Former Allergan exec Douglas Ingram named Chase Pharma CEO

Dec 4, 2015 8:15am

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.

Former Allergan exec Douglas Ingram named Chase Pharma CEO


	Chase Pharmaceuticals Douglas Ingram was named CEO.

Focused on treatments for neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's, Chase Pharmaceuticals appointed former Allergan ($AGN) president Douglas Ingram as its next CEO, effective immediately. Ingram replaces John Siebert, whom Chase will keep on as a senior adviser. The Washington, DC-based biotech firm has three compounds in development for symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's, one nearing the end of a Phase II trial and two which have completed Phase I. Ingram served as Allergan's president until its acquisition by Actavis earlier this year. Prior to that role, he served as Allergan's head of operations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Release

Ablynx taps Dr. Robert Zeldin as its next CMO


	Ablynx Dr. Robert Zeldin was named CMO.

Belgium-based Ablynx appointed pharma exec Dr. Robert Zeldin its chief medical officer this week, a role in which he'll lead clinical development, regulatory and medical affairs activities for the company effective immediately. In previous positions at Merck ($MRK) and Novartis ($NVS), Zeldin led teams in immunology, respiratory, dermatology and cardiovascular disease, guiding candidates from development through commercialization and life-cycle management. Before entering the pharma industry, Zeldin worked in a private practice for several years and spent two years as a medical officer at the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. He replaces Dr. Dominique Tersago in the role. Release

Martin Shkreli grabs KaloBios CEO spot


	KaloBios Martin Shkreli became CEO.

Shortly after it announced plans to shutter last month, KaloBios ($KBIO) gained new life on Nov. 20 thanks to controversial biotech entrepreneur and Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli. Shkreli and others acquired a controlling stake in the company that has seen years of clinical failure, quickly sending its stock up 700%. The 32-year-old then took the CEO seat at KaloBios, and the company has since named several other Turing execs to top spots, BioSpace reported. KaloBios' top candidate is lenzilumab, an antibody that failed a Phase II trial in severe asthma last year. Shkreli will continue to serve as CEO at Turing, which along with Shkreli has taken widespread criticism stemming from a 5,000% price hike in September on the toxoplasmosis med Daraprim. Story | More | BioSpace report

With veteran job-choppers Pfizer and Allergan joining hands, how many layoffs are in the cards? Story

Servier is plotting major layoffs in France after R&D setbacks, payer cuts. Story

GE is investing $40 million in an Ireland plant and will add 140 jobs. Story

Pfizer is shuttering another U.K. R&D outpost, ditching 120 jobs. Story

Biotech

> BioDelivery Sciences ($BDSI) hired Joseph Lockhart as vice president of manufacturing and supply chain. Release

> ProNAI Therapeutics ($DNAI) appointed Keith Anderson as senior vice president of technical operations and Gregg Smith as vice president of preclinical. Release

> Uluru Director Jeffrey Davis resigned. Release

> Ex-GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) cancer chief Paolo Paoletti scored a $29 million war chest for multiple myeloma startup Kesios. Story

> Ex-Moderna chief scientist Joseph Bolen landed at PureTech to seed new biotechs. Story

> Raj Padmanabhan and Judith Steenbergen joined Paratek Pharma as vice president of information technology and executive director of microbiology, respectively. Release

> Marinus Pharma ($MRNS) hired Dr. Jaakko Lappalainen as vice president of clinical development and Kimberly McCormick as head of regulatory affairs. Release

> Tanner Pharma Group tapped Jonathan Bracey as managing director for its U.K. operations. Release

> Anavex ($AVXL) appointed Ulrich Elben as vice president of preclinical operations. Release

> Recro Pharma ($REPH) named Dr. Stewart McCallum as chief medical officer. Release

> Andrew Curtis joined Affimed Therapeutics ($AFMD) as head of corporate strategy and business development. Release

> Dr. Larry Altstiel joined vTv Therapeutics ($VTVT) as chief medical officer. Release

> Auspherix appointed Neil Miller as chief scientific officer. Release

> Forum Pharma appointed George Parker as chief human resources officer, Dr. Stephen Brannan as vice president of clinical research and medical affairs, Dr. Diana Hughes as vice president of pharmacovigilance and medical risk management, Robert Pintar as vice president of supply chain operations and A.J. Sankoh as vice president of biostatistics and statistical programming. Release

> MonoSol Rx named Joanne Leonard as chief financial officer. Release

> Certara appoints Piet van der Graaf as vice president of quantitative systems pharmacology and head of its new Simcyp QSP organization. Release

> The Profil Institute for Clinical Research appointed Dr. Christian Weyer as its president and chief development officer. Release

> Timothy Creech joined Heat Biologics as its chief financial officer. Release

> Kevin Smith will be the new chief commercial officer of Sensium Healthcare. Release

> Acadia Pharmaceuticals appointed Dr. Srdjan Stankovic as its executive vice president and head of R&D. Release

> Invuity named Greg Lucier as its chairman. Release

Med tech

> Dicom Systems appointed Florent Saint-Clair as its executive vice president. Release

> StimGuard brought on Tom Moore as president. Release