ryan to its board of directors. Release

> BioSig Technologies adds Dr. Jerome Zeldis to its board of directors. Release

> Regeneron ($REGN) appoints Brian Zambrowicz as vice president of functional genomics and chief of VelociGene operations. Release (PDF)

Med tech

> DJO Global named Jeanine Kestler as executive vice president and chief human resources officer, effective April 6. Release

> SteadyMed ($STDY) appoints David Nassif as executive vice president and chief financial officer. Release

Vaccines

> Tom Varvaro joined MabVax's board of directors. Release