Bristol Myers Squibb is merging its research and development divisions under the leadership of Cristian Massacesi, M.D.
Starting Jan. 1, Massacesi—who is BMS’ chief medical officer and head of development—will lead a newly combined research and development unit as head of R&D. Meanwhile, the pharma's chief research officer Robert Plenge, M.D., Ph.D., is leaving the company, although he will continue in an advisory capacity through March.
“Increasingly, traditional boundaries between research and development are collapsing,” BMS CEO Christopher Boerner, Ph.D., explained in a statement. “This combined R&D organization sets us up to attract and retain the best talent, build critical capabilities and better integrate new technology.”
The implications of the changes for employees other than Massacesi and Plenge are unclear. BMS’ R&D groups employed about 8,000 people in 2023. The company’s overall headcount has fallen since then, slipping from 34,100 at the end of 2023 to 32,500 at the end of 2025.
Even so, BMS operates a large R&D team focused on the U.S., with key sites in states including California, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Fierce has reached out to the company to understand any wider impact of the restructuring.
Boerner framed the new structure as a way to more closely connect scientific and clinical expertise across R&D and to accelerate decision-making. The targeted benefits align with the CEO’s longstanding goal of making BMS the most productive and efficient R&D organization in the industry.
Boerner indicated an ongoing desire to improve the R&D organization on BMS’ third-quarter earnings call late last month. The Big Pharma is “continuing to rewire how we operate,” with a focus on becoming faster and more efficient in R&D, he told analysts. Boerner named BMS’ organizational structure as one area in which it would drive productivity and efficiency.
The change reverses the structure BMS adopted following its 2019 takeover of Celgene. Before the deal, Thomas Lynch, M.D., oversaw R&D as BMS’ chief scientific officer. After acquiring Celgene, BMS tasked Rupert Vessey with overseeing research and early development and put Samit Hirawat, M.D., in charge of global drug development.
Reuniting R&D brings BMS’ structure in line with many of its U.S.-based peers. Eli Lilly, Merck & Co. and Pfizer are among the large drugmakers with leaders who oversee both research and development within one division.
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