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Roche Announces Leadership Changes as Head of Pharma R&D Hans Clevers Retires

Leadership Change
  • Johannes (Hans) Clevers, Head of Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), will retire at the end of August 2025 after accelerating several potentially transformational medicines into final development phases.
  • Under Clevers' leadership since March 2022, the pRED organization has advanced multiple pipeline candidates that are expected to shape Roche's future therapeutic portfolio.
  • Barbara Schädler, Head of Group Communications, will also retire at the end of 2025 after modernizing Roche's communication function during her six-year tenure.
  • Clevers will continue leading Roche's Institute of Human Biology until a successor is announced, ensuring continuity in the company's research initiatives.

Q32 Bio Names Adrien Sipos as Interim CMO to Lead Alopecia Areata Drug Development

Monoclonal AntibodyLeadership Change
  • Q32 Bio appointed Adrien Sipos, M.D., Ph.D., as Interim Chief Medical Officer to oversee the ongoing SIGNAL-AA Phase 2a clinical trial of bempikibart for alopecia areata treatment.
  • Dr. Sipos brings over 25 years of immunology and inflammation drug development experience from leadership roles at Biogen, Sanofi Genzyme, and Eli Lilly.
  • The company expects topline results from Part B of the SIGNAL-AA Phase 2a trial in the first half of 2026 for their novel anti-IL-7Rα antibody therapy.
  • Bempikibart represents a novel therapeutic approach targeting IL-7 and TSLP signaling pathways to treat alopecia areata, which affects approximately 700,000 Americans.

CLINUVEL CEO Returns to Drive US Expansion with Vitiligo Treatment Approval Strategy

Drug ApprovalRare DiseaseLeadership Change
  • CEO Dr. Philippe Wolgen has returned to lead CLINUVEL Pharmaceuticals following his full recovery, positioning the company for its next growth phase in North America.
  • The company is pursuing approval of SCENESSE® for vitiligo treatment in the United States and Canada, which could represent a significant shift in CLINUVEL's business model.
  • CLINUVEL is accelerating US market presence through targeted M&A activities, with 104 of 120 EPP treatment centers currently active and ready for potential vitiligo patient treatment.
  • Analysts maintain a Buy recommendation with AUD 22.00 target price, representing 126% upside potential from current share price levels.

Iovance CFO Resigns Amid Amtagvi Launch Struggles and Securities Fraud Investigation

Leadership Change
  • Iovance Biotherapeutics CFO Jean-Marc Bellemin resigned effective July 10, 2025, following significant commercial setbacks for the company's melanoma treatment Amtagvi.
  • The company's first-quarter Amtagvi sales substantially underperformed Wall Street expectations, leading to revised revenue projections and a UBS downgrade.
  • Iovance faces a securities fraud class action lawsuit alleging misrepresentation of authorized treatment center operations and patient treatment timelines.
  • The company's stock plummeted over 44% from $3.17 to $1.75 per share following disclosure of poor Q1 results and operational challenges.

Quiver Bioscience Names Co-Founder Graham Dempsey CEO to Advance Nav1.7-Targeting ASO for Chronic Pain

Leadership Change
  • Quiver Bioscience appointed co-founder Graham Dempsey, PhD as CEO to lead the company's transition from discovery platform to clinical-stage therapeutics development.
  • The company's lead antisense oligonucleotide targeting Nav1.7 for chronic neuropathic pain is approaching development candidate selection in 2025 with IND-enabling studies to follow.
  • Quiver is scaling its AI-driven CNS drug discovery platform while advancing a pipeline including a UBE3A-targeting ASO for chromosome 15q duplication syndrome.
  • The Nav1.7 ASO demonstrates efficacy in preclinical models with favorable CNS tolerability, potentially overcoming limitations of existing Nav-targeted small molecules.

AstriVax Therapeutics Appoints Former Bayer Pharma CEO Dieter Weinand as Board Chairman

Leadership Change
  • AstriVax Therapeutics has appointed Dieter Weinand, former CEO of Bayer Pharma with over 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience, as Chair of the Board of Directors effective June 12, 2025.
  • The leadership change comes as the clinical-stage immunotherapy company advances its proprietary Launch-iT technology platform for treating chronic infectious diseases, including hepatitis B virus and human papilloma virus infections.
  • The appointment follows AstriVax's recent initiation of its second Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating AVX70371 for chronic hepatitis B virus infection, marking a significant milestone in the company's clinical development program.
  • Outgoing Chair Dr. Jeanne Bolger, who served since 2022, will remain on the Board as a non-executive independent director to continue contributing her expertise to the company's therapeutic advancement.

Day One Biopharmaceuticals Appoints Michael Vasconcelles as Head of R&D to Drive Pipeline Expansion

OncologyTargeted TherapyLeadership Change
  • Day One Biopharmaceuticals has appointed Michael Vasconcelles, M.D., as Head of Research and Development, bringing over 25 years of oncology research and development expertise to the company.
  • Dr. Vasconcelles will oversee the company's research, development, and medical affairs infrastructure while supporting OJEMDA's growth and expanding the pipeline of targeted therapies.
  • The appointment comes at a pivotal time for Day One as it transitions from focusing primarily on pediatric cancer to developing transformative medicines for patients of all ages with life-threatening diseases.
  • Dr. Vasconcelles previously served as Executive Vice President at ImmunoGen, where he led the transformation into a global biotech enterprise and optimized ELAHERE's commercialization strategy.

Dyadic International Appoints Joe Hazelton as President to Lead Strategic Pivot to Ancillary Protein Markets

Leadership Change
  • Dyadic International has appointed Joe Hazelton as President to accelerate its strategic shift toward revenue-generating ancillary recombinant protein products for life sciences, nutrition, and industrial markets.
  • The company has achieved commercial validation through key partnerships including a develop-and-commercialize agreement with Proliant Health and Biologicals for recombinant human albumin and a joint venture with Fermbox Bio launching EN3ZYME.
  • Dyadic's C1 and Dapibus™ platforms continue to underpin the company's strategy, offering large-scale, high-titer production of recombinant proteins across non-therapeutic markets.
  • The leadership realignment positions Dyadic to capitalize on geopolitical trends driving reshoring of biomanufacturing supply chains to the United States and allied countries.

Acadia Pharmaceuticals Appoints Bristol Myers Squibb Veteran to Lead Rare Disease Commercial Strategy

Rare DiseaseLeadership Change
  • Acadia Pharmaceuticals has appointed Allyson McMillan-Youngblood as Senior Vice President, Rare Disease Franchise, bringing over 20 years of pharmaceutical industry experience.
  • McMillan-Youngblood previously served as Senior Vice President and Business Unit Head, U.S. Oncology at Bristol Myers Squibb, where she oversaw successful rare tumor acquisitions and product launches.
  • Her appointment focuses on maximizing DAYBUE's commercial potential and preparing for future rare disease product launches as Acadia expands its portfolio.
  • The executive brings proven expertise across multiple therapeutic areas including oncology, immunology, CNS, and rare diseases, with a track record of delivering strong commercial results.

Sernova Biotherapeutics Chairman Ross Haghighat Resigns as Company Advances Type 1 Diabetes Cell Therapy

Leadership Change
  • Sernova Biotherapeutics announced the resignation of Chairman Ross Haghighat, effective May 24, 2025, with the board accepting his departure and thanking him for his leadership.
  • The clinical-stage regenerative medicine company is developing its Cell Pouch Bio-hybrid Organ technology as a potential functional cure for type 1 diabetes.
  • Sernova's innovative approach combines its Cell Pouch with human donor cells or stem cell-derived islet clusters in collaboration with Evotec to restore pancreatic function.
  • The company's Bio-hybrid Organ platform integrates non-biomaterials with living tissues and initially targets type 1 diabetes and thyroid disorders.

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