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 Fraiser Kansteiner, and we will feature it here at the end of each week.
Greene joins Sage as CEO as Jonas swaps to innovation role
Sage Therapeutics
Barry Greene took the reins as CEO.
Greene takes the lead at Sage off a 17-year run at Alnylam, where he most recently served as president. Greene stepped down from that role in September of this year, joining Sage's board in October. He succeeds Jeff Jonas, M.D., at Sage, who will remain at the company in the new role of chief innovation officer. The leadership change comes a year after negative phase 3 results with lead pipeline drug zuranolone for major depressive disorder hit the company hard, leading to speculation it could be acquired. Biogen is now paying $1.5 billion upfront for a stake in that therapy. Fierce Biotech
Chinese biotech Zai Lab nabs Roche cancer veteran as new R&D exec, drug hunter
Samsung Biologics
John Rim was named president and CEO.
Rim takes charge at Samsung Biologics after three years as executive vice president at the company. In that role, Rim helped oversee the expansion of the company's manufacturing portfolio. Before joining Samsung in 2018, Rim worked for Genentech/Roche in a number of senior global leadership roles, including in technical operations, product development and R&D in the U.S. and Europe. Prior to that, he held senior roles at Astellas Pharmaceuticals in general management, sales and marketing, technical operations, customer service, business development and strategic planning. Release
4D hires a trio of area heads as it ramps up its gene therapy pipeline
NodThera
The company tapped Donald Johns, M.D., as chief medical officer and named Katina Dorton chief financial officer.
Johns takes over as chief medical officer—a role he served in most recently at Syntimmune, where he was also EVP of medical and scientific affairs prior to the company's acquisition by Alexion Pharmaceuticals. Dorton, meanwhile, has spent time in healthcare, life sciences and investment banking, including experiences at Repare Therapeutics and AVROBIO. NodThera is advancing a portfolio of potent and selective inhibitors of the NLRP3 inflammasome that reduce both IL-1β and IL-18 pro-inflammatory cytokines—known to play a role in chronic inflammation underpinning a range of diseases. The pipeline includes brain-penetrant NLRP3 inhibitors for central nervous system indications. Release
> Stamford, Connecticut-based SpringWorks Therapeutics promoted Badreddin Edris, Ph.D., currently chief business officer, to chief operating officer. Meanwhile, the company also promoted its current SVP of clinical research and development, L. Mary Smith, Ph.D., to chief development officer. Release
> Boston's Cardurion Pharmaceuticals tapped Howard K. Surks, M.D., to serve as chief scientific officer and head of translational medicine. Surks most recently served as head of translational medicine and clinical pharmacology, U.S., at Sanofi. Release
> Swiss biotech AB2 Bio named Djordje Filipovic, Ph.D., as chief commercial officer at the company. Filipovic previously held a number of senior roles at Novartis, including overseeing the development and commercialization of several key small molecules and monoclonal antibodies. Release (PDF)
> San Diego-based Cidara Therapeutics tapped Christopher Kurtz as executive vice president of technical operations. Before signing up with Cidara, Kurtz was head of commercial API manufacturing at Gilead Sciences, where he had a hand in the recent launches of products like Biktarvy and Veklury. Release
> McCann Health promoted its current global president of McCann health pharmacy marketing, Sandra Carey, to global president, expert audiences.
> Boston-based X4 Pharmaceuticals appointed Diego Cadavid, M.D., to the role of chief medical officer. Prior to joining X4, Cadavid was senior vice president and head of clinical development at Fulcrum Therapeutics, where he led development of multiple small molecules to treat genetically defined rare diseases. Release