New hires
CG Life, a 2023 MM+M Agency 100 honoree,tapped David Ormesher, lead independent director of the board of directors, to serve as CEO. Erik Clausen and Steve Johnson, who previously led the agency as managing partners, will continue in their roles overseeing strategic and day-to-day aspects of the agency and report to Ormesher.
Virtual healthcare resources provider iCliniq appointed Paige Dahlhausen, an alum of Inspire, Sermo and WebMD, as its head of sales.
Discovery Life Sciences named former Thermo Fisher Scientific exec Greg Herrema as its CEO.
Carrie Lazorchak was named chief revenue officer of Definitive Healthcare, arriving at the company after prior stints at SimilarWeb and Nuance Communications.
Century Therapeutics tapped former Neogene Therapeutics COO Brent Pfeiffenberger, Pharm.D., MBA as its new CEO.
Actinium Pharmaceuticals hired industry veteran Lynn Bodarky as chief business officer.
David Armano joined Next Practices Group agency Ringer Sciences as EVP of analytics AI strategy, a newly created role.
Acelyrin appointed former Arcutis Biotherapeutics exec Patricia Turney as chief technical operations officer.
Board appointments
Biogen appointed 3M president and CFO Monish Patolawala to its board of directors, effective January 1, 2024.
Caribou Biosciences named Sundar Jagannath, MD, the director of the Center of Excellence for Multiple Myeloma at The Tisch Cancer Institute, to its scientific advisory board.
Omega Therapeutics released its latest earnings report, highlighting the appointment of Chris Schade as chairman of its board of directors and addition of Michelle C. Werner as well.
Departures
3M announced that Jeff Lavers, group president of the planned spinoff Health Care Business Group, is leaving the company at the end of the month.
Arbutus Biopharma announced that CEO William Collier will retire on December 31, 2023. Company co-founder and chief operating officer Michael J. McElhaugh will serve as interim CEO, effective January 1, 2024.
Cannabis operator MariMed announced CFOSusan M. Villare resigned at the end of last month. The company’s board of directors named CEO Jon Levine as interim CFO while it searches for a permanent replacement.
Layoffs
Pfizer laid off hundreds at a Michigan manufacturing site, citing low demand for its COVID-19 products.
In addition to its changes in the C-suite, Arbutus cut 24% of its staff.
Pyix Oncology initiated a 40% reduction in headcount as part of a cost-cutting strategy.
Bay Area biotech Lyell Immunopharma announced it is laying off 25% of its workforce and its chief medical officer is leaving.
Deals
Abcam shareholders approved the proposal from Danaher to acquire all outstanding shares of the company for $5.7 billion.
South Korea-based drugmaker Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical said it signed a $1.3 billion deal with Novartis to license out drug candidate CKD-510.
Acumen Pharmaceuticals entered into a collaboration with Halozyme to develop a subcutaneous formulation of ACU193 with its Enhanze technology.
Starton Therapeutics scrapped its SPAC deal that would have taken it public and brought in $50 million.
Blood health company Versiti bought Pearl Pathways, a full-service life science consulting firm.
Industry news
Real Chemistry is expanding its footprint in Europe with the planned opening of a new office and addition of four leaders.
The 2023 MM+M Agency 100 honoree announced that it is opening a second office in the United Kingdom based in Manchester, which will be operational early next year. The agency already conducts its Europe, Middle East and Africa business out of hubs located in London and Zurich.
Bill Anderson, CEO of the embattled German pharmaceutical and biotechnology giant Bayer, is considering splitting the company after another lackluster quarter.
Elon Musk indicated brain implant startup Neuralink’s vision chip will be ready in a few years.
Johnson & Johnson said it would submit an investigational device exemption application to the Food and Drug Administration in the second half of 2024 to initiate clinical trials for its general surgery robot.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said cases of syphilis among newborns are skyrocketing.
OrsoBio, a biotech focused on obesity and metabolic disorders, received financial backing from Eli Lilly as part of a $60 million Series A round.
Abbott released data that showed participants in its food as medicine program had lower A1C levels, better diabetes self-management as well as improved overall diet quality and food security.
Medical device maker Zimmer Biomet cut its revenue growth forecast as it posted a profit in its latest earnings report.
The Stephen and Renee Bisciotti Foundation created Blackbird Laboratories, supported by a $100 million fund, to create and retain more university-based startups in the Baltimore region.
The state of Arkansas announced a $50 million grant of opioid settlement funds to create the National Center for Opioid Research & Clinical Effectiveness, which will be part of the Arkansas Children’s hospital system.
Lexeo Therapeutics closed its $100 million initial public offering on the Nasdaq.
San Diego-based Ventyx Biosciences said it would terminate Phase 2 trials of its drug candidate VTX958 in plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
Berlin-based robotics specialist German Bionic developed an actively-powered exosuit for safer, healthier and more sustainable working conditions for healthcare professionals.
Elsevier unveiled new scientific datasets to power data applications that solve research and development challenges.
